As normalising is, as far as I know, making the sound levels of MP3s the same, is it possible to normalise ONE MP3? Wouldn't it need a second MP3 (at least) to base its sound levels on? Second part of a 2-part question coming up.
I'm a wannabe computer music writer - at the moment I'm terrible but I'm improving slowly! I have probs. getting my tunes to a decent overall sound level without getting clipping and all sorts going on. If I got them so the sounds comprising the tune were OK in relation to eachother, but the overall tune was still too quiet, could I convert it to an MP3, bung it through MP3gain along with an MP3 that's the sound level I want and let MP3gain normalise my too quiet track to the louder MP3 track without getting distortion/clipping etc?
Yours respectfully - I hadn't heard of MP3gain before!
Originally posted by ulricburk: ...As normalising is, as far as I know, making the sound levels of MP3s the same...
Not quite - it's more like trying to get the sound level for a file CONSISTENT. The software analyzes the waveform and determines the files "average" volume. It then recalculates all the wave data to move that average to a "standard" figure (I think about -6 db) while ensuring there's no clipping of any peaks.
That's why files get similar volumes at the end (or close to it) - not because they're being compared to each other, but because they both get targeted to the same final volume level.
Thanks, Trev. I'd been wondering for ages why you could normalise ONE MP3!!
And Davexnet - gawd, this'll make me sound dumb - I've never come across anything that can normalise .WAV files. I'm recording each instrument as a separate .WAV, bunging 'em into AUDACITY and adjusting their relevant volumes. If I try to get TOO much volume out of them at this point I get distortion, but when the track is as finished as I can get it, it's still major league too quiet. So I had the brilliant (to me!) idea of turning it into a MP3, normalising it then converting it back again. I've heard of MP3 normalisers, but never .WAV normalisers!
If you know software, preferably free, that lets you normalise .WAV files - please, with cherries on top, can you tell me what it is? I know Audacity's got GAIN, but that tends to distort the finished file too, why, I don't know, I just know it does! Normalisation seems not to - but of course, as you've converted it to an MP3, there's a loss of quality involved.
Are you telling me that Audacity doesn't have Normalize ?
It doesn't make any sense. Normalize is a basic editing function.
I just grabbed this from a web guide:
"Normalize (if needed)
Normalize can increase the volume of tracks with low volume. Use this with good musical judgment. Don't make music with soft dynamics louder than it should be.
* Choose Edit > Select > All
* Choose Effect > Normalize
* Leave the settings and click OK "
