Audio normalization can boost your audio to a target level by altering the amplitude of the overall recording by the same amount, while at the same time ensuring that the peak won't exceed 0dB to avoid clipping and distortion.
Click Effects Amplitude and compression Normalize (process) Step 5. Enter the value to Normalize To. Tick dB as you might be confused by the percentage option. How to Normalize Audio in Audacity. As the most popular free audio editing software, Audacity boasts of robust features that are otherwise charged in paid tools. Free, open source, cross-platform audio software. Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. Developed by a group of volunteers as open source and offered free of charge. Amazing support community. How to install VST plugins in Audacity. It's very simple to do and works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you want to use new effects in Audacity (which I re. Find a file to edit. Audacity can import many common audio file formats, including WAV, AIFF,.
Now this might sounds abstract to you. Let's try another way to get the gist.
We measure things in real life from ground up, like how tall you are or how many floors there are in a building. In digital audio, however, things are measured from ceiling down. Now the ceiling is 0dB, below you have -1dB, -2dB, etc.
Most audio editing software come baked with audio normalizing tools, with which you can adjust the volume to a standard level, ensuring that the loudest part won't hit through the ceiling.
Here is a screenshot of sound waves before normalizing:
After normalizing, it looks like this:
Abbreviations you will meet in this post:
Amplitube E Audacity
dB: short for decibels. An audio signal is measured in decibels.
dBFS: Decibles relative to Full Scale. Full Scale = 0dB, and you can consider it as the ceiling of your room. If anything tends to go above the ceiling, it will be chopped off, resulting in audio distortion or clipping. dBFS is usually written as dB, as in 0bB, -3dB, -10 dB, etc.
Rules of thumb: Audio levels must not exceed 0dB before exporting. If normalization is the last step, you can set it to 0dB, though -3dB to -6dB is recommended.
What Does Normalizing Audio Do
Why you need to normalize audio? What does this function do? There are 2 main situations when you want to normalize:
1. Boost volume to the maximum without clipping:
- This is the most common case when you have a single audio clip. Normalizing help you to increase its volume proportionally right up to 0dB (-6dB to -3dB is recommended), resulting in a louder sound without changing the dynamic range of the original file.
- It is not necessarily a change to the maximum though. You can boost the volume to a target value, as long as it sounds louder, while at the same time not exceeding 0dB, thus avoid audio clipping.
2. Match volumes of multiple audio files
- When you merge several audio files into one, you might find each of them was recorded in different loudness. It could be very disturbing for the audience when the sound suddenly goes up or down. With normalizing tool, now you can set the volume level of each clip to an identical value, -3dB for instance.
- A step further, let's say you have both voiceovers, intros & outros in the sound design, you can normalize voiceovers to -3db, and background music (intros & outros) to another level below -3dB.
For beginners, this could be the end of the story, as normalizing is only a matter of several clicks in audio editing software. However, the audio files you meet in reality have this and that problems. For instance, the audio file you have is soft in general, while there is only one sudden spike. If you normalize the audio according to the peak volume, there is less room left for the soft sound to boost. In this case, you will need to use a limiter in the first place, and then the normalizing tool. We cover more explanations in the later part of this post.
How to Normalize Video in Premiere Pro
As you may already know, the quickest way to adjust volume is to drag up and down that rubber hand inside the audio clip. The problem is, this might result in a peak going above 0dB, and that's where normalizing comes in.
To normalize audio in Premiere Pro:
Step 1. Select audio clips in Premiere Pro.
Step 2. Right click > Audio Gain (or simply type G on your keyboard).
Step 3. Select Normalize Max Peaks to or Normalize All Peaks to based on your situation. See detailed explanation below.
If you only have one audio clip, there is no difference between normalize max peak and normalize all peaks. These two options are handy when you have several audio clips in the timeline. Since audio normalization applys a constant amount of gain to boost the volume, it won't change the dynamic range of your audio. In other words, the altering of the amount of gain are in proportion, if you select:
- Normalize Max Peak to. This will find the loudest peak among all your clips, boost the gain of the loudest peak to -3dB or any value you set, and also alters the rest of the clips by the same amount of gain. To illustrate, if your max peak used to be -12.9 dB, and the value you set is -3dB, it will adjust gain by +9.9 dB for all the clips. Yet, you don't need to do all the math here, as you only need to set the value as -3dB, and Premiere Pro will figure out the rest.
