{"id":28145,"date":"2022-09-19T07:15:01","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T11:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/?p=28145"},"modified":"2022-12-09T22:22:09","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T03:22:09","slug":"science-of-compressor-plugins-how-to-minimize-distortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/science-of-compressor-plugins-how-to-minimize-distortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Science of Compressor Plugins &#8211; How to Minimize Distortion"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The Science of Dynamics Processing &#8211; How to minimize distortion.<\/h2>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49Read the Technical Manuscript: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3QViUFA\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3QViUFA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The video below discusses a peer-reviewed scientific manuscript on how to best minimize distortion when using dynamic processors like compressor and limiter plugins. This is super important to understand if you are mixing or mastering music.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I digest all the scientific jargon for you so it&#8217;s easy to learn and understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This video below covers:<br \/>\n\u2705 What distortion is<br \/>\n\u2705 Linear vs Non-linear distortion<br \/>\n\u2705 Differences between harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion<br \/>\n\u2705 How to theoretically set &#8220;fast&#8221; compressor and limiter plugins to minimize distortion<br \/>\n\u2705 A real-world demonstration of setting compressor setting on complex audio signals (e.g. an actual song)<\/p>\n<p>My goal was to make this video actionable, so you can try these strategies on your music to minimize potential distortion and compression artifacts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"et_bloom_inline_form et_bloom_optin et_bloom_make_form_visible et_bloom_optin_11\" style=\"display: none;\" data-success_action_details=\"redirect_url|https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/thank-you\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">.et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_content { background-color: #d6d6d6 !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container .et_bloom_form_header { background-color: #e5e5e5 !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11.et_bloom_optin .et_bloom_border_letter { background: repeating-linear-gradient( 135deg, #b2b2b2, #b2b2b2 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px, #f84d3b 20px, #f84d3b 30px, #fff 30px, #fff 40px ) !important; } .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container h2, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container h2 span, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container h2 strong { font-family: \"Open Sans\", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; }.et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container p, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container p span, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container p strong, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container form input, .et_bloom .et_bloom_optin_11 .et_bloom_form_container form button span { font-family: \"Open Sans\", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; } <\/style>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_container  et_bloom_border_letter et_bloom_rounded et_bloom_form_text_dark et_bloom_form_bottom et_bloom_inline_1_field et_bloom_success_action\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_container_wrapper clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_header_outer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_header split et_bloom_header_text_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"610\" height=\"871\" src=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-610x871.jpg\" class=\" et_bloom_image_slideup et_bloom_image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-610x871.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-420x600.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-717x1024.jpg 717w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-768x1097.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-320x457.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-640x914.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-360x514.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-720x1029.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1-800x1143.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Compression-101-guide-1-1.jpg 994w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Grab My FREE Compression 101 Guide!<br \/><\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Get your FREE super helpful guide that teaches you everything you need to know about compression to make better, punchier mixes!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Including:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca5 An <strong>understandable explanation<\/strong> for all the knobs on a compressor<\/span><br \/>\ud83d\udca5<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0Great <strong>starting points<\/strong> for different instruments<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca5 How to <strong>hear a compressor and movement<\/strong><\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca5 <strong>What to listen for<\/strong> when using a compressor<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\ud83d\udca5 Strategies to <strong>dial in perfect compression<\/strong><br \/><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_content et_bloom_1_field et_bloom_bottom_inline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<form method=\"post\" class=\"clearfix\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_fields\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"et_bloom_popup_input et_bloom_subscribe_email\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input placeholder=\"Email\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button data-optin_id=\"optin_11\" data-service=\"mailerlite\" data-list_id=\"105317218\" data-page_id=\"28145\" data-account=\"bobby@raytownproductionscom\" data-ip_address=\"true\" class=\"et_bloom_submit_subscription\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_bloom_subscribe_loader\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_bloom_button_text et_bloom_button_text_color_light\">GET FREE GUIDE!<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_success_container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_bloom_success_checkmark\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"et_bloom_success_message\">You are all set! \u2705 Check your email and spam folder for the confirmation email containing your download link for the compression guide!<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_bloom_form_footer\"><p>Don't worry - I will only send you information about how to make your music sound amazing. I take this stuff seriously and will NEVER sell your info. You have my word \ud83d\udc4d<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"et_bloom_close_button\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><strong>\u231aTIMESTAMPS\u231a<\/strong><br \/>\n00:00 &#8211; Introduction<br \/>\n00:35 &#8211; The Manuscript that is Presented<br \/>\n00:57 &#8211; Who Am I?<br \/>\n02:47 &#8211; Overview of Presentation<br \/>\n03:37 &#8211; What is Distortion<br \/>\n04:50 &#8211; Two Types of Distortion<br \/>\n05:59 &#8211; Measuring Distortion from Compression &#8211; Harmonic Distortion<br \/>\n08:48 &#8211; Why do we calculate total harmonic distortion?