My DVDs aren't loud enough (volume)

[Xenogear900]

I use TMPGEnc to convert the videos to MPEG2 using the DVD NTSC template that is provided with that program. Then I use TMPGEnc DVD Author to author/burn the DVD. Whenever I convert the movies using the DVD template, the audio comes out a little too low. How can I fix this from happening?

Xenogear900@yahoo.com

[redwudz]

You can adjust the audio levels in TMPGEnc when you encode. Setting>Audio>Setting>Change volume'.

[FulciLives]

What format of audio are you using with TMPGEnc Plus?

I ask because it only does PCM WAV or MP2 and the standard is AC-3 so ... you really need to be using other tools than TMPGEnc Plus for AC-3 audio.

You want to get your audio into PCM WAV format first. Then normalize. Some say to normalize to 0.0db while others say to normalize to -3.0db. After than you can convert to AC-3 format using ffmpegGUI or Aften (both are freeware).

Personally I think Aften offers better options than ffmpegGUI but I don't use either one as I have Soft Encode (a once very expensive program that is now hard to find).

If you use Aften you want to set no dynamic range compression and set the dialog normalization to -31db and that will give you audio that is close in volume (if not exact) to the original PCM WAV input you use.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[FulciLives]

Here is a link to a mini-guide I wrote for using Aften:

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1621483#1621483

I hope that helps.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Xenogear900]

Actually, what I meant was that the voices are too quiet. The music/sound effects is fine, but the voices are TOO quiet. How can I fix that?

Xenogear900@yahoo.com

[FulciLives]

Try it like I said and I think you will see or ummm HEAR the difference.

Normalize to 0.0db or -3.0db (I lean towards -3.0db myself these days) and then process with Aften as I said to do.

If you don't like how that turns out then you can go ahead if you want and muck around with DRC (Dynamic Range Compression) which Aften makes possible (only freeware AC-3 encoder to allow for this ... to the best of my knowledge).

The mini-guide I wrote mentioned (maybe even a link I forget now) that there is an excellent guide over at the doom9 site on how to properly encode AC-3 when using DRC whereas my method does not use DRC so that the AC-3 has the same VOLUME level of the original input source but in cases where the volume is very ummm up or down (voices low and sound effects or muisc loud) then DRC may be needed.

It's too much information to cover here and now and why would I since an excellent sticky post exists over at the doom9 forum. It is in the AUDIO ENCODING forum.

Link to the doom9 website:
http://www.doom9.org/

Direct link to the sticky thread about AC-3 encoding:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=56020

Good Luck !!!

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I suspect you never read the mini-guide I wrote or if you did you never bothered to go read the doom9 sticky post about AC-3 encoding. No one will hand hold you. The information is there.