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Sneaking Past Heavy-Handed Audio Compression on YouTube

Posted by timothy on from the sine-language-for-the-hearing dept.

niceone writes "Recently YouTube seems to have started applying extreme compression to the audio of uploaded clips. This is the type of compressions used by radio stations to make everything louder, but in this case applied extremely badly. In quiet passages, breathing and shuffling become overpoweringly loud. A gently plucked guitar chord becomes a distorted thud. Listen to an example here. And here's what it could sound like — still not perfect, but a whole lot better. The fixed version is thanks to a workaround proposed by Sopranoguitar — the idea is to turn down the audio and mix in a high frequency sine wave (I used 19kHz). The sine wave fools YouTube's compressor into thinking that the file is at a uniform level (and does not need the volume changing at all) but is filtered out by the encoding process (so, no need to worry about deafening any dogs)."

10 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Standards by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Funny

    YouTube is just trying to enforce a standard level of quality to the content. Everyone expects crappy video with lots of compression artifacts, so the audio might as well follow suite.

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    Better known as 318230.
  2. Brevity Required by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can someone post an example I could possibly listen to for more than one second?

    No
         

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    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Brevity Required by RealGrouchy · · Score: 5, Funny

      CLICK THUD TICK SSSS No FWWWW CLUNK CLICK

      I'm sorry--what did you say?

      - RG>

      --
      Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
  3. Re:Ruff ruff! by 4D6963 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ruff ruff rufff, and ruff rufff, you little bigoted ruff ruff ruffff.

    Translation : I'm ultrasound-deaf, you insensitive clod!

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    You just got troll'd!
  4. Re:Lack of Choices by 4D6963 · · Score: 3, Funny

    It would be nice if YouTube offered some choices, such as volume adjustment

    Yeah, I mean, who on YouTube would even think of abusing that?

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    You just got troll'd!
  5. Re:and who came up with it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have to keep jacking the knob up and down.

    To YouTube videos? Sicko!

  6. Re:and who came up with it? by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Funny

    To YouTube videos? Sicko!

    What can I say? Unrehearsed rants into webcams really turn me on...

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    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  7. Re:and who came up with it? by billcopc · · Score: 5, Funny

    But what if you move away from the mic to breathe ?

    Chocolate Rain
    *whoooosh*
    Youtube makes my breathing loud again
    Chocolate Rain
    *whoooosh*
    My eardrums are whimpering in pain

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    -Billco, Fnarg.com
  8. Re:and who came up with it? by archeopterix · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is just in. Studies have shown that on a popular site named Slashdot LOUD COMMENTS ARE MODERATED BETTER THAN QUIET ONES!!!

  9. Re: but is filtered out by the encoding process by AngryNick · · Score: 2, Funny

    Damn you! I fell for your trick post about hearing the "high pitched squeal" and went back and listened again. I heard the hiss, but now the song is stuck in my head. ARGHHHH!!!