Dave Moulton

Over the past couple of months, professional things for me have been happening on a lot of fronts. It's worth sharing because it bodes well for all of us in the 'biz.

This is for those among us who don't know a lot about audio and are not quite sure we should ask.

What I found is entirely too obvious: channel-to-channel levels vary a lot.

I thought it might be nice to take a moment to consider the primary tool we use to cope with audio mayhem, the audio compressor.

Compressors go back and forth between the realm where the level change can occur to each individual sound and the realm where we are changing the overall level for a while.

I am involved in the music and record businesses, wearing a variety of hats, including those of the artist, the recording engineer, the producer and the mastering engineer.

Last month, I reviewed the Modulation Sciences SpiderVision Surround Sound signal level meter. As the lead-in to that review, I noted Lord Kelvin’s dictum that to measure is to know.

The gap between the HD television we deliver and the HD television that our viewers perceive lies in the difference in the way we and they think about it.

Spreaders, for those of you who don’t know, are neat little FX patches that can really enhance stereophony. Even better, they work great in surround as well.

Our story to date... last month I described my well-meaning efforts to upgrade my living room TV into a small, pleasant home theater.

For those of you who don't know this, there is a comparatively new trade organization called the Custom Electronics Designer and Installer Association.

This month I’d like to spend a little more time discussing the center channel, concentrating on some of the production issues we have to deal with.

You may recall that last month I wrote about audio guru Neil Muncy's observations regarding television audio level problems he encountered in Canada.

We tend to gloss over some of the production difficulties we face as a consequence of our current broadcast distribution system.

You need to get a handle on the actual measured levels at which you are working.

You need a room—pretty much all to yourself and big enough so others can join you on occasion.

You need good speakers, placed well in a good room.