Sound processing, why?

 Sound conditioning: preparing the signal for oncoming

systems. Preprocessing.
 Sound recovery (restoration): solving problems due to
previous systems. Postprocessing.
 Sound modification: add context characteristics or
change the sound to a new one. Processing.

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 4

 Sound conditioning
 Give uniformity to the sound level: PA (public address)
systems, broadcasting programs, electric bass,...
 Give presence to a sound signal.
 Compensate oncoming filterings
 Due to the room acoustics.
 Due to power amplifiers, recording systems, ...
 Ease sound mixing, allocating different frequency ranges to
different sound signals:
 Atenuate irrelevant frequency ranges that may disturb other sound
signals.
 Equalize in a different way two similar sound signals to ease
perceptual separation.
 Avoid sound coupling using a PA system: allow an increase
in the average level.
 Compensate the change in loudness due to a level change
(Fletcher-Munson effect).

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 5

 Sound recovery (restoration)

 Noise reduction, discriminating by level or by frequency

areas.
 Noise gate: reduce the lowest level signals, typically background noise
(breathing, open mics, equipment background noise, crosstalks,...).
 Filtering to atenuate noisy frequency bands.
 Useful when applied before the sound mixing.
 Danger: eliminate desired signals.
 Compensate previous filterings
 Due to the room acoustics.
 Due to an improper take that created an incorrect tonal balance.
 Due to power amplifiers, recording systems, ...
 Compensate the effects of a dynamic range processing
(e.g. an expansion compensating the effect of a previous
compression).

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 6

 Dynamic range

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 11

 Dynamic range

Clipping zone

Headroom
Nominal level
Level
(dBu, System’s
dBSPL, dynamic
dBm,...) range
SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio)

Background noise

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 12

 Loudness

Masking by level

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 13

 Max
past
value

Current
value

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 14

 Proper values
Gain1

Overload
Gain 2 risk

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 15

Ways to modify the dynamic range of a system

 Increase the maximum level

 Increase power and/or
 Increase efficiency
 Reduce the background noise level
 Use a more silent equipment (more expensive)
 Use a more silent listening environment (sometimes imposible,
sometimes very expensive).

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 16

 Importance of lowest sound levels

 Speech intelligibility (fricatives, transients, ...).

 Instruments with extremely different sound power.
 Dynamics as an expressive resource in music.

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 17

 Typical dynamic ranges

+40
dBu
+20

-20

-40

-60

-80 Analog
Analog FM Vinyl Compact Digital
mixing 24 bits/sample
tape radio record Disc(CD)
console
16 bits/sample

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 18

Compressors: reducing the dynamic range

Maximum
level Attenuation

Amplification
Minimum
level

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 19

Maximum
level

Attenuation

Attenuation
Minimum
level

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 20

In -90-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 dB

-10
1:1
-20
2:1 Level Compression Attack +
-30 detector factor Release
-40
-50 Threshold
-60
-70
In -90-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 dB
-80
-90 -10
Out 1:1
-20
2:1
-30
-40
-50
1:1
-60
-70
-80
-90
Out

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 21

 VCA
Gain
(dB)
G2

Level Compression
detector factor

G1
0

Gain Time
(dB)
G2
t1: Attack time

t2: Release time

G1
0

t1 t2 Time

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 22

In -90-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 dB

-10
2:1 -20
Level Compression Attack +
1:1 -30 detector factor Release
-40
-50 Threshold
-60
-70
-80
-90
Out

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 23

 Level Compression Attack +
detector factor Release

Threshold

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 24

 Uses of a compressor

 Give uniformity to the sound level: PA (public address)

systems, broadcasting programs, electric bass,...
 Give presence to a sound signal.
 Typical values: from 1.5:1 to 4:1
 Attack/release times:
 100 µs - 10 ms
 0.5 s – several seconds
 Change the time characteristics of timbre
 Attack and release times modify the time energy envelope.

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 25

 Sidechain
Signal A

Level Compression Attack +

detector factor release

Threshold

Signal B
Señal A

Masking by level

Improve intelligibility

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 34

 Limiter

 Limiter (8:1, 10:1 and more than 20:1): extreme

compressor that avoids surpassing a given level.
 Very short attack/release times (1µs-1ms).
 It is a protection for the next system in the chain.

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 35

 Expanders

Maximum
Amplification level

Attenuation
Minimum
level

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 36

In -90-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 dB

-10
1:1
-20
Level Compression Attack +
-30 factor release
detector
-40
-50 Threshold
1:2
-60
-70
In -90-80 -70 -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 dB
-80
-90 -10
Out 1:1
-20
-30
-40
1:2 -50
Expansion -60
-70
1:1
-80
-90
Out

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 37

 Uses of an expander

 Noise reduction, discriminating by level.

 Noise gate: reduce the lowest level signals, typically
background noise (breathing, open mics, equipment
background noise, crosstalks,...).
 Useful when applied before the sound mixing.
 Danger: eliminate desired signals.
 Compensate the effects of a dynamic range
processing (e.g. an expansion compensating the effect
of a previous compression).

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 38

 Uses of filters (equalization) (1/3)

 Give presence to a sound signal.

 Compensate oncoming filterings
 Due to the room acoustics.
 Due to power amplifiers, recording systems, ...
 Ease sound mixing, allocating different frequency
ranges to different sound signals:
 Atenuate irrelevant frequency ranges that may disturb other
sound signals.
 Equalize in a different way two similar sound signals to ease
perceptual separation.
 Avoid sound coupling using a PA system: allow an
increase in the average level.
 Compensate the change in loudness due to a level
change (Fletcher-Munson effect).

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 48

 Uses of filters (equalization) (2/3)

 Noise reduction, discriminating by frequency areas.

 Filtering to atenuate noisy frequency bands.
 Useful when applied before the sound mixing.
 Danger: eliminate desired signals.
 Compensate previous filterings
 Due to the room acoustics.
 Due to an improper take that created an incorrect tonal balance.
 Due to power amplifiers, recording systems, ...

Sistemas de audio interactivo, 2022-23 5. Sound processing. 49

 Uses of filters (equalization) (3/3)

 Change the frequency characteristics of timbre:

 Boost or atenuate some frequency bands.
 Use sound processing to add information related to
the environment
 Echoes and reverberation.
 Sound attenution with distance.
 3D Spatialization.
 (…)

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