Looking for some advice, please. I’ve received some wave files for a mix that were recorded with a lot of dynamics and many peaks sometimes reaching -.02dB. Sure, it’s better than flat and overly compressed signals, but I’m still left with the challenge of taming and preparing the tracks for mixing. Ideally, I’d like a signal with no more than around -10db or so for the peaks. Here’s the question: what are the one or two best options for dealing with this? Some compression (even serial processing) that targets these transients and peaks? Manual gain adjustment (a lot of targeted work)? Lower the entire track volume (which will also reduce RMS)?
If this was Midi, I could handle this in a number of ways; for example, using the Project Logical Editor or tweaking the higher midi velocity, etc. But, when it comes to audio, I’m being somewhat cautious and want to avoid processing the signal too much. While I can whack the peaks, I need to preserve the RMS (body of the sound) as much as possible. Any best practices to approach this? Any special techniques or processing tips? Thanks!