Omnia Audio Omnia A/XE - Manual (Page 60)

We recommend that before starting the process of cranking it up just for the sake of raw
loudness, try to decide what sonic characteristics you feel are lacking in your final sound.
In many instances, it’s not just about increasing 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 really applies!
Before delving into alternative processing possibilities, please give the next brief section
some thought. It may help provide you with some needed direction in your overall process-
ing 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 your 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, you probably either adjusted (or modified) your old proces-
sor well outside of its “safe” range, or pushed the 0dBfs ceiling level in the signal chain and
accepted the byproducts of the interactions and conflicts among them.
Omnia A/XE has changed all of that! It’s been designed to look at the incoming audio, and
know how to make your final mix consistently loud, and without the artifacts or grunge
created by your current processor. Omnia A/XE makes loudness an effortless exercise.
One more confession. It’s also OK for your master to not sound loud, yet sound incredibly
musical and grunge-free, because the Omnia A/XE has given you the choice. It is a system
that maximizes the audio quality of your signal, yet at the same time satisfies your competi-
tive requirements.
Quality versus Loudness
The trade-off between quality and loudness is primarily determined by how you choose
to use the limiting and clipping sections. While each function alone will generate added
loudness, they each have different advantages, as well as side effects.
When excessive limiting is used, intermodulation distortion is increased, making the audio
sound “mushy”, and “smeared.” The added short term density can also cause the audio to be
“tight”, “squashed”, or “dense.” The “dynamics” artifacts caused by excessive limiting might
sound like “pumping,” “breathing.” The rule for limiting is “a little goes a long way!”
When excessive clipping is used, harmonic distortion is increased. The audio level is in effect
“running into the brick wall.” Too much clipping can cause the audio to sound “broken-up,”
“torn,” “rough,” or “edgy.” As you might imagine, the harder the limiters and clippers are
driven, the louder the audio perception. However, you are also much more likely to encoun-
ter increased intermodulation and/or harmonic distortion.
The following sections are provided to assist you in designing the personality of your sound.
As we said earlier, there is no precise recipe for setting up audio processing. While there are
some basic fundamentals that you can use to get started toward the sound that you desire, it
may require a concerted effort with extended listening and subtle processing changes over
time to achieve your ultimate goal. Just remember to know your goals, take your time, and
adjust methodically.
54 | Processing Audio