Topic: Any software/ideas to correct 300+ gain changes from limiter?

[JEMS]

Hi there. I have a 65-minute recording of a live musical performance recorded off the radio in 1975. I've transferred it from reel to reel to .wav. On the original master recording, a limiter was used aggressively and crudely resulting in hundreds of small gain changes that move up and down a few db at a time, i.e. the recording is at, say -6 db for 30 seconds, then drops to -8db for the next 30 seconds, then back up.

While it plays through OK even with these bumps, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a software solution that could correct for these changes and give the recording a consistent playback level. It could be done by hand but it would be painstaking that way.

Thanks for any suggestions.

BK

[JEMS]

I think I would try to set a compressor at the threshold where parts are not limited (-8dB in your example), and knock down the unlimited parts to match the limited parts.

30 seconds is an awfully slow release though . . .

Yes it is. It acts like a stair step instead of a decline/ascent. It just drops the level the later it jumps the level up, then down again, down again, then up. So annoying.

Thanks for chiming in though.

BK