BS FAG updated — latest version 6.6.8

[bsuseno]

Hello VideoHelp community,

BS FAG (Fix Audio Gain) is actively maintained and always updated. The latest release is version 6.6.8, distributed as shareware (trial version is available). You can get it from the official BS Programs webpage or more conveniently from the Microsoft Store.

BS FAG will fix audio gain in movie and music files to proper volume level with clipping sound prevention. Supports movies with multiple audio tracks and international file names. Result movies might also be converted to other format.

Features:

• Adjustable desired audio volume level
• Supports movies with multiple audio tracks
• Videos and subtitle tracks are untouched
• Convert result movies to other formats
• Language support: cn, en, de, id, in, fr, jp, kr, pt, ru, sa, sp
• Tested on 3GP, AVI, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPG, WMV, MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, etc.
• For Windows 10+ 64-bits

Thank you for your support and feedback, which help keep BS FAG reliable for everyone.


Cheers,

[VWestlife]

This is a very poor attempt at trolling us with offensively-named software.

[bsuseno]

Thank you for taking the time to post a message.

[hello_hello]

I noticed on your site you recommend leaving the target volume at 89dB (sorry I haven't tried the program yet). This isn't a criticism of your software, but I'm pretty sure I'll be pronounced ruler of the world very soon, so I thought I should warn you the first thing I'll probably do is make it a capital offense to refer to the volume that way. I understand the logic behind it, but it's pretty much meaningless to most people, as the target volume refers to sound pressure level and not what the output meters on your favorite audio player display.

So I think it'd be doing the world a service to avoid teaching anyone else to think of volume that way. Or at the very least, when the target volume is adjusted, for the volume to be shown as normal people volume too. Actually even that'd just add to the possible confusion, so only displaying the volume as LUFS according to the EBU R128 standard would be better, although LUFS and dB are interchangeable in this case.

While the target volume of -18 LUFS is the standard for music, for movie and TV audio it's -23 LUFS, or maybe -24 LUFS, depending on where you live. Obviously if you're compressing the audio it'll have less dynamic range and -18dB should allow for enough headroom, but I thought I'd mention -18dB isn't the standard for video.

ReplayGain's 89dB = -18 LUFS (-18 dB) in people volume.
ReplayGain's 84dB = -23 LUFS (-23 dB) in people volume.

PS. I think it's because I'm old and stubborn, but the idea of licensing software doesn't thrill me. Buying it is fine when I can afford it. I bought some backup and synchronization software at one stage (just an example). You'd hand over your money and the license was valid forever, but only for that particular version of the software. So a major version bump such as 2.56 to 3.0 would require a new license, but you could still use version 2 for as long as you liked. If you paid again you paid for a whole bunch of new functionality, but paying and waiting for it to run out the clock.... not so much. Just a thought....

Does the reference to Mp3gain mean the audio is scanned using the ReplayGain algorithm? If so, have you considered switch to the EBU R128 scanning method? It's probably more accurate. Foobar2000 switched from using the ReplayGain method to EBU R128 a long time ago, but only the algorithm is different. It still saves the volume to tags according to the ReplayGain standard, and even though it makes me want to cry, except for a setting in advanced preferences, it still refers to a target volume of 89 dB. Sigh....

[bsuseno]

Hi @hello_hello,

Thank you very much for your sharp observation, even without trying the program directly.

BS FAG has always targeted non‑audio‑savvy users (myself included), just as when it was first introduced here in 2013. At the same time, audio‑savvy users can also find it useful for quick adjustments without needing to dive into complex tools. The dB in this app refers to dBSPL — the same measurement scale we use for everyday sound levels such as airports, train stations, or concerts.

The default 89 dB value was chosen based on hearing safety guidelines. IIRC NIOSH and WHO has pages that recommend 85 dB for 8‑hour exposure, and every +3 dB halves the safe time, so 88–89 dB corresponds to about 4 hours of safe listening. This made it a practical reference point for everyday audio levels. Of course, it can be easily adjusted in the UI, and a switch between dBSPL and dBFS (LUFS) could certainly be implemented.

Regarding licensing, BS FAG is now offered in two kinds: Annual and Lifetime. The annual license is lower‑priced, while the lifetime license provides permanent access. Both license types are version‑independent, meaning users can always update to the latest release as long as their license is valid.

Your feedback is very valuable and will help make BS FAG even better.

Regards,

[hello_hello]

BS FAG has always targeted non‑audio‑savvy users (myself included), just as when it was first introduced here in 2013. At the same time, audio‑savvy users can also find it useful for quick adjustments without needing to dive into complex tools. The dB in this app refers to dBSPL — the same measurement scale we use for everyday sound levels such as airports, train stations, or concerts.

The default 89 dB value was chosen based on hearing safety guidelines. IIRC NIOSH and WHO has pages that recommend 85 dB for 8‑hour exposure, and every +3 dB halves the safe time, so 88–89 dB corresponds to about 4 hours of safe listening. This made it a practical reference point for everyday audio levels. Of course, it can be easily adjusted in the UI, and a switch between dBSPL and dBFS (LUFS) could certainly be implemented.

Thanks for the response, but yes, the fact that the volume is based on SPL is why it's somewhat meaningless for digital 1s and 0s because the SPL produced isn't a constant. That's determined by the playback device's volume control. If I remember correctly, and your 89dB is the same as ReplayGain's 89dB, it was originally 83dB, based on a SMPTE standard for calibrating audio systems in theaters, where if you fed the sound system with pink noise at -6dB RMS, the result should be an SPL of 83dB in the theater. So without knowing that, an average/target volume specified as dB below clipping is at least non-ambiguous and easy to understand.
Of course the original 83dB resulted in a lot of complaints because iPlayers didn't have enough grunt at the time, so it was increased to 89dB for the final ReplayGain standard.

If my feeble memory isn't letting me down, Apple's SoundCheck uses -16 LUFS as it's target volume, as does Spotify and possibly YouTube, and for broadcast it's -23 LUFS, so while we still don't have a single standard, at least you don't need a backstory to understand what it means. Anyway, it's just a pet peeve of mine, so I like to complain about it now and then.

Cheers.

[bsuseno]

Noted, @hello_hello. I appreciate your detailed explanation—it certainly helps me see things more clearly. Thank you.