MSpectralDynamics thoughts

[ZentralmassivSound]

Hi there,

MSD is really great when you want to balance the frequencies, however it introduces compression, and if you have to iron out large bumps in the spectrum you get the respective audible compression sound. My thought was, can one get the frequency flattening WITHOUT compression being heard as such? I don't know if this is at all possible. Currently MSD only damps frequencies above a threshold. Maybe one could also boost frequencies below a threshold? And then MSD could automatically find an optimum threshold to balance between boosting and damping, so that the result has the least possible compression artefacts? Don't know if this makes any sense or if this would change the sound at all. Maybe the "problem" is that the dynamics detection always has an attack and release and thus always sounds like a compressor. Maybe a look-ahead could help smooth out attacks and releases intelligently, so that compression sounds most natural?

Just thoughts

[MeldaProduction]

Hi Thorsten,

well, you basically want compression that wouldn't sound like compression . You cannot really change dynamics dynamically without any audible results. I personally use this all the time and don't hear compression as such, so maybe you are overdoing? Could you send me some examples?
As for the ideas you presented, they wouldn't solve anything. Every time you change levels, overall or part of the spectrum, it will be audible somehow, after all, you want it to be audible. If you set very long release, it will be more static, but then it won't do so much either. Anyways what always helps is to lower the smoothness &/ naturality as much as possible - that will focus the changes to smaller parts of the spectrum, at the expense of the resulting distortion usually.

[vectorwarrior]

This does give me an idea... what would a spectral version of MPhatik sound like? Would that essentially be MMorph, my understanding is that it would sound different because it would adapt to both the input and side chain, rather than just the side chain. Just an idea. Sorry for the tangent.

[ZentralmassivSound]

Hi Thorsten,

well, you basically want compression that wouldn't sound like compression . You cannot really change dynamics dynamically without any audible results. I personally use this all the time and don't hear compression as such, so maybe you are overdoing? Could you send me some examples?
As for the ideas you presented, they wouldn't solve anything. Every time you change levels, overall or part of the spectrum, it will be audible somehow, after all, you want it to be audible. If you set very long release, it will be more static, but then it won't do so much either. Anyways what always helps is to lower the smoothness &/ naturality as much as possible - that will focus the changes to smaller parts of the spectrum, at the expense of the resulting distortion usually.

Hm yeah... I agree compression will always be compression. Ah well...

Another thing: sometimes I have the feeling that MSD changes the sound even when the green line is not moving at all. Is that expected?

[MeldaProduction]

vectorwarrior: I actually have no idea . But from my experience I'd guess there could be a lot of "alien" artifacts.

Thorsten: I cannot answer that, that would be just guessing . You need to send me some settings or something.