<br \/>\n09:23 &#8211; Definition of a Complex Audio Signal<br \/>\n09:58 &#8211; Intermodulation Distortion (IMD)<br \/>\n11:04 &#8211; Visualizing Intermodulation Distortion<br \/>\n11:35 &#8211; How to Measure Intermodulation Distortion<br \/>\n12:18 &#8211; Assumptions and Caveats from Manuscript<br \/>\n14:21 &#8211; Measuring Distortion from Harmonic Signals<br \/>\n15:43 &#8211; Measuring Distortion from Inharmonic Complex Signals<br \/>\n16:34 &#8211; Important Point About Complex Signals<br \/>\n17:01 &#8211; How To Minimize Distortion Components?<br \/>\n17:19 &#8211; Impact of Compression Ratio on Distortion<br \/>\n18:50 &#8211; Impact of Compressor Threshold on Distortion<br \/>\n19:55 &#8211; Two Key Takeaways<br \/>\n20:52 &#8211; Testing the Findings in the Studio<br \/>\n23:12 &#8211; Testing Low Ratio, Low Threshold vs High Ratio, High Threshold<br \/>\n25:25 &#8211; Testing Low Threshold Settings for Distortion<br \/>\n27:39 &#8211; Waves Compressor that Works Well at Low Thresholds<br \/>\n28:52 &#8211; Summary<br \/>\n30:04 &#8211; Don&#8217;t Forget Your FREE Gift! \ud83c\udf81<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The SCIENCE of COMPRESSOR PLUGINS: Minimizing Distortion\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kTNR2eN7NKM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_6 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i>Like this video?<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_7 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_button_module_wrapper et_pb_button_0_wrapper et_pb_button_alignment_center et_pb_module \" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"et_pb_button et_pb_button_0 et_pb_bg_layout_dark\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/raytownproductions?sub_confirmation=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel!<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5MANUSCRIPT\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n&#8220;Evaluating harmonic and intermodulation distortion of mixed signals processed with dynamic range compression&#8221;<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3QViUFA\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3QViUFA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5PLUGINS\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd17FabFilter &#8211; Pro C2: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/30Pmj52\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/30Pmj52<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udd17Waves &#8211; Abbey Road RS124 Compressor: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3lKygx7\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3lKygx7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5COURSES\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2cLearn to Edit Your Guitar\/Drums\/Bass\/Vocals Like a Pro: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3vQ4dg4\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3vQ4dg4<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2cComplete Home Studio Mastering Course (\ud83d\udcb010% OFF!): <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3q5HGZr\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3q5HGZr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5SUPPORT THE BAND\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83c\udfb8Eden Rose &#8211; Moving On: <a href=\"https:\/\/distrokid.com\/hyperfollow\/edenrose\/moving-on\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">distrokid.com\/hyperfollow\/edenrose\/moving-on<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udd17FB: <a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/EdenRoseBand\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">facebook.com\/EdenRoseBand\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5LET&#8217;S WORK TOGETHER\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\nGet a customized mixing and mastering package for your music!<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd0a <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2y1T78h\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/2y1T78h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5MY GEAR\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd0aStudio Monitors &#8211; Genelec 8030c: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3ehDq2N\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3ehDq2N<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udd0aRME Babyface Pro FS Interface: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3hoBtTy\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3hoBtTy<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udcf7Sony ZV-1 Camera: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rqG2ma\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3rqG2ma<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83c\udf99Shure Beta 57 Microphone (Video): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3prXseo\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3prXseo<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udddcBoom Stand for Mic: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2YYjn0O\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/2YYjn0O<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udca1Ring Light: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Yj6qzB\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/2Yj6qzB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5SOCIAL\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udcf9 Twitch (Watch LIVE!): <a href=\"https:\/\/twitch.tv\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">twitch.tv\/raytownproductions<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udd17 Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">facebook.com\/raytownproductions<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udcf7 Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instagram.com\/raytownproductions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5CONNECT\ud83d\udca5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udc4b Private FB Community: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/hsftgroup\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/hsftgroup<\/a><br \/>\n\u2b50 Blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.raytownproductions.com\/blog<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udce7 E-mail: <a href=\"mailto:bobby@raytownproductions.com\" class=\"autohyperlink\">bobby@raytownproductions.com<\/a><br \/>\n\ud83d\udc99 Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.raytownproductions.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Please help support this channel! Some of the links are affiliate links which doesn&#8217;t cost you anything extra. At the same time, I also receive a small tip from each sale (basically like buying me a cup of coffee \u2615 for helping you out with these high-quality videos).<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a win win, and I very much appreciate it \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This tutorial discusses a peer-reviewed science paper on how to best minimize distortion when using dynamic processors like compressor and limiter plugins. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[240,55,149,25],"class_list":["post-28145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-dynamics-processing","tag-plugins","tag-science","tag-tutorial","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28145"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28334,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28145\/revisions\/28334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}