What is Dynamic Range?
Also called: dynamics, loudness range
Dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and the loudest parts of a piece of audio, usually expressed in decibels. A track with wide dynamic range has big contrasts; a track with narrow dynamic range stays at a similar level throughout.
The term is used in two ways. In music, it describes the contrast between soft and loud moments, such as a sparse verse against a full chorus. In equipment and file formats, it describes the gap between the noise floor and the loudest level a system can handle; that is the sense in which 24 bit audio has more dynamic range than 16 bit audio.
Producers measure musical dynamics with tools like Loudness Range (LRA, in LU, from the EBU R128 recommendations), the peak to loudness ratio (PLR) or the crest factor. Heavy compression and limiting reduce these numbers.
Neither wide nor narrow is automatically better. Dense electronic music and modern pop are often fairly compressed by design, while acoustic, jazz and classical recordings usually keep more of their natural dynamics.
Put it to work
Analyze the loudness and dynamics of your track and see where it gets squashed.
Analyze Loudness and Dynamics