dynamic compression

[minnguy66]

Hi all, just joined the forum. I just finished hooking up my new home theatre and am trying to tune the audio. Can anyone tell me if it is best to use dynamic compression, or leave it at standard? Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[tbewick]

Hi all, just joined the forum. I just finished hooking up my new home theatre and am trying to tune the audio. Can anyone tell me if it is best to use dynamic compression, or leave it at standard? Thanks in advance for your answers.

If you are playing at reference volume level, it is probably best to turn it off. Leaving it on can make background noises sound too loud. Running at reference level on Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 is very demanding of your system, so unless you have very capable equipment, you might get better sound at lower volumes with DRC turned on. It should help to make dialogue more audible and will reduce the volume of loud peaks.

These links have more info:

www.minnetonkaaudio.com/pdfs/Dolby Digital Guidelines.pdf
www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/18_Metadata.Guide.pdf

The links cover the use of DRC by programme makers.

If you want to play at reference level at a more system-friendly peak volume, then you could try the Dolby 2.0 surround track instead of the 5.1. I think that the peak volume here will be lower than with 5.1 (~95 dB for 2.0 in the main channels versus 105 dB for 5.1).

 

[manofsteel2397]

my receiver has a nightmode that i use all the time when my daughter is sleepeing but it is dinamic compression but preset i can do it manualy but much easyer to just hit the button but when she is up it sounds much better when off. when it is on it just quiets all the souround effects especialy bass