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. [. . . ] This capability of MDT makes it the most powerful and exible dynamics processing tool available. Multiband Peak Level Indicators In multiband mode, MDT divides the energy of the signal into three or ve equally spaced bands. The peak level of each band is displayed by its own Peak Level Indicator at the bottom of the In/Out Grid. Select the Short Voice soundle for playback. Select 3 band from the Filter Mode menu. The Peak Level Indicators display the level of each band. The three bands (High, Mid, Low) are shown in that order, the Low band being at the bottom of the In/Out Grid. Each band is 3. 3 octaves wide and has its own Input Offset Arrows. 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. The AP mode lters have a limited gain reduction range of -12 dB. 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. Select the Bass Solo soundle for playback. Choose Pumping 1 band in the Setting menu. The compression ratio above the threshold is 10 to 1. [. . . ] 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. However, the phase changes in the crossover and stop band of each lter will cause the sound at these frequencies to not be correctly subtracted, leaving a signicantly audible sound in the output. Clip Sentry Because MDT simulates the smooth sound of analog compressors, it is easy to create data that exceeds to +1, -1 digital range. This is because of the behavior of the Attack Time slider, which allows you to control the rate of gain reduction due to a sudden increase in sound level. [. . . ]