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As humans, we have tons of built in “thresholds” surrounding all of our senses. What do you do when the shower gets too hot? As the temperature rises, it eventually gets to the point that your nerves tell your brain “ouch” and your brain tells you “too hot!” and you turn down the hot water. That point of “too hot,” be it 110 degrees or 120 degrees, is your skin’s personal threshold for water temperature. In the case of a compressor, the threshold control defines the point at which the compressor will begin to alter the dynamics of the signal, or compress. If the signal breaches the threshold or gets “too loud,” the compressor reacts by compressing or “turning down” the level of the output, just like you turning down the water temperature in the shower. In other words, It’s the threshold control that tells the compressor when to compress and when to leave the signal alone.
All dynamic processors work on the simple principle of a defined action resulting in a prescribed reaction. Think of it as an “if..then” statement of sorts; if the incoming signal level reaches “X” or higher, the processor will react in “Y” way, if the signal remains below X then do nothing. The threshold control in a dynamic processor allows us to define the reaction point, or the “if” part of the statement, setting the level at which the processor reacts, sometimes by reducing (compressing) or increasing (expanding) the level of the output.
I know what you’re thinking, you’ve seen that threshold control just sitting there, but the presets you pick automatically set for you, so what’s the big deal? Indeed, most compressor plug-in presets include a preset threshold value, and while it might be tempting to use that level, it is very important to understand that the preset threshold may not be affective for your specific compression task. If the threshold is set too deep, it might over compress the signal, removing all the dynamics. If the threshold is set too light, the compressor might not engage at all. Of course, sometimes you get lucky and everything works out, but remember, the preset has no way of knowing what your input level looks like or how much compression your signal needs. Until we have intelligent processors that can adjust their threshold automatically to accommodate the input signal, you will need to adjust the threshold control manually. Even if the processor could detect and adjust the threshold automatically based on the input signal, the preset couldn’t know how much compression you needed or desired, just like no one else would know just how hot you like your showers on any given day.
Ultimately, whether you set up your dynamic processors from scratch or from a preset, it is imperative that you understand and use the the threshold control to achieve the desired amount of processing. If you want to learn more and see some cool animations, watch the following free clip on understanding threshold from my new course lynda.com, Foundations of Audio: Compression and Dynamic Processing. Be sure to check out the entire course for more tips on using threshold and other compression controls.
This entry was written by , posted on January 1, 2012 at 7:54 pm, filed under Articles, Audio and Video, MixTips, News, video and tagged compression, limiters, mixing, producing, recording. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
When you use traditional compressors to alter a signal’s envelope shape, you often trade one problem for another. Spiking out the attack uses deep threshold settings that alter the tone and shape of the decay, sometimes in an undesirable way, forcing us to use “mults” or parallel chains to achieve the perfect attack and sustain characteristics for a given instrument. Transient shapers allow us to modify the transient and sustain portions of a signal’s envelope in very transparent and discrete ways, without altering the tonal character of the signal. To learn more about this topic, check out the following free video from my new lynda.com course Foundations of Audio: Compression and Dynamic Processing.
This entry was written by , posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:10 pm, filed under MixTips, News and tagged compression, limiters, mixing, producing, recording. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Dynamics processors are little more than automatic volume controls, responding to changes in signal level over time. If the input signal’s level meets a specific criteria (threshold) then the processor reacts by changing the output signal level in a prescribed way (turns it down, turns it up, etc). Here’s another clip from my new Lynda.com title Foundations of Audio: Compression and Dynamic Processing. Check it out.
This entry was written by , posted on December 28, 2011 at 4:24 pm, filed under MixTips, News, video and tagged compression, limiters, mixing, producing, recording. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Fresh from my brand new Lynda.com course Foundations of Audio: Compressors and Dynamics Processors, here is a free video on gating a drum track. You can watch all the videos in this new course by signing up for a free 7 day trial.
This entry was written by , posted on December 27, 2011 at 1:14 pm, filed under Articles, MixTips, News, video and tagged compression, limiters, mixing, producing, recording. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
I promise to drop daily deuces of discourse in the internet’s public restroom, twitter. @brianleewhite
This entry was written by , posted on December 19, 2011 at 11:42 am, filed under News. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Steven Emerson (Everstudio) and I worked on the music for this Men’s Wearhouse Commercial, extra classy!
This entry was written by , posted on December 8, 2011 at 9:36 pm, filed under News, video and tagged brian's work, credits, mixed by blw, music for video, written by blw. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
I recently mixed this record for my buddy Dominic (aka DJ Goldenchyld). It’s called Future Hop, Modern Day Renegades. Featuring Goldenchyld (of the Bangerz) on the beats and Don Prahfit on the flow. It’s cutting edge underground hip hop and it’s a free download so grab it (download here).
This entry was written by , posted on December 1, 2011 at 4:54 pm, filed under Articles, News and tagged brian's work, credits, good music. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
This is a song I mixed for Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, produced by my friend Replay (Freeschool) with additional programming by DJ Ammo. It’s all for a great cause, WeCanBeAnything is an education advocacy campaign, born of a partnership between the Apl.de.Ap Foundation (AdAF) and the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF).
Here is the official music video:
Here is footage of the live performance at the BEP show in NYC:
This entry was written by , posted on October 1, 2011 at 12:54 pm, filed under News, video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Finished mixing this record this summer, if you like the beatles and david bowie, you’ll dig this. Andy McCutcheon – Lopsided Dance.
This entry was written by , posted on September 27, 2011 at 12:27 pm, filed under News and tagged blw, brian's work, credits, good music, mixed by blw. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
After over 11 weeks on Billboards Club/Dance play chart, Kerli’s “Army of Love” has finally reached number 1. Produced by Freeschool and mixed by Brian Lee White of RxBx Music, Kerli’s AOL has officially rocked the club scene world wide, topping chart heavyweights including Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lady Gaga to get there. Billboard Club/Dance Chart – Week of May 7th, 2011
This entry was written by , posted on April 13, 2011 at 10:51 am, filed under News and tagged billboard, brian's work, charts, credits, mixed by blw, music. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
