How to increase the volume without increasing floor noise?

[Hypersonic1]

I have read that compression helps with what I want to accomplish, but compression seems to bring the highest peaks down, which means that I have to normalize again; the result raises the volume of the floor noise.

[newpball]

Are you sure you understand what you actually want?

[Hypersonic1]

I need to use a dynamics processor. Now I just need to learn how to use it properly.

[newpball]

Well, if you compress sound and you normalize you increase the loudness.

Perhaps you should start to say what you actually want. You have an original source and apparently you are not satisfied with it and want to change things. What do you want to change, how do you like it to sound instead?

[Cornucopia]

Compressor/Expander, NoiseGate/Limiter, doesn't matter: the device doesn't have machine AI auditory discernment, so it cannot distinguish between "Signal" and "Noise". It's all signal to it.

So, if it raises up the lowest levels of signal, it's also raising up the accompanying similar levels in noise, and vice-versa. Same thing with lowering highest levels.

The trick is in knowing where there might be a instantaneous or RMS difference threshold that you can work to your advantage. Filtering and side-chain action can enhance this.

Scott

[Hypersonic1]

This is what I want to do:



I just don't want to expand the dynamic range too much so I don't hear the audio fading in and out. What I have it set to right now seems to work, but I don't have a trained ear. I know noise reduction is in my toolbox, but this kind of noise is too difficult to remove well. I don't want to get rid of it anyway.

[johnmeyer]

Can you post the actual audio represented by the timeline you posted?

My preference would be to use a noise reduction plugin (I own iZotope RX). I think you will find that any sort of dynamic range manipulations that are strong enough to reduce the noise will start introducing pumping or other artifacts.

I have used many company's noise reduction plugins over the past dozen years, and until iZotope came out, most of the results I obtained were only marginally better, and often contained really distracting flanging artifacts. By contrast, iZotope is near magic. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive. However, you can download a trial and see if it works. Also, if you post a sample, I can take a shot at it. If you do post a sample, make sure it has a relatively silent section, like you showed in the timeline pics you posted. This is needed in order to get the best results (although iZotope can de-noise even without a noiseprint).