Final Cut Pro X Ripple Lesson - Using a Compressor - SOUND Flashcards
Lesson 11: Using a Compressor
Adjusting audio ______ will only get you so far.
levels
Lesson 11: Using a Compressor
Adjusting audio levels will only get you so far. For professional results, the overall ________ of the audio need to be tamed.
dynamics
Lesson 11: Using a Compressor
Adjusting audio levels will only get you so far. For professional results, the overall dynamics of the audio need to be tamed. In lesson 9 on Enhancing the Soundtrack, I defined dynamics as the range between the soft and loud part of the audio ______.
signal
Lesson 11: Using a Compressor
Adjusting audio levels will only get you so far. For professional results, the overall dynamics of the audio need to be tamed. In lesson 9 on Enhancing the Soundtrack, I defined dynamics as the range between the soft and loud part of the audio signal.
Compressors are an indispensable tool because they selectively ______ the volume when a certain _________ is reached.
reduce, threshold
Lesson 11: Using a Compressor
Adjusting audio levels will only get you so far. For professional results, the overall dynamics of the audio need to be tamed. In lesson 9 on Enhancing the Soundtrack, I defined dynamics as the range between the soft and loud part of the audio signal.
Compressors are an indispensable tool because they selectively reduce the volume when a certain threshold is reached. I therefore like to refer to them a “automatic ______ turn-downers” Let’s take a look…
volume
Understanding Dynamics
In the space of a second, your on-screen talent’s dialog can go from a whisper to a shout. If you turn down the sound to make room for the shout, the whisper will be lost in the background. If you turn up the volume to make the whisper audible, the shout will be distorted making the sound unusable.
The solution is to use a ________ effect.
dynamics
Understanding Dynamics
In the space of a second, your on-screen talent’s dialog can go from a whisper to a shout. If you turn down the sound to make room for the shout, the whisper will be lost in the background. If you turn up the volume to make the whisper audible, the shout will be distorted making the sound unusable.
The solution is to use a dynamics effect. The most common dynamics effect is the compressor. A compressor does exactly what its name implies: it compresses the ______ of the audio. But it does so ___________. Now take a listen with compression applied…
volume, selectively
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces ____ sounds, while leaving _____ sounds untouched.
loud, quiet
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall __________ between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
difference
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall difference between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
In this film, the main character makes a startling discovery and she reacts by screaming.
______ ______ _____ the audio waveform to reveal the audio components.
OPTION DOUBLE CLICK
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall difference between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
In this film, the main character makes a startling discovery and she reacts by screaming.
Option-double click the audio waveform to reveal the audio __________.
COMPONENTS (CHANNELS)
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall difference between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
In this film, the main character makes a startling discovery and she reacts by screaming.
Option-double click the audio waveform to reveal the audio components. Also to keep the focus on just the clip we’re working on, I’ll select the component and toggle the ____ button.
SOLO
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall difference between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
In this film, the main character makes a startling discovery and she reacts by screaming.
Option-double click the audio waveform to reveal the audio components. Also to keep the focus on just the clip we’re working on, I’ll select the component and toggle the Solo button.
Playing back reveals a wide _______ range over the course of the clip. At the beginning we hear the girl’s loud scream, but toward the end of the clip she is making a series of soft whimpers.
DYNAMIC
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the _________ selected, open the Effects browser (Shortcut = Command 5), locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio.
component (channel)
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the _______ browser (Shortcut = Command 5),
Effects
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser (Shortcut = Command 5), locate the ______ category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio.
LEVELS
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component SELECTED, open the Effects browser (Shortcut = Command 5), locate the Levels category, then ______ _____ the Compressor to apply it to the audio.
DOUBLE CLICK
How a Compressor Works
A compressor reduces loud sounds, while leaving quiet sounds untouched. The result is that the overall difference between loud and soft sounds is reduced, enabling an audience to hear everything without straining, or being blown away by sudden outbursts.
In this film, the main character makes a startling discovery and she reacts by screaming.
Option-double click the audio waveform to reveal the audio components. Also to keep the focus on just the clip we’re working on, I’ll select the component and toggle the Solo button (shortcut = ______ _).
Option S
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio.
In the Audio Inspector, click the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: _________, _____, ______ and _______.
Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio.
In the Audio Inspector, click the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a ____ position before you start making adjustments.
REST
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio. In the Audio Inspector, click
the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a rest position before you start making adjustments. For Threshold, adjust its slider to the _______ position.
maximum
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio. In the Audio Inspector, click
the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a rest position before you start making adjustments. For Threshold, adjust its slider to the maximum position. For Ratio, the rest position is ___ - the position where it has no effect on the signal.
1:1
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio. In the Audio Inspector, click
the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a rest position before you start making adjustments. For Threshold, adjust its slider to the maximum position. For Ratio, the rest position is 1:1 - the position where it has no effect on the signal. For Release, you can just set it to around __ milliseconds to begin with.
60
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio. In the Audio Inspector, click
the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a rest position before you start making adjustments. For Threshold, adjust its slider to the maximum position. For Ratio, the rest position is 1:1 - the position where it has no effect on the signal. For Release, you can just set it to around 60 milliseconds to begin with.
Leave Attack set to ____. .
zero
The Anatomy of a Compressor
Simply reducing the volume by dragging on the volume control will not solve the problem as doing so, also reduces the much softer sounds of her whimpers at the end of the clip.
With the component selected, open the Effects browser, locate the levels category, then double-click the Compressor to apply it to the audio. In the Audio Inspector, click
the compressor’s icon to open its HUD. There are four main controls to a compressor: Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release.
It’s usually a good idea to set these to a rest position before you start making adjustments. For Threshold, adjust its slider to the maximum position. For Ratio, the rest position is 1:1 - the position where it has no effect on the signal. For Release, you can just set it to around 60 milliseconds to begin with.
Leave Attack set to zero. One more thing: make sure Gain is set to ____ and Auto-Gain is ___. We’ll look at gain later, but it’s easier to understand how a Compressor works by starting with the gain set to ____.
zero, off, zero
