An audio leveler performs an audio process similar to

compression Compression may refer to: Physical science *Compression (physics), size reduction due to forces *Compression member, a structural element such as a column *Compressibility, susceptibility to compression *Gas compression *Compression ratio, of a c ...

, which is used to reduce the

dynamic range Dynamic range (abbreviated DR, DNR, or DYR) is the ratio between the largest and smallest values that a certain quantity can assume. It is often used in the context of signals, like sound and light. It is measured either as a ratio or as a base-1 ...

of a signal, so that the quietest portion of the signal is loud enough to hear and the loudest portion is not too loud. Levelers work especially well with vocals, as there are huge dynamic differences in the

human voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...

and levelers work in such a way as to sound very natural, letting the character of the sound change with the different levels but still maintaining a predictable and usable dynamic range. A leveler is different from a compressor in that the ratio and threshold are controlled with a single control.

External links

TLA-100 Tube Levelling Amplifier
by

Summit Audio A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

Signal processing {{Signal-processing-stub