sampling wav cd' instead of vinyl (too hot)

[beatzz]

Situation: Sampling drum hits from cd's in a wav format instead of vinyl. Problem is the drum sounds are already heavily compressed and limited.

Objective: Add a couple db of EQ on the sampled kick's and snare's without getting them to clip.


Solution: ?

Is it possible to turn down the gain or "de-compress" a sampled drum hit.......... so i can add a couple decibels of Eq gain before it starts to distort? Any ideas?

[theblue1]

Yes, it is. And it's very easy.

And... getting that extremely basic information yourself will be the first step on an educational process you clearly richly need.

Here's a hint: why not check the help file of your audio editing software?

[beatzz]

Thanks for the response blue1!

It is really appreciated.



I search the help files before i ask questions on forums.

Blue1 im sure you know that in a DAW there is many ways of doing 1 thing and I was looking for possible solution(s) to this problem....... notice the "s" at the end of solution(s). Thanks for all your effort and time.

[theblue1]

Oh. Now, I'm shamed.


Okay... I'll play your game. What's wrong with lowering the level of your track x dB? (Where x is a value just slightly larger than the value you want to use EQ to boost your signal in certain bands?)

With regard to "decompressing" the track... you could try using an expander. An expander is, for our purposes, the 'opposite' of a compressor -- although it is a functionality often found in full featured compressor/limiters or plugs.

Getting the right results with expanders when you're trying to 'undo' the compression on a track can be very tricky, since there may be multiple 'layers' of compression [with different attacks, sustains, etc] and/or different frequency bands may be compressed at different ratios. A gentle expansion may work for your purposes. Too much and you may notice 'breathing,' weird dynamic spikes, etc.


Or maybe I don't understand the question?


And, BTW, note that my fellow bleeding hearts here haven't even bothered to respond at all.

[7 Hz]

theblue1 wins #1st prize for dryest wit on the net August 05

beatzz - yeh just turn them down. You could also just use subtractive EQ (mostly a good thing). Evem just take them out the digital domain and add something analogue subtley to it.

[theblue1]

Well... sometimes my dry wit withers even me.

Everyone's a beginner somewhere, sometime -- and if they're not, maybe they're not pushing themselves hard enough.

And sometimes just knowing the information is out there, somewhere is just not enough. I know that, like beatzz, I've searched for prior threads on beginner/easy topics, not found the answers, or been confused by things that purported to be the answers and then felt like I had to simply throw myself before the lions.

Anyhow, I do seem to be grumpier than usual, and that would be, then, mega-grumpy.

So, <b>beatzz, I'm sorry if I harshed your Tuesday afternoon.
</b>

(I keep thinking I might have approached your question differntly if it had started "Is there a better way to..." But, who knows? My grumpiness muse is pretty volatile and unpredictable.)

Good luck in your work.