Playback Volume 2

[jim gustafson]

Is there an easy way (other than track by track in the sound editor using the normalize volume setting) to raise the playback volume from a source - an old commercial cd, or an LP - to a new final cd?

[d_deweywright]

Is there an easy way (other than track by track in the sound editor using the normalize volume setting) to raise the playback volume from a source - an old commercial cd, or an LP - to a new final cd?

Well, if you're working from an LP, then the easy way is to initially digitize at the higher (without clipping) level. Second to that, assuming you record each side as a single .WAV file, adjust the two .WAV files for each side before splitting them into individual tracks. You wouldn't want to adjust the individual tracks differently, as you'd want to keep the relative volumes from track to track as they were initially engineerd, in my mind.

 

If you've already got the individual tracks, you could combine them using something like "WavMerge" back into a single track, then only have to apply the normalization once.

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that many new CDs appear to have the volume "compressed", so that the average volume is much closer to the maximum. It's a marketing ploy, and only serves to ruin the artistry in much music, and eliminate the real capabilities of the digital format. If you want to do that, you'll need more than what is available in Sound Editor. GoldWave, and other editors have compressors built in, so that you can "smooth out" the loud and quiet spots, then raise the overall volume. Good for listening in your car, but not for "serious" listening. Again, my opinion.

 

Hope that helps!