Audio volume levels (speech)

Xenofex2 wrote on 12/31/2020, 4:43 AM

I have seven individual birthday morning movie clips, edited down to about 60 secs each, from our grand-daughter’s first seven years birthdays. Can anyone recommend some first basic steps for us in order to try and normalise the audio levels over these seven clips?

Viewed individually one can just adjust the volume controls but watching all seven together one does not want to turn up/down the controls every minute.

I have actioned a search of the Forum and see reference to ‘Youlearn Loudness Meter’ but for me that looks quite a few steps too far at this stage. Again with the actual Manual, there is a reference to the Audio Controls but I am not really sure what I should be tweaking. (No music just excited girls first thing of the morning!) Of the seven clips, at first hearing the levels for three seem okay, two are too loud and one, needs to be just a little louder.

Perhaps I am worrying too much? As the final combined version is only for family viewing and with my limited audio understanding, the answer is to put on the headphones and just adjust the waveform straight line according to how I feel it sounds?

MEP 20.0.1.73

Any advice gratefully received. Still learning!

George

Comments

CubeAce wrote on 12/31/2020, 5:17 AM

@Xenofex2

Hi George.

If it were me I would put each clip onto a different track and adjust each volume control individually until it sounded right. That should avoid having to worry about getting into any type of automation of the mixer. (Keeping it simple)

There may be a few problems.

Some tracks may have different sound volumes within the track and may need small amounts of compression to get the lower and upper volumes to level out within the clip. Overdoing compression can make a track sound very odd and uncomfortable to listen to. Do just enough to hear clearly what is going on.

Some sound tracks may have more background noise in than others.

Only add the limiter to the master track and adjust each clip as you go until it sounds OK to you.

Each track should be able to add its own effects if needed such as adjusting the frequencies or adding small amounts of compression but try to do the least you can and try to keep the individual track levels from going above 0 dBm.

The chances are, if you have reasonable hearing is that it will sound fine to others.

As you are dealing with mainly speech I would also think about gently rolling off the bass and top end slightly on the master channel using the graphic equaliser at the end after getting everything else sorted before the final export.

Personally I would never mix on headphones but I know most people do not have the option and that their ability to connect to a decent pair of speakers in a well constructed room for acoustics is not viable.

Ray.

browj2 wrote on 12/31/2020, 6:36 AM

@Xenofex2

Hi George,

See this thread, one of many. You have to work at getting good, or at least, acceptable audio. Nothing is free.

You should have the audio/video on separate tracks. Make the audio track higher to see the waveform or half waveform so that you can see spikes. Turn on the volume curve for each clip.

I suggest that you install YouLean as MEP has no volume readout that sticks, just the meter in the Mixer that jumps up and down. The meter does nothing except show you the results on the table and the graph.

Normalize each video clip (the audio, that is). This will be too loud drop the level of the track down about 3db using the slider in the mixer. Then, with the meter on the audio track or on the master, play back each video clip and note the LUFS value and the max. Adjust each clip up or down so that each has a close to the same value. Then listen to each to hear if any are louder and adjust the volume of the object.

Use the volume curve to lower any spikes.

There are many ways to do this, but this is about the simplest.

John CB

Xenofex2 wrote on 12/31/2020, 7:08 AM

Ray, John,

Thankyou for that, and that thread. I just needed to be pointed in the right direction.

A massive learning curve awaits.

Happy New Year. Stay Safe.

George