Editing Companding (section)

{{short description|Method of mitigating the detrimental effects of a channel with limited dynamic range}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

[[File:Demo of mu-law compression.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|A signal before (top) and after [[μ-law algorithm|μ-law compression]] (bottom)]]

In [[telecommunications]] and [[signal processing]], '''companding''' (occasionally called '''compansion''') is a method of mitigating the detrimental effects of a channel with limited [[dynamic range]]. The name is a [[portmanteau]] of the words [[dynamic range compression|compressing]] and expanding, which are the functions of a '''compander''' at the transmitting and receiving ends, respectively. The use of companding allows signals with a large dynamic range to be transmitted over facilities that have a smaller dynamic range capability. Companding is employed in [[telephony]] and other audio applications such as professional [[wireless microphone]]s and [[analog recording]].