This a complete tutorial on how to make your mix or music ready for radio broadcasting or any types of broadcasting such as in television, etc.
The fact that broadcasting follows an entirely different audio specification than the usual CD audio master you bought in stores or the MP3 masters you downloaded from iTunes, etc. If you submit music which is not radio or broadcast ready; it is either denied for broadcasting simply because it is not following specifications or it sounds very awful on air. Why? It is because broadcasting systems have their own compressors and limiters
One truth that you should know is that radio and television systems already include their own compressors and limiters. This equipment’s are designed to make their broadcast output as loud as possible while controlling the accidental spike on loudness that goes out on air.
However very loud type of music which has a very small dynamic range can sound awful in radio because broadcasting compressors/limiters further compressed or limit them! This results to pumping, squashed and distorted music on air.
The Solution: Allow more “Dynamic Range” on your Music
The straightforward solution would be submitting music that has a very wide or big dynamic range. The question is how much and how to measure dynamic range?
It has been found out by a study here.
Using a standard radio broadcasting compressor (Orban Optimod Broadcast Processor) that music needs to have dynamic range of around 8dB to maintain the desired punch and clarity on air. Smaller than that (< 8dB or less), the music would now start to sound squashed and bad (distorted also).
So how would you measure the dynamic range of current masters that you are planning to submit to the radio or any broadcasting medium? Follow the steps below:
Step1.) Download foobar2000 audio player. This player is open source/free.
Download the latest stable version.
Step2.) Fully install foobar2000 audio player in your computer. After installation, try playing at least one song to make sure it works. If you are using an external audio interface/ASIO instead of a normal PCI soundcard, you can configure it as follows (by going to Library – Configure). Then under “Playback” click “Output”.
Output configuration
In the above screenshot, foobar2000 is configured to work with Saffire Audio and set to output 24-bit audio.
Step3.) Once it’s working; you can install the dynamic range component. You need to download it here.
Step4.) Extract the DLL content to your desktop.
Step5.) Go to your computer program files directory. This is usually found in:
C://Program Files
In one of the folders, click foobar2000; then click “components” folder. You need to copy the DLL file: foo_dynamic_range.dll to this folder. This is how it looks like after copying:
Dynamic range component
Step6.) Restart foobar2000 by closing and starting it again. Open your highest resolution master (e.g. 24-bit/44.1KHz). Or if you don’t have one, you can play your mp3 or CD audio masters. Once it’s loaded in the foobar2000 playlist and playing, right click on the track title and you should see the “Dynamic range meter” option.
Step7.) To measure the dynamic range of the audio being played, simply click “Dynamic range meter” and it directly gives you the result:
Dynamic range of 11dB
It says that the song played has a dynamic range of 11dB.
At least a dynamic range of 8dB is required
The higher the dynamic range, the bigger the difference between the loud and soft aspects in your music, the better it sounds when it is on air. The following are some of the dynamic range measurement guidelines:
Dynamic range of <8dB = very bad, no appreciable dynamics; definitely not recommended for broadcasting.
Dynamic range of between 8dB and 13dB = recommended balance between loudness and dynamic range. The most recommended is 11dB (average). Or if loudness is really important, you should make sure that it should hit at most 8dB dynamic range.
Dynamic Range higher than 13dB = emphasize dynamic range to the fullest. This is very common in old recordings (70’s and 80’s) as well as classical music.
Mastering Tips for a Broadcast/Radio Friendly
1.) Don’t measure the loudness in terms of average RMS alone but in terms of dynamic range (using the above procedure). If you read this post on the true measurement of quality loudness , dynamic range and loudness in RMS are highly related.
In ultra-loud masters, the dynamic range is nearly around 2dB to 4dB, they also have very high average RMS in loudness.
2.) If the current master has very poor dynamic range. The best solution would be to remaster the work. Reducing the amplitude of the master (using audio editor) won’t improve the dynamic range.
3.) In remastering the work, the most important mastering processor that has the biggest impact on the dynamic range is the brick wall limiter. In the process of knowing how to maximize the volume of your audio , you should also know how to set the limiters properly. In setting the mastering processors such as Waves LinEQ and L2 Ultramaximizer ; be conservative; start with -6dB Threshold and 0.6dB out ceiling, then measure the resulting dynamic range. The good thing is that foobar2000 can play and measure a 24-bit audio (which you use in processing with the limiter).
Aim for around 11dB to 8dB dynamic range. If it is below 8dB, consider making the brick wall limiter less sensitive by setting low threshold values.
4.) Listen for any presence of audio pumping, squashed and distortion. If this occurs, you are pushing the brick wall limiter too hard, consider making the settings more conservative.
5.) As a summary, conserving for better dynamic range does not only sound good in broadcasting but increases the overall recording quality. It makes the music more pleasant to listen.
Content last updated on June 15, 2012