This document discusses dynamic range in music production and how producers can manipulate it. It defines dynamic range as the distance between the noise floor and the point of distortion. It describes how volume faders, automation, compression, limiting, expanding and gating can be used to control dynamics and emphasize certain instruments, frequencies or sections. The goal is to use dynamics in a way that keeps the listener engaged in the music.

1. Dynamic Range and the many ways producers
manipulate dynamic range
My name is Sebastian La Rocca, I`m from Buenos Aires
Argentina. I am a music composer.
This lesson is for week 4 of Introduction to Music Production at
Coursera.org
The Dynamic Range is the distance between the noise floor and the
distortion. What is the distortion?
-When the signal gets very loud, the gear that we usestarts acting in a
different way. When we get in that point of amplitude, the device starts
causing distortion.
What is a noise floor?
-The quieter noisewe can have in a specific moment. The noise is
produced by our gear (electrical noise) or the environment (acoustical
noise).
How we can manipulate the Dynamic Range is what weare going to talk
about. How we can use de musical dynamics in a piece of music.
When we controlthe dynamics, wecontrol the energy in a variety of
places in a production process, increaseand decreasevolume sections or
frequencies to create good music and take the listener to that emotional
experience and get the piece moreexiting.
Why we change the dynamics?
-Because, for example, we want someparts sounds louder than others.
(Differencebetween verse and chorus)
-Instruments Solos

2. - Get more emphasize to certain instrument than others. ( we want to
focus in the voice in the entire song)
-Gets the loud louder and gets the quiet quieter. (Manipulate the Dynamic
Range)
How can we do that?
-Using volume fader and volume automation
-Using a manual compression technique call “Riding the fader”. Is an
usefulmanual dynamic rangecontrol, that consistin take a volume fader
and when are parts (voice) quieter bring the level up, and when gets
louder, bring the level down.
- Controlling transients (when change the amplitude in a shortmoments,
very common in Drums and percussion set, or something like claps, etc.
Big peaks and decay fast.)Wecan controlthese transients using dynamics
processors:
Compressor, Limiter, Expander and Gates:
We can control for example the paunchiness of a drumhit whitthis kind
of tools. We have to set a series of instructions in these tools, to
automatically act, without the necessity of draw lines in every drum hit.
It’s importantto use the dynamics in a way to let the listener to enjoy the
music, and keep the attention all over the piece of music.
Thank for read.
Sebastian