melissa
Hi Everyone.
Does anyone have any advise with regards to audio (mp3, wma, and the likes) 'normalization' (I hope I'm getting this term correct).
I'm trying to make sure that songs play at the same equal volume in any audio player (like vlc or winamp, etc). In other words - the mp3 or wma itself needs to be edited.
I have tried MP3Gain, but was wondering if there's anything better? :-\
Also, with regards to MP3Gain: There is a "Target 'normal' volume" option that is set by default to 89 dB. Is this 'loud enough' for the tunes to be used at an event (e.g.: a wedding or dance)? And once the songs are 'normalized' - does it decrease the sound quality of the song (or mess with e.g.: the low, mids, and high levels)?
Any advise will help, thanks ?
AlanRatcliffe
Normalisation works, but compression will work better. Normalisation sets everything to the "same" level based on only the loudest peaks of each track, while compression works dynamically within each track, boosting the level of quieter parts and cutting the louder parts, evening out everything.
NB: perceived volume depends more on the average amplitude of the audio rather than the peaks. So whichever method you use, make sure to use RMS (average) detection methods rather than peak. When using RMS, watch out for clipping (distortion) in more dynamic material.
Also, if the tracks are already in MP3, WMA or other compressed formats (compressed file formats - not to be confused with audio compression mentioned above), it is better to use a plugin in your player that works on the playback than to edit the file, as you will lose audio quality every time you edit and save. There is one simple rule to working with compressed audio for anything except playback - don't. ? If you want to edit the audio, go back to the uncompressed source, edit that and then convert to MP3/WMV.
melissa
Ah ok awesome - that helps plenty (Finally a decent summary all in one place ? )! Haha, I was already doing all the wrong things it would seem ? , so thank you very much for this.
AlanRatcliffe
Ah, good - my brain's more than a little fuzzy from flu and flu meds, so I wasn't sure if I'd explained it well enough. ?
camba
Thanks Alan!
clear enough, even I could understand it ... gonna snow again! ROTF
cheerz!
