Dialog Compression: Why Compress During Mastering Pt.6

_{^{By: FPVmat A | Unsplash}}

So you've finished cleaning up your dialogue for a video, podcast or audiobook...

Now wouldn't you like to complete it for the best results possible?

Wouldn't you want to guarantee your listeners can hear every word of that dialogue, no matter how soft or loud?

And of course you'd want those words to sound as pristine and clear as possible, wouldn't you?

Well then, you're in the right place my friend!

Read on to grasp a key part of mastering your dialogue to get polished, professional results free from distracting distortion.

Proper Loudness, No Distortion

One of the primary goals of mastering spoken word audio is getting the level to the ideal loudness for your listeners while keeping the quality of your sound clean and clear.

And using a suitable compressor together with a limiter during mastering is one of the best ways to make this happen.

 ^{[ Right and Left Sides of the Vertigo VSC-2 Compressor by Brainworx ]}

It's not the only way to master dialogue, but if you were to ask me how to reach those loudness levels with a clear sound, I'd show you what I do in my own sessions.

And that's using a capable compressor in your mastering chain working together with the limiter at the end.

The compressor works to shape the areas of high and low volume in your words in a beautiful and useful way.

In turn, this helps to direct and sculpt the dialogue audio toward the louder levels that you're aiming for (e.g. YouTube audio between an integrated -16 to -14 LUFS).

At the same time, the limiter is stopping the loudest peaks from pushing through the top of your level meter's range at 0 dB (otherwise you would hear particularly nasty distortion).

 ^{[ Clipping Distortion on an Audio Level Meter ]}

Further, using a compressor with a limiter in the mastering phase takes some of the "load" off of the limiter as you try to reach those loudness goals.

With the compressor working your dialogue before the limiter in your mastering chain, the limiter isn't taxed as hard as it tries to stop the loudest peaks cleanly.

Typically, you don't want to overburden a limiter because of its aggressive nature of stopping peaks from clipping.

Otherwise you may risk adding distortion to your dialogue.

In this way, the compressor working in tandem with the limiter helps to achieve those loudness goals while minimizing distortion.

You Need More Leveling

Like we've mentioned before, you don't want to annoy your listeners by making them constantly reach for the volume to adjust.

You want happy listeners that are engaged with your content, not the volume button!

With that being said, using a second compressor during mastering provides another gentle layer of leveling to reach the proper loudness for your spoken word audio.

This speaks to the fact that oftentimes you'll get better results processing audio when you sculpt it bit by bit rather than all at once.

And that's the case here when you skillfully use a second compressor in the mastering session for your dialogue.

Remember that we first used a compressor for gentle leveling shortly after recording, so this would be the second use in the progression.

The first and second use of a compressor for leveling at different stages of the process is a prime example of the bit by bit sculpting of the sound.

_{^{By: Ilia Zolas | Unsplash}}

Please note, however, that background noise can become a problem once again the more you compress during mastering.

Even noise that seemed to be imperceptible can rear its ugly head after mastering when using heavy compression.

Believe me, I've had to deal with this quite a bit in my own dialogue recordings and I'd love to help you avoid this frustration!

In my case, I'd have to reset the mastering process and go back to figure out how to do more noise reduction (while trying to not affect the quality of the audio).

Super frustrating...

_{^{By: Simran Sood | Unsplash}}

The reason noise can become an issue is because the overall gain is being brought up so much to meet those loudness levels.

Plus the mastering compressor amplifies those quiet areas in your speech including any noise like hiss or hum. 

That's why I recommend taking it easy on the compression (and the limiting) during mastering to help keep the background noise at bay.

The best sound (that's less fatiguing for listeners) will often come from milder or gentle compression on your spoken words during the mastering process.

Superior Sound Quality

Lastly, one of the secrets to getting that professional sounding presence and weight in your spoken word audio is to use compression in mastering.

Skillful use of an appropriate compressor in your mastering chain helps to achieve a clear, but full tonality to your audio for video, podcast or audiobook.

What this means is that the compressor, working with everything else in your mastering chain, actually enhances the quality of your dialogue.

It will add a very subtle color or tonal enhancement to help you achieve that wonderful tonality or beautiful clarity to your spoken words.

^{[ The TDR Kotelnikov GE Compressor by Tokyo Dawn Labs ]}

When I say "very subtle" I'm talking about a quality enhancement that the average listener probably won't even hear...

And this is the kind of transparency that you want from a compressor you're using for mastering dialogue since HEARING THE WORDS CLEARLY is the main goal.

We'll look at specific compressors to use and how to set them up skillfully when you're mastering dialogue in upcoming posts.

Summary

Remember, using a compressor in your mastering session helps your dialogue for video, podcast, audiobook and sermons in several important ways.

First, as it works together with a limiter, it enables you to reach the loudness levels your distribution platform requires while minimizing distortion and keeping the sound clear.

Next, it provides one more gentle layer of leveling to continue sculpting your audio toward a consistent volume level that your listeners crave. 

Finally, using a mastering compressor is one of the "secret" ingredients to getting that professional sounding presence or "weight" in your dialogue recordings.

Do YOU use compression when mastering your dialogue audio or just limiting?

What other suggestions do you have when it comes to mastering spoken word recordings?

Would love to hear your thoughts below! 

Cheers, Bryan
Your Dialogue Editing Mentor