Re: [TCLUG:14508] Normalizing MP3s

[Philip C Mendelsohn <mend0070@tc.umn.edu>]

On 11 Mar 2000, Jon Schewe wrote:

> Dave Sherohman <esper@usinternet.com> writes:
> 
> > Callum Lerwick said:
> > > If there's really a big difference, use the volume knob.
> > 
> > IMO, not an acceptable solution.  I don't generally group MP3s by album, I
> > just load up my whole collection and let it randomize from 1500 songs.  If
> > they're all at different levels (thankfully, most of them are similar),
> > having to tweak the volume for every song really sucks.
> > 
> Another argument for this is if you're recording from tapes to mp3's.  Getting
> the levels just right froma  tape deck can be tough, although normalizing them
> would be much easier.  I've tried wavnorm, but it appears to cause clip
> sometimes on my NT machine, but plays fine under Linux.

I'm only going to post once one this, more because it's a *monstrous* bone
of contention, and the "cross-discipline" communication is a good thing:

Normalizing is absolutely no more than a pre-programmed change in the
volume knob (for whoever said that that was an "unacceptable" solution.)

If it works for you, great.  It very likely may not, given some of the
really irresponsible uses of digital audio and recording these days.  Come
on -- 96+dB of dynamic range and we compress it to less than 3dB?  That's
better than analog *how???*  Anyway, if you have a severly overcompressed
source (not hard to come by) and try and put it next to a song that is not
overcompressed, normalizing won't help.

A much better solution (for fidelity and success in equalizing apparent
volume of songs) is to turn the softest one up as high as you can, and
then adjust the rest *DOWN* to match.

OK.  I've said my piece!  mv soapbox /dev/null

Phil M
Chief Engineer
Hotdish Mastering

-- 
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It has real and imaginary components.
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