Normalise MP3's

[Derek]

Anyone know of any good, free software to normalise mp3's (make them all the same volume).

Just got an mp3 player for the car but converting cd's and mixing them with mp3's and then playing them in the car is a nightmare, keeps going from loud to quiet and back again.

[traumatic]

Are you sure it's a matter of normalization?

I don't know of any CD that isn't normalized to at least -0.3db.
It's more likely that it's not the volume but the perceived loudness that is
so different, which you can't really do anything about unless you compress
the hell out of every single track - leading to really unpleasant results.

LAMEENC supports a tag called ReplayGain (http://www.replaygain.org/) that
could help you, I don't know if your player supports that however.

[Derek]

Each CD is ok, it's just that I have MP3's from different sources and when I put them all on to the player then some tracks are a different volume, not really a big problem, just thought there might be a free way to fix it. Thanks anyway.

[remi_meier]

At least in Windows Media Player 11, you can just right click a song, choose
"Send to" and then Windows Audio Converter. This one supports volume
normalization.

[Derek]

At least in Windows Media Player 11, you can just right click a song, choose
"Send to" and then Windows Audio Converter. This one supports volume
normalization.

Ok thanks, will give it a go.

[Derek]

Just found MP3Gain through google, free and will batch convert mp3's to whatever level you want.

[merihevonen]

Just found MP3Gain through google, free and will batch convert mp3's to whatever level you want.

Thanks for the info!!

[ricardo]

Anyone know of any good, free software to normalise mp3's (make them all the same volume).

Just got an mp3 player for the car but converting cd's and mixing them with mp3's and then playing them in the car is a nightmare, keeps going from loud to quiet and back again.

Im about releasing a software (will be shareware) exactly for this. All DSP was coded in PB (no FMOD or BASS used for DSP, in fact ATM im not using BASS or FMOD at all on the app, maybe will use it later for playing). If you or any other want to beta test it, send me a PM. Betatestester will receive a free copy.

The DSP for auto_normalize (auto calculates the normalizing) work very fine in my point of view.

[Rescator]

Just be aware that recoding mp3's reduces quality. (mp3 works by tossing away audio recoding it again tosses away a bit more and introduces some aliasing artifacts that can be audible)

My advice is replaygain as that ads to pieces of information to the mp3 ID tag. (album gain and track gain)
Latest Winamp support this fully, even the media library, most other free players support replaygain as well.

There exist some tools for MPEG 1 Layer 3 I think that do not modifies the audio data but the volume envelope or something on each packet (sample block), if your lucky that MP3Gain you found does that.

[ricardo]

Latest Winamp support this fully, even the media library, most other free players support replaygain as well.

IMHO results are not good enough.

At least not for what many people are looking for.

If you REALLY want to listen all your files at same volume, normalizing is the best solution in my opinion.

Ofcourse if you are using some external mp3 player or burning cds/dvds normalize is the indicated too.

[Rescator]

True, but in that case I'd advise replaygain anyway as that avoids that extra re-encoding. (several cd burning software should also support replay gain (both for ripping and burning).

Also, replaygain has the advantage that it's balanced against a standard value, normalizing is not.

Imagine normalizing the whole collection, then some months later you got songs that are too loud or soft. you normalize again.
Only this time some of the songs you normalized previously will really start to suffer in quality, audibly.

If it was not a lossy format (as mp3, ogg and mp4 etc is) but a lossless (like FLAC or uncompressed wav) one then this issue would not be easily noticed,
although over time even there normalizing will reduce quality (it alters the original audio afteral)
This is why audio engineers only use normalizing as a final step in the production before making a audio master for manufacturing.

So if you do decide to normalize your mp3's, make sure you do it on a copy of them instead, unless you still happen to have the original cd's laying around somewhere that you can re-rip when the mp3's start to sound really bad due to too much normalizing.

Also is you want a tip on normalizing settings, make sure that louder tracks are reduced in volume and quiet ones are kept untouched.
Quiet/older recordings tends to be less messed up recording wise so they got a larger audio dynamic,
modern recordings tends to be so dynamically squeezed they are almost flat or clipped at times. (look at audio recordings in a WAV/audio editor)
So reducing those is best. (if possible, it depends on the software you use, if the software has any of the routines similar to replaygain you should be ok as replaygain is not "fooled" by messed dynamic ranges like that, in fact, this is the main reason replaygain was made after all

And yeah, I'm kind of a audio geek. I can't call myself an audiophile really as I'm far too poor to be able to do that
I may not be able to improve sound quality on my system/music/stuff,
but I always do my best to avoid reducing the quality of what already is

And I always try to teach others to do the same, people may hate me now, but in a few years they'll thank me when their friends start bugging them for a copy/re-rip since their tracks sounds like it's been dragged through a washer and metallic pipe. *laughs*

[ricardo]

Imagine normalizing the whole collection, then some months later you got songs that are too loud or soft. you normalize again.

But don't works in comparison with anything. Just looking internally on each song.

Listen, i know its not the best 'theoricall' way to do it. But in first place if some one is purist about music, they will not use mp3s!! he he

Then, for average users, i daily life, normalizing will do the best job to help them to listen their songs from mp3s in noise environments like a office, car, living room, etc.

Its not for professional standars, but as i point, for professional standars mp3 is not recommended.

I see mp3 as a radio broadcast, per example: not the best quality, not for professional use, but for entertainment.

[ricardo]

This is why audio engineers only use normalizing as a final step in the production before making a audio master for manufacturing.

I work some years in the music industry. As a label manager in BMG and as artistic director of 2 big radio FMs.
As far as i see, in professional recording they don't 'normalize'. They make the master mix (or whatever is called in english) using their knowledge and talent. Thats why an engineer cost to much $ for doing the final master of a record.

But we are not talking about music at that levels... mp3s are just like 'broadcast' quality. they NEVER will sound like a recording studio, but thats NOT the idea. Its only for enjoy the music at office, car, living room, etc. not for professional usage.

[PB]

> Just found MP3Gain through google

I've been using MP3Gain for years and recommend it! Free, and it isn't a lossy
conversion because it only adjusts the MP3 volume without recompressing.
Very easy to adjust new MP3s to the same volume as previous ones too.

[ricardo]

Also is you want a tip on normalizing settings, make sure that louder tracks are reduced in volume and quiet ones are kept untouched.
Quiet/older recordings tends to be less messed up recording wise so they got a larger audio dynamic,

Just like a friendly talk, let me tell you im not agree with that. Not if we talk about average user listenning music at noise environments (like most people).

First, we have to agree that modern music has not really concept of dynamic.
As one professional studio music told me once "now music is tutti all time".

In second place, the idea behind normalizing is to let people listen all the song and many passages of the music at an audible level without needing to raise to much the volume of the player.

The best way to test a 'normalizing' is listening the music at a VERY low level: if you still listen every part and every voice, then the normalize was well done.

I study communication science and there i learn that ANY kind of thing that don't let you get the message (remember mp3s are just like broadcast, like watching tv or listening radio) are called 'noise' Not only the physicall noise are noise, but any distraction.

If the newspaper is not readable, we call it noise too.

Okay, then normalizing let you hear the music on noisy environments (like using a mp3 player in your car). Just that, nothing to do with professional audio or concepts