Expansion and Gating 7

″If there′s no one beside youWhen your soul embarks,Then I′ll follow you into the dark.″

— ″I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK,″ DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PLANS

(ATLANTIC RECORDS, 2005)

A cousin of the compressor/limiter is the expander/gate. Expanders and gates do very much the opposite of what compressors and limiters do, but it is easy to get tangled up in the logic of this. This chapter clarifies the function of these devices and explores their production potential.

7.1 Increasing Dynamic Range

Recalling the significance of audio dynamic range (see Chapter 1), Table 7.1 lays out the logic of these devices. Readers new to this family of signal processors may initially feel frustrated. Keeping track of which device boosts and ...

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