TC Electronic DB4 MKII - Manual (Page 11)

MDX 5.1
English Manual 7
MDX 5.1
Introduction
MDX 5.1 is a high resolution dynamic range pro-
cessor for multichannel signals. It may also be
used to process for mono or stereo, thereby
making changes or adjustments unnecessary.
Its combination of low level lift, multi-band struc-
ture, output limiting and extensive controls offers
the most sophisticated dynamic range transla-
tion capabilities in the professional audio indus-
try today. Not surprisingly, MDX 5.1 has become
the standard for dynamic range control in film
and music mastering.
Dynamic range tolerance
(DRT) at the consumer
The Dynamic Range Tolerance map, Fig 1, il-
lustrates the dynamic range targets for various
listening environments. It is therefore a practi-
cal tool for optimizing listener pleasure in digital
broadcast.
According to recent studies, listeners typically
object against too wide dynamic range much
more than when the range is too restricted. Lack
of speech intelligibility is the second worst of-
fender, and often the cause for requesting more
dynamic range limitation. Against the hopes of
audio aficionados, as more people are listening
through headphones (iPods and other personal
entertainment systems), the DRT trend is there-
fore currently moving towards more dynamic
range restriction in broadcast.
Fig 1.
DRT map for consumers under different listen-
ing situations.
Dynamic Range of
Broadcast Material
Today, program material for TV broadcast is gen-
erally aimed at a listener in the Living Room or
Kitchen region, see Fig 1. This kind of material
should be thought of as having a normal broad-
cast dynamic range signature.
Commercials, promos and consumer CDs typi-
cally have a more restricted dynamic range, and
therefore appear loud on TV, where normaliza-
tion is based only on peak content. This kind of
material should be thought of as having a hot
dynamic range signature.
On the opposite side we have film production,
aimed at a completely different listening sce-
nario, where much softer and much louder level
than the average can be reproduced and heard.
Production for wide dynamic range listening can
also include classical or acoustic music. All ma-
terial of such nature should be thought of as hav-
ing a soft dynamic range signature.
Music and entertainment radio is typically aimed
at Car listening, so the dynamic range signature
is generally hot. The only type of radio with a
wider dynamic range typically carries classical
music, drama and low key, talk based program-
ming.
To summarize, broadcast material is produced in
a way that fits the listening conditions of a wide
majority of consumers in the best possible way.
The most dramatic difference between program
material and consumer requirements concerns
feature film. To have a feature film align with do-
mestic listening conditions without loosing too
much detail, or distorting the loud parts, low lev-
el may need to be brought up by 12 to 20 dB, and
the headroom restricted by 12 to 16 dB.
Processing for digital broadcast
Digital broadcast has the potential to carry more
formats at a wider dynamic range than analog.
For example, feature films can be presented
more like they were mixed and edited, with fewer
compromises on the picture as well as on the
audio side. However, even for HDTV, audio still
needs optimization for a presentation environ-
ment different than a cinema, like the picture still
needs color space, rate and resolution correc-
tions.