User manual ANTARES MDT

[. . . ] MDT TM Multiband Dynamics Tool for TDM Users Manual v 4. 4 MDT Users Manual i MDT Multiband Dynamics ToolTM 1999 Antares Audio Technologies All Rights Reserved Antares Audio Technologies 464 Monterey Ave, 2nd Floor Los Gatos, CA, 95030 (408) 399-0008, (888) 332-2636 web: www. antaresTech. com MDT Multiband Dynamics Tool software and this user manual are protected by copyright law. Making copies, adaptations, or derivative works without prior written authorization of Antares Audio Technologies, is prohibited by law and constitutes a punishable violation of the law. Antares Audio Technologies retains all ownership rights to the MDT software and other software offered by Antares Audio Technologies and their documentation. Use of MDT is limited by the license agreement printed on the envelope containing your original diskette. [. . . ] The peak level of each band is displayed by its own Peak Level Indicator at the bottom of the In/Out Grid. The three bands (High, Mid, Low) are shown in that order, the Low band being at the bottom of the In/Out Grid. Select 5 band from the Filter Mode menu. High Band High Mid Band Mid Band Low Mid Band Low Band In 5 band mode, ve Peak Level Indicators are shown - High, Hi-Mid, Mid, Low-Mid, and Low. Each band is 2 octaves wide. MDT Users Manual 39 MDT Tutorial The Filter Modes MDT uses digital lters to separate the energy of the input signal into multiple bands. These lters have particular characteristics which need to be understood to use MDT most effectively. In the 3 Band mode and 5 Band mode, with the I/O curve along the diagonal line, MDT responds like an equalizer with gain levels set at. This means there are +/- 1dB variations in amplitude as a function of frequency. 3 Band AP and 5 Band AP works differently, so that the output is identically equal to the input, and the lters only become involved when the gain curve is not on the diagonal. This means that the input signal can't be attenuated more than 12 dB. In cases where more gain reduction is needed, the non-AP versions will give the best result. Placing the I/O Curve in the shaded parts of the Grid will cause unpredictable changes in the tonal balance when using AP mode filters. Multiband Compressor There are many times when it is necessary to compress a complete mix. Often, especially when compressing at a high ratio, pumping can occur. This is when one sound or group of sounds in the mix is modulating the 40 MDT Users Manual Lesson 3: Multiband Applications loudness of the other sounds. The following example demonstrates the use of a multiband compressor to alleviate the pumping problem. Notice how the loudness of the cymbal and sustained pad is pumped by the bass solo. Choose Better 5 band in the Setting menu. This setting is the same as before except for the use of multiband mode. Extreme settings are used in the example so as to create pumping in the output for the purposes of illustration. In a real world application, with a more moderate compression ratio and release time, the multiband compressor would provide even better results. MDT Users Manual 41 MDT Tutorial Managing Tonal Balance In Multiband Mode What is the Tonal Balance Problem? You may have noticed in the previous exercises that the multiband Peak Level Indicators almost never have the same simultaneous level. This is because the energy distribution across the spectrum changes from moment to moment. Since all the bands are using the same I/O Curve, each band may receive a different gain depending on its current level and placement on the I/O Curve. Choose 3 Band in the Filter Mode menu. -15 dB -8 dB Notice how the tonal balance is brighter. The highs are accentuated because the average level of the High band is about 5 dB lower than the other bands. This means that it is getting less gain reduction than the other bands and is therefore hotter in relation to them. [. . . ] In this way, the AP lter modes are able to accomplish compression and expansion computations without artifacts from the parametric equalizer lters. However, these effects are limited to the I/O Curve operating within plus and minus 12 dB of the 45 degree 1:1 diagonal. Operating above +12 dB of the diagonal causes the parametric equalizer artifacts to again dominate the output as they would in the non-AP case. Operating below -12 dB is more of a problem: Because there is a zero degree phase shift in the center of each pass band, these frequencies will be handled properly. [. . . ]