Dynamic Range

What Dynamic Range Compression Changes in Everyday Audio

A film can have dialogue that feels too quiet, then jump to an action scene that sends you reaching for the volume control. Music, podcasts, games, televisions, and audio apps can produce similar changes. One feature that can reduce those jumps is dynamic range compression. Dynamic range compression changes the relationship between quieter and louder parts of an audio signal. It can make loud moments less far removed from the rest of the programme, which is useful when listening at low volume or in a noisy room. It is not the same as simply turning the volume down, and it is not the same as loudness normalization.