Is Chris 1.2.6 still the best?

[Unlikely]

BTW - I've been quiet here the last couple weeks, working heads down processing some audio for audiobooks.

For the first time for me, I had Chris be very inconsistent with itself. But the source file is over an hour long.

It's an audio book, but very odd one. It's a set of 365 quotes, so it has repeating sequences of 2 seconds space, an announcement (304), a second of space, then the quote, then more space, then repeat 365 times.

After about an hour, I find some sections where Chris's has raised the noise floor, even though the "silence" is starting at -54 dB. (I have the "Floor" set to -28 in Chris). After Chris has run, that "silence" has moved to -47 dB which is NOT good.

I'm still trying to figure out the differences between the rest of the file (where it compressed as expected) and this section where I'm getting different behavior.

I still owe some sample files for the "beginning/end" noise additions, I'm still reproducing those regularly, but simply take 30 seconds and cut them out. Not the end of the world.

I've never seen this case, where it worked as expected for most of the file. I'm also happy I noticed it, once the first 50 minutes are right and consistent, I assumed the end would be too...

Once I figure out the differences with the source file (there has to be a reason for this behavior) I'll post.

I'm under deliverable deadlines, and this is an odd case, so I'll report back when I get to it (after I figure out workarounds).


PS: It's possible/probable there is something inconsistent with my source files, so it's possible it's NOT the Chris compressor, but I'll report back either way.

[kozikowski]

That may be the time and place to use the straight Compressor. Very few radio programs or operas feature dead air like that.

Koz

[Trebor]

... I find some sections where Chris's has raised the noise floor, even though the "silence" is starting at -54 dB. (I have the "Floor" set to -28 in Chris). After Chris has run, that "silence" has moved to -47 dB which is NOT good.

Upward-compression will Inevitably increase the noise-floor : the quiet sections it selectively amplifies will also have their noise-level increased proportionately. Downward compression won't increase noise anywhere on the track, but at the expense of overall volume.

Chris's compressor can overshoot at the beginning and end of tracks where there is a second of silence.