Rockbox Development > Feature Ideas
FS#10199 - Dynamic Range Compression
ykevinw:
I'm not sure why you would really need a dynamic compressor for pop or dance music. It comes pretty much 100% compressed from the factory. Modern pop/rock/dance is pretty much just at one volume which is usually max. See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
Replaygain works perfectly well in getting tracks of this type of music at the same average level without changing the waveform - that is if we are listening to our tracks and not running a competitive pop radio station.
A dynamic compressor is useful for dynamic music like classical when you can let it be dynamic - like in a car, or late at night, or if you have kids, or if the music is background. This music is dynamic by design because that's how it achieves emotional effect but in the preceding situations you just can't let it go at full range.
I don't think there has been much call for a dynamic compressor in Rockbox because it's a DAP OS and the high dynamic range of classical music is not a concern when you are wearing headphones - in fact you want music to be dynamic when you can.
However, I use my DAP as a source at home and in the car which is what I think the original poster was getting at. If there are many others with this situation that are into dynamic music like classical then adding a filter like vlevel would be really great. I prefer a volume leveling algorithm because it doesn't butcher the waveform. I don't code so I don't really know if this is easy or not.
pabouk:
--- Quote from: ykevinw on September 13, 2008, 02:43:09 PM ---I don't think there has been much call for a dynamic compressor in Rockbox because it's a DAP OS and the high dynamic range of classical music is not a concern when you are wearing headphones - in fact you want music to be dynamic when you can.
--- End quote ---
It is a concern with headphones because in a noisy environment (which is nearly everywhere) you cannot hear quiet passages if the sound is fully dynamic and you would not like to be deafened by the loud passages. (It is very similar situation to listening to music in a car.)
ZincAlloy:
another tool to mess up a perfectly well mastered recording? nothing against compressors per se, I just don't want to see them in the wrong hands.
Chronon:
You can also "mess up" a perfectly well mastered recording with the EQ.
ZincAlloy:
right. that's why I said "another" tool ;D
on the othe hand: if all consumer music players had a compressor or limiter built in it would make the loudness wars redundant.
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