4 replies to this topic

[savicheva11]

Hello world, I need help with audio volume levels. I use Adobe Audition 1.5 to record and edit audio data. Everytime that I create an audio file, everyone complains that they cannot hear it very well. For example, I will try to create a voice over audio file. I will say something then add background music via multitrack view. I notice that Audition seems to play audio much louder than usual and I can never hear the voice over because of the music. I right-click on the music file and lower the audio level to -3 db and I can hear the voice over well. The audio sounds normal., then whenever I save the file to my pc as an mp3, the audio is not as loud as a normal audio file on my system. I can hear it when I increase the volume but whenever I send it to someone and they listen to it they always complain that either the music is too loud or too low. I need some help. Can anyone tell me what is happening to the audio volume levels? thanks...

[em]

Have you tried side-chain compression? I'm not familiar with the platform that you're using, but you could set up a compressor on the music track with the dialogue track to trigger off the compressor to allow it to cut through the music better, and then you won't have to fiddle with each track's volume as much. I'm sure there's an article somewhere in soundpunk explaining how to set it up. If you can't get it happening in Adobe, there are plenty of freeware platforms that you could download which use VST plug ins.

[Spectrum]

Yeah, some sort of ducking of the music while the voiceover speaks might improve things.

You do say the balance is improved when the music is pulled back a notch, so that's the first thing to sort out.

Regards to the overall level compared to other (presumably commercially recorded and released?) recordings on your system, curious what are the program meters on your program displaying for your own recordings?

Do you have your voiceovers recorded 'hot' enough at the recording stage?

Can you lift the gain of the recordings so they play louder without clipping the program's mixer outputs?

Once you have the levels balanced, a gentle compressor can then 'glue' the voiceover and music together, while a limiter or one of the maximiser-style plug-ins can really lift the levels dramatically (though watch for a pumping or fatiguing sound).

For a bit of fun, if you're happy to share a bit of your work, why not upload it and allow us to have a crack at mixing it? Then if you're happy with the results, you can pick our brains with how it was done!

[em]

Another thing to investigate is your mp3 conversion quality...a low res conversion may end up muddying things. If your listeners are saying it's 'louder' it may be because it's more brittle after the conversion, hence when they turn it up it lacks smoothness and bashes their ears! (Assuming that when they comment that it is 'too loud or too low' that they have tried adjusting their listening volume!)

Another thing to consider is your monitoring...if you're not using proper studio monitors or headphones (say, domestic speakers or very cheap ones), maybe you're EQ'ing in favour of your playback system, so when your listeners hear it it sounds very different through their speakers. But given what you've said, it sounds like the MP3 conversion thingy is one of the first thing to check out (as well as the mixer's levels as Speccy describes.)

Crap eh?...good luck mang.

[Jester_Fu]

Quack quack quack. Use the duck, you should, Skywhacker. Music volume will dip for 'voice over' and come back up. Like on a radio station...