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AM-55 / Sep 2015
A P P E N D I C E S
FUZZY/TINNY
Yes, “fuzzy” and “tinny” really are this far down in the audio spectrum! A “tinny”
sound might be described by some as a harsh midrange or too much presence instead
of something happening higher up in the audio spectrum. Both “fuzzy” and “tinny” live
between about 1,200Hz and 2,000Hz. One of the best ways to manage either is to broadly
and slightly reduce equalization in this range, or even increase the attack time in Band 3
of the Leveller and Compressor.
Sometimes there is a tradeoff between getting more “whack” and keeping “fuzzy/
tinny” at bay. Speeding up the compressor in the 1,000Hz to 1,500Hz range to get more
compression “whack” can sometimes add undesirable side effects, one of which is the
creation of what sounds like “fuzzy,” “dense,” or even “tinny.” In audio processing, espe-
cially broadcast audio processing, everything is a tradeoff. While Wheatstone processors
provide the most wiggle room for getting the sound you hear in your head on the air,
sometimes compromises will need to be made.
SIBILANCE
Sibilance is a vocal artifact and because it sounds so unnatural it tends to stick out
like a sore thumb. Excessive sibilance can be the result of too much high-end boost or
too much final clipper drive. Sibilance tends to be most prevalent in the 4,000Hz to
8,000Hz portion of the frequency spectrum. Microphone processors (like the Wheatstone
M1 and M2) are great tools for keeping vocal sibilance under control. Their specialized
de-esser sections are specially tailored for removing or minimizing excessive “esses.”
When excessive sibilance is an issue and there is no microphone processor to control it,
lowering the AM-55’s Band 4 to Band 5 crossover setting and/or using a slightly faster
attack time on the Band 5 Leveller/Compressor can help.
Sibilance can sometimes be found in an unlikely place; the L-R. “But voice is mono…”
you say, “…so there is no L-R…” Well, yes and no. When the left and right channels
don’t have perfect balance or there is phase shift between the channels, energy ends up
in the L-R. Why? By definition the L-R signal is the
difference between the left and right
channels, regardless of whether it’s level, or phase, or both. When phase is the culprit
the error is generally larger at high frequencies, making the L-R energy also greater at
higher frequencies. As if by magic, sibilance appears in the L-R and the only way to fix
it is to tend to what’s causing it or reduce the level of L-R at frequencies where sibilance
might reside. The Leveller’s multiband mixer can help with this. Slightly reducing the
setting of the Band 4 and Band 5 L-R mixer can help tame sibilance without having too
negative an effect on stereo separation.
TREBLE/BRIGHT/OPEN
Treble (like its friends Bass and Midrange) is a generalized term for the high end in
most broadcast and recording systems. Bright and Open are oft-used descriptive terms
of treble styles.
Unfortunately, bright can be a positive or negative term. For instance, laser-bright is
usually a negative term used to describe too much enhancement in the upper end. The
term probably borrows its origins from the early days of CDs when brighter supposedly
meant cleaner.
Open is a term usually reserved for describing audio texture in the upper midrange
when it doesn’t sound overly processed, packed in, or is lacking in detail. To achieve a
