[augiedoggy]

A friend of mine owns a restaurant and he reciently removed the muzak system because of the recient format change and people complaining that they didn't like the new occasional rap songs that would pop up between the classical and frank sinatra...(another issue entirly)....Anyway he decided to put a couple sony 300disc changers in and now has an issue where the intrumental cds are playing quieter than the vocal cd's...(they are not burned copies). I was wondering is thier some sort of line filter or equilizer that he can put in between the cd player and the amps to level out the volume between the 2...kinda like the option I have in my homtheater pc for watching movies at night so the audio range is limited for the sleeping kids and niehbors. thanks for any input and sorry if this has been asked reciently before I don't even know what to type in to search for...

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

Look for an AVR that offers compression or what some call a night mode. This should help.

 

[MichaelJHuman]

He could look into a compressor/limiter. They are pro gear though, which usually use 1/4" jacks for inputs. I believe 2-channel compressor/limiters can be as cheap as $130; cheaper used on e-bay of course.

 

[augiedoggy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNnDENVER /forum/post/0


Look for an AVR that offers compression or what some call a night mode. This should help.

I will check out ebay thanks guys

 

[augiedoggy]

one more question...I see most of the compressors and limiters lack the rca imputs and only have the more professional jacks like 1/4 ...can I use adapters to convert the rca output of the cd player into a 1/4 input ? I know my way around a basic home theater or stereo setup but I'm lost when it comes to the pro dj /audio equipment...

thanks again.

 

[MichaelJHuman]

I believe you would need an RCA to 1/4" cable or adaptor. I also believe they use TRS wiring on the 1/4" jacks. Hopefully any company you buy from can sell you the right thing.

 

[augiedoggy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelJHuman /forum/post/0


I believe you would need an RCA to 1/4" cable or adaptor. I also believe they use TRS wiring on the 1/4" jacks. Hopefully any company you buy from can sell you the right thing.

i should be able to get somthing of at least make somthing from radioshack right? I was mainly concerned that they would be the wrong levels or ohms or somthing to that degree... What is TRS wiring?? I'm pretty sure the amps already have the 1/4 jacks at least I know they have 2 on the front of each 1 for mic and 1 for aux...its just the output from the cd player itself that concerns me.

 

[augiedoggy]

I did some more searching online and found TRS = tip, ring,sleeve wiring...I think Ive got it figured out now.

 

[Drew Eckhardt]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNnDENVER /forum/post/0


Look for an AVR that offers compression or what some call a night mode. This should help.

1. Midnight mode only works on Dolby Digital sources because it uses metadata embedded in the Dolby Digital bitstream to determine what the average level should be and how much to adjust things that are louder or softer than the average. It won't work for PCM/analog sources (CDs) or DTS.


2. Compression may not be enough - the problem here is the average playback level, not the difference between the loudest and quietest. He still needs to change the average volume.


You could switch to a computer-based playback system which can apply some intelligence, or re-master the louder material at a lower level.

 

[MichaelJHuman]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew Eckhardt /forum/post/0


2. Compression may not be enough - the problem here is the average playback level, not the difference between the loudest and quietest. He still needs to change the average volume.

My understanding is that a compressor will simply reduce the total input signal's voltage range. Which should make louder tracks more similar in ouput range as input tracks. A quite passage (relative to the average level of the track) is similar to an entire track that's quiter than another.


So I don't think there's a difference.


I have read that a limiter is just a more extreme form of compressor, for example 10:1. Where it takes a 10Db increase of the input signal to produce a 1Db increase of the output signal.


Call up a few dealers, and ask if a compressor/limiter can help solve your issue. They SHOULD know more than me

 

[augiedoggy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelJHuman /forum/post/0


My understanding is that a compressor will simply reduce the total input signal's voltage range. Which should make louder tracks more similar in ouput range as input tracks. A quite passage (relative to the average level of the track) is similar to an entire track that's quiter than another.


So I don't think there's a difference.


I have read that a limiter is just a more extreme form of compressor, for example 10:1. Where it takes a 10Db increase of the input signal to produce a 1Db increase of the output signal.


Call up a few dealers, and ask if a compressor/limiter can help solve your issue. They SHOULD know more than me

I did read on ebay in one of the sellers descriptions that said it was great for the exact purpose I'm looking for so.... I won one today..going to give it a shot. I wish my buddy would have just taken my advise and used an old pc loaded with mp3's but some people fear technology...I don't think his 2 300 disc changer will last long running all day long everday but who knows...anyone have a similier setup to compare?

 

[MichaelJHuman]

Let me know how well it works, if you think of it.

 

[augiedoggy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelJHuman /forum/post/0


Let me know how well it works, if you think of it.

will do

 

[whoaru99]

Sorry, but I think someone just wasted their money....


The limiter/compressor will only limit/compress the waveform to the "average" (for lack of better terms) level. If the input is significantly louder or softer, the "average" will vary (increase/decrease) accordingly - IMO...


I believe Drew gave the only answer that will address the concern - normalize the input levels.