In audio production, mastering expansion is a highly specialized dynamic processing technique used to increase the dynamic range of a full mix. It acts as the exact mathematical opposite of a compressor. While compressors pull loud sounds down to make audio more uniform, an expander pushes the distance between loud and quiet signals further apart.
In a mastering context, expansion must be applied with extreme subtlety to prevent unmusical “pumping” artifacts. The Two Ways to Expand a Master
Mastering engineers utilize two completely different types of expansion depending on the problem they need to solve:
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