Omnia Audio Omnia F/XE - Manual (Page 32)

30 | Section 5
4. While making changes to the system, we recommend that hasty or radical changes not be made.
Also, do not make too many different adjustments all at once. If too many parameters are changed at
one time, it is hard to determine which change made the difference heard which can be frustrating.
In order to become comfortable with the new sound, learn the limits of each control. We suggest
making changes in increments of no more than +0.5 dB or -1 dB, or in 1 or 2 step increments. Try
turning different functions on and off. Working this way, it’s easier to get a better feel for the sound
that the Omnia F/XE is capable of producing.
5. Use the “sleep on it method.” Spend time adjusting and then listening, and when the system gets to a
point where it sounds good, stop. While making changes to processing, there does come a time when
ears become less and less sensitive to the adjustments being performed. Ears tire, and that’s why
spreading the adjustment period over a number of days is recommended. If what’s been done still
sounds good after a time, stop adjusting. If not, continue with small iterations until satisfied. Each
day, the discrepancies become smaller and fewer adjustments will be necessary.
Getting the Sound You Want
If the desire is to process aggressively, here are some suggestions that should help achieve that goal.
Conversely, if the objective is to increase sound quality, we have other suggestions as well! Omnia F/XE is
designed to minimize the impact of the quality vs. loudness trade-off.
We recommend that before starting the process of cranking it up just for the sake of raw loudness, try to de-
cide what sonic characteristics are lacking in the final sound. In many instances, it’s not just about increas-
ing the drive to the limiter. It can be as simple as creating an illusion of added loudness by changing a single
time-constant parameter. There are even known instances where the use of stereo enhancement created the
necessary apparent loudness. Please don’t bite at the first temptation to crank the system. Sometimes the
old adage of less is more can be the best plan.
Before delving into alternative processing possibilities, please give the next brief section some thought. It
may help provide some needed direction in the overall processing plan.
A Word about Loudness
Making this confession is a little like telling your parents you dented the car. But here it goes: It’s OK for the
final mix to be loud…very loud!
In the past, loudness was a problem due to the limitations of the processors of the day. In the quest for
ultimate loudness, processing was probably either adjusted (or modified) well outside of the old proces-
sor’s “safe” range, or pushed to the 0dBfs ceiling level in the signal chain, thus forcing the acceptance of
byproducts of the interactions and conflicts among them.
Omnia F/XE has changed all of that. Omnia processing has been designed to look at the incoming audio,
and know how to make the final mix consistently loud, and without the artifacts or grunge created by any
older processors. Omnia F/XE makes loudness an effortless exercise.
It’s also OK for the master to not sound loud, yet sound incredibly musical and grunge-free, because the
Omnia F/XE provides the choice. It is a system that maximizes the audio quality of the signal, yet at the
same time satisfies the competitive requirements.
Quality versus Loudness
The trade-off between quality and loudness is primarily determined by choices made in the limiting
and clipping sections. While each function alone will generate added loudness, they each have different
advantages, as well as side effects.