Challenge 2: Why Compression Resolves the Two-Host Loudness Gap — Solution Walkthrough

The answer:

The loudness difference identified in Step 1 — one host's track
running noticeably quieter than the other's — is exactly the kind of
problem Chapter 5 describes compression as solving: narrowing the gap
between a recording's loudest and quietest moments. In Step 6, a
moderate threshold set below the louder host's typical level, combined
with a ratio strong enough to meaningfully turn that host down when
crossed, brings both hosts closer to a comparable overall loudness.

Why EQ or normalization alone wouldn't have fixed this:

EQ (Step 5) shapes tone — which frequencies stand out — not how
consistently loud a track stays over time, so it has no mechanism for
closing a loudness gap between two speakers. Normalization (Step 4)
sets an overall target level for the whole recording, but it doesn't
address a moment-to-moment difference between two separate speakers
within that same recording the way compression's threshold and ratio
do.

Why makeup gain still matters here:

After compression narrows the gap, makeup gain restores the overall
level of the now-evened-out mix, so the fix doesn't leave the whole
episode sounding quieter than before.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
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This exercise checks that the two-host loudness gap is correctly
matched to compression's own specific mechanism (threshold and ratio),
rather than to EQ or normalization, which solve different problems.