VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 7 of 7
Thread
  1. So many amateur podcasters keep giving their microphone a blowjob which forces me to remix it with dynamic compression to make it less annoying to listen to. I'm using Sony's tool in batch mode with the following settings:

    Code:
    Attack: 1ms
    Release: 500ms
    Threshold: -18 dB
    Ratio: 4:1
    and I apply it twice for maximum effect. Now when some ässhole coughs into the mic, it's the same volume as everything else.
    My question is, how can I tweak the settings so I can achieve the same thing in one pass?
    Quote Quote  
  2. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    That setting may only work properly with audio which already is at a certain rms level, but not with hotter or quieter material. Normalizing won't fix that either, as that works referencing peak volume, not rms.
    Unless I'm mistaken, there isn't any onepass magic fixit tool (though I've toyed with the idea of something similar).
    You can chain/pipe processes so it can do multiple types of corrections in just one pass. Just not one-size-fits-all.

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  3. Levelator was designed to even out podcast volume. For coughing and other unwanted noises, maybe warn the people about it and ask them to turn away from the mike or shuffle their papers or whatever more quietly. Maybe make a note of the time and fix it later in a wave editor.

    Near the bottom of the linked page they explain what it does and how.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Corny, I already pipe two passes of that setting so it's not a big deal per se. Are you saying it's not possible to tweak the settings to achieve the same two-pass effect with one?

    manono, thanks for Levelator. It appears a lot of tweak-work went into this to make it as natural as possible. But even this I had to do two passes because the quiet parts are still too quiet and the loud parts are still too loud (it also killed a few legitimate quiet parts). My method is a lot less natural but it spreads the wealth more. Levelator is Roosevelt, I need a Stalin. These are smut podcasts I'm working with so they don't need delicate processing.

    Did either of you mess with dynamics for music? It's a lot harder.
    Quote Quote  
  5. Originally Posted by Aludin View Post
    I had to do two passes because the quiet parts are still too quiet and the loud parts are still too loud
    Increase the ratio and decrease the threshold.
    Quote Quote  
  6. Levelor doesn't let you customize settings, but I played around with it in Sound Forge and found a setting that more or less resembles the one I have to do twice. So a -30.5 db threshold and 9:1 ratio is equivalent to -18 dB and 4:1. I can't tell the difference anyway.
    Thanks.
    Quote Quote  
  7. What you usually want to do is set the threshold just above the noise floor (you don't wan to amplify tape hiss, air conditioner noise, other ambient noise, etc.). Then set the ratio to whatever level you want.
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!