Subject: Loudness and TV-sound? From: Arnt =?iso-8859-1?Q?Maas=F8?= <arnt.maaso(at)MEDIA.UIO.NO> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 18:40:14 +0100Dear list, As a humanist doing research on sound in television, I wonder If someone on the Auditory list might be able to help me. I recently read an article in New Scientist written by Barry Fox, taking up an issue I am interested in: Loudness in TV-commercials <http://www.newscientist.com/ns/970621/nads.html> After describing the common technique of compressing sound to make it sound loud, Fox writes: "Another technique, pioneered in the 1960s by the Tamla Motown studios in Detroit, uses both filters and compressors to separate the audible spectrum into narrow bands and pack as much energy into each one as possible. This equalises the level of loudness for all the backing instruments. The voice of one singer is then mixed to peak at a carefully chosen frequency so it stands out." Are anyone on the list familiar with the technique Fox describes? And would you be able to say something more about it, or guide me to literature or references? I only partly understand what's being described (being a humanist having my only psychoacoustic 'training' from following this list :-) and from trying hard to understand the excellent books of Al Bregman, Stephen Handel and others of your colleges). Does this technique imply 'pushing up' levels around 3-5 kHz, where our ears are the most sensitive? Or do they compress the sound, say, within every 3rd octave band (or less) regardless of the sensitivity of our ears? Might this be related to the use of Exciters, that - from what I understand - are often used in TV-ads to generate higher intensity at the frequencies where sound seems louder? Also: If anyone has read ANYTHING dealing with loudness manipulation in television, radio or film (or related to the use of psychoacoustic 'black boxes' like the Exciter), I would be very thankful for references! As far as I can find out, there is preciously little published on this aspect of psychoacoustics, that most of us encounter every day, whether we live in Norway or the US. At least from what I have been able to find by searching the net, libraries, various journal-databases, usenet-lists etc. Kind greetings from Arnt Maaso _________________________________________________ Arnt Maas=F8, Stipendiat Institutt for medier og kommunikasjon, Universitetet i Oslo Blindernveien 11 P.b. 1093 Blindern, 0317 Oslo Telefon: +47 22 85 04 19 Telefax: +47 22 85 04 01 E-post: arnt.maaso(at)media.uio.no Web: http://www.media.uio.no/ansatte/arnt.maaso/ _________________________________________________