As you can see, this method shares the same dilemma we discussed in the previous part. If almost all the clips sound soft, with only a few sudden spike, there won't be much gain applied to the overall audio level. That's why we have another option:
- Normalize All Peaks to. This will find the loudest peak in each clip, and boost all the clips by different amount of gain (and of course same amount within each clip) so that the peaks in each clip all reach the specified decibel. Let's say clip I has a loudest peak being -5 dB, clip II -6dB, clip III -7dB; setting normalize all peaks to -3dB, it will alter the gain in clip I by +2dB, clip II +3dB, clip III +4d, so that all the clips peak at -3dB.
How to Normalize Audio in Premiere Audition
So the idea is the same as you normalize audio in Premiere Pro. You can create new files in Premiere Audio, or edit audio files via the dynamic link to open Audition within Premiere Pro.
Step 1. Launch Premiere Audition and create new audio file.
Step 2. Record your audio file.
Step 3. Go to Window > Amplitude Statistics.
Here you can read off statistics such as current peak amplitude, TPA, RMS amplitude. You can use these as reference before adjusting the value.
Step 4. Click Effects > Amplitude and compression > Normalize (process)…
Step 5. Enter the value to Normalize To. Tick dB as you might be confused by the percentage option.
How to Normalize Audio in Audacity
As the most popular free audio editing software, Audacity boasts of robust features that are otherwise charged in paid tools. You can use Audacity's normalize effect to boost volume without changing the dynamic range.
When you shouldn't use normalization in Audacity?
If you have multiple tracks to deal with, yet there are differences in peak levels on purpose, it is a bad idea to normalize any of them. If you want to keep the proportional balance between them, the optimal way is to select all the clips and Amplify them to a same amount of gain.
Assuming you have already import or record audio in Audacity, follow these steps:
Step 1. Go to Effect > Normalize from menu.
Step 2. Tick normalize peak amplitude to the target value (-3dB to -6dB recommended).
Step 3. You can click the Preview option to listen to a 6-second playback.
For instance, if you set the value at -3dB, it will guarantee that the loudest part won't go beyond -3.0 dB. Otherwise, your audio might get chopped off, resulting in unpleasant clipping and distortion.
This is the simplest way to understand normalization. However, things could get more complex. It has to do with how you measure the loudness.
Understanding Normalization: How We Are Measuring the Volume
Again, the example of sudden spikes in an audio file: imagine you have a recording of soft piano with occasional drum hits. If you go with peak normalization, the drum hits leave us less amount (the headroom) to boost to the -3dB, and the rest of the instruments might be too soft. If the audio is measured by the average loudness, then you can boost those soft music arrangements too. That's why we have RMS (root-mean-square), a mathematical calculation to measure the average decibels of a signal over a period of time, as opposed to peak measurement.
In this example, we can see that when dealing with normalization, we have to discriminate between how the loudness is measured:
- Peak volume measurement
- RMS volume measurement
Our brain judge loudness in terms of overall levels, not peak levels. And how it perceives the loudness is so complex, and any mathematic calculation is only an approach to represent that perception, with pitfalls and flaws. Organizations such as EBU and ITU then introduced other factors in the algorithm to analyze loudness, and today we have LUFS (loudness Units Full Scale) and LKFS (Loudness, K-weighted, relative to Full Scale).
Also read: What Is LUFS, and Why Should I Care >> BandLab | Unlimited FREE Instant Online Audio Mastering.
For that momentary peak, normalization is not enough to achieve a desired result. That's why you will be using compressors and limiters. That is out of the scope of this post, but the basic idea can be illustrated by the following example:
Suppose our audio file is:
- RMS -19dB
- Peak -8dB
Amplitube Audacity App
Now we want to boost its volume, and as the peak cannot exceed 3-dB (TV standard), so:
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- we can normalize peak to -3dB
And as normalization won't change dynamic range, so:
- RMS would be -14dB (simple math).
With compressor and limiters, you can keep the peak at -3dB, while bring RMS up, louder than -14dB. That's what normalization can't do.
Normalization Cheat Sheet for Beginners
Music arrangement has more to do with how you want the production to be, with your taste and skills considered. Still, you can follow what most people do in the industry, and that would be:
- Music RMS = -16dB (peak up to -3dB).
- Voice/Speech RMS = -12dB (peak up to -3dB).
