Problem
A wireless receiver's output limiter engages during loud emphasis, flattening only the peaks and making the voice sound intermittently compressed.
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
An aggressive output limiter with fast attack and long release clamps down hard on vocal peaks during passionate speech. This creates unnatural dynamic ducking where the voice sounds squashed, followed by an audible noise rush as gain recovers.
Actionable Fix:
1. Lower the analog gain stage before the limiter so peaks hit -6 dBFS below the limiter's hard engagement threshold.
2. Adjust limiter settings to a transparent 2:1 ratio with a soft knee and rapid release time (50ms).
3. Have talent shout an energetic sentence; check waveform dynamics to confirm uncompressed natural peak transients.
Pro Tip:
Rely on dual-record safety tracks recorded 10 dB lower rather than crushing primary dialogue with heavy hardware limiters.
An aggressive output limiter with fast attack and long release clamps down hard on vocal peaks during passionate speech. This creates unnatural dynamic ducking where the voice sounds squashed, followed by an audible noise rush as gain recovers.
Actionable Fix:
1. Lower the analog gain stage before the limiter so peaks hit -6 dBFS below the limiter's hard engagement threshold.
2. Adjust limiter settings to a transparent 2:1 ratio with a soft knee and rapid release time (50ms).
3. Have talent shout an energetic sentence; check waveform dynamics to confirm uncompressed natural peak transients.
Pro Tip:
Rely on dual-record safety tracks recorded 10 dB lower rather than crushing primary dialogue with heavy hardware limiters.