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Figure 22 : Comparison of a normal, unaltered, signal, the limiter effect, and the compressor effect. The input volume is read left to right (quieter to louder), The output volume is read bottom to top (quieter to louder).
1. The red line is the dynamic range of the unaltered signal.
2. The yellow line is the dynamic range of the limiter.
3. The blue line is the dynamic range of the compressor (2:1 ratio).
Notice the original, unaltered signal (red) is depicted as a straight line. What goes in, comes out the same volume that it was when it went into the processor. The limiter (yellow) line stops at the threshold point (-20db). Every sound, going into the processor, that is louder than the threshold point, comes out of the processor the same volume (-20db). The compressor (blue) line allows sounds louder than the threshold, but at a reduced volume. Compressors sound more natural than limiters.
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Figure 23 : Normalization, after the limiter effect has been applied to the sound file, raises the volume envelope vertically. The input volume is read left to right (quieter to louder), The output volume is read bottom to top (quieter to louder).
1. The red line is the dynamic range of the original, unaltered, signal.
2. The bottom yellow line is the dynamic range of the limiter signal.
3. The top yellow line is the dynamic range of the limiter signal after normalization (raising the volume to maximum).
I always normalize sound files after they are compressed or limited. The people that refuse to normalize files raise the level (volume) of a track by an amplify command.