Here are other value sets for your reference:
- Classical CDs in the 90s have an average RMS at -21dB.
- Most Hollywood movie production settled at -20dB or -24dBLKFS for the final mixing track.
- Audio distortion or clipping occur when the sample audio reaches -8dB in mobile phone speaker.
- Spotify submissions is specified as streaming at -14LUFS - I (integrated), peak up to - 1RMS.
- Apple Music = -16 LUFS.
- YouTube = -13 LUFS.
- TIDAL = -16 LUFS.
Not too long ago I purchased a new microphone for doing voiceover work for AudioAcrobat and a couple other projects I’ve got up my sleeve, and needed a way to bring down the amplitude of certain peaks within my recordings without doing a hard fade in / fade out…
In today’s post I will share with you a VERY easy way to bring down the highest points of your audio, re-render the track and boost the amplitude as much as possible without creating distortion (clipping).
![Amplitube e audacity Amplitube e audacity](/uploads/1/0/5/6/105637699/886355112.jpg)
Step 1: Open Audio
For today’s example, I’ve created a short, spoken-word track of me just talking (poorly) into the built-in microphone on my MacBook Pro. The original waveform looked like this:
Listen to the original, un-edited audio seen above
In this next screenshot, I’ve identified several of the loudest areas/peaks, which are preventing me from applying a global amplitude increase, as these areas would be pushed beyond the audible spectrum and would sound (even more) terrible if boosted as is.
Notice how these peaks are either right at the edge of the top/bottom of the 1.00 / -1.00 spectrum, or are approaching the outer limits, steadfast? In order to boost our levels globally, these peaks will first need to come down in size. How do we do this without using the traditional fade in / fade out commands, while creating something a bit more “custom” to our needs? I’m glad you asked!
Step 2: Envelope Tool
Here, we’ll use the Envelope Tool, which can be seen in the following screenshot:
Notice how new blue lines appear across the top/bottom of the waveform? See the new white area surrounding the middle part of our waveform? Those are normal, and will appear / disappear whenever the Envelope Tool is selected / deselected.
To begin using the tool, we’ll need to zoom in on each individual peak we’ll be smoothing out. I like to click with the Selection Tool as close to the peak as possible and use the keyboard shortcut ⌘+1 to zoom, but Audacity offers several different ways of zooming, so it’s up to you.
Once zoomed in, the waveform should appear something like this:
Going back to my Envelope Tool, I’m going to use my mouse to move along the outer blue line that appears on either the top or bottom of the waveform when the Envelope Tool is selected and create several marker points used to hold the envelope constant on the outer edges and to smooth out the peak in-between the “hold” points.
Amplitube Audacity Software
Clicking once on the blue line will create an envelope marker point and dragging the point toward the center of the waveform will decrease the amplitude/volume of the affected area. Try to make your marker points / envelope look like this:
For basic edits like this, I use one marker point on either side of the peak to hold everything else in place, and a single marker point to reduce/smooth the peak. You are welcome to use more to create a smoother fade if desired.
If you ever need to remove a marker point, simply drag it past the outside of the waveform / blue line and it will disappear. If the blue line moves in toward the center when adding points, simply click and drag the marker point back to the edge to maintain the track’s original amplitude.
Now that we’ve smoothed out the first peak, we’ll need to repeat this action for the tallest peaks found within the remainder our audio. I’ll be working on the (3) peak areas outlined above in Step 1.
Step 3: Mix and Render
Now that we’ve smoothed out as many peaks as we could, and our envelope has been adjusted to our liking, we can move forward with Mixing and Rendering our changes. This can be done easily by clicking Tracks >> Mix and Render. Voila! See the envelopes disappear? See how the peaks have become much lower?
Now we have some headroom to adjust the amplification. Go to Effect >> Amplify Photo collage software for mac. and the dialog window will pop up and show you the maximum amount of amplitude you can apply without clipping. In my example, this round of adjustments cleared an additional 1.4 dB of space for me to increase! Hit OK and watch as your entire waveform expands.
Listen to the edited version seen above
Step 4: Shampoo, Rinse & Repeat
If you like what you hear, you’re done! If you would like to get more loudness out of your recording, then repeat Steps 2 and 3 above and you’ll be well on your way to achieving the loudness you desire for your track!
When satisfied, click File >> Export to save the audio file to disk. That’s it!
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