Increasing gain on AC3 losslessly

[DRP]

Is it possible to increase the level of an AC3 file losslessly or is a complete re-encoding required?

I'm wanting to create some DVDs with AC3 5.1 audio tracks but the volume level of those AC3 tracks is unacceptably low. Is there a utility out there like Mp3Gain that can crank up the volume of AC3 tracks losslessly preferrably without clipping them?

[mats.hogberg]

Never heard about such utility. I'm afraid you have to decode to 6 wavs, edit them, then make a 5.1 AC3 again from those. Not worth the trouble, IMO.

/Mats

[guns1inger]

I have a simple utility - my remote control - just turn up the volume or get a hearing aid.

[DRP]

23dB needs to go in to the AC3s to bring them up to the brink of clipping. The waveform is almost a completely flat line. I have to turn the amp up so loud to just hear it at a normal volume that I need to put books on the speakers to weigh them down so the amplifier hum doesn't rattle the glass doors of the cabinet.

[guns1inger]

What was the source that it is so poor ? Surely not commercial.

[DRP]

I'm afraid it is a commercially available Hollywood moofie

[turk690]

I'm aware that certain standards are followed as to what levels should be in a typical movie/concert Dolby Digital soundtrack (normal dialogue levels are -10 or -12db for the center channel, etc. etc.); there are websites with this info. But some DVDs r just plain off the cuff. For example I have the Metropolitan Opera's Elektra (Nilsson, Rysanek, Levine) made by Pioneer Classics, and even with the orchestra in full fortissimo cry the levels were just about -20db (the pianissimo passages almost inaudible); jacking up the amplifier volume control made some hiss/hum evident. I have done that one over by decrypting the thing, extracting the DD tracks back to *.wav (not difficult, it was just 2-ch stereo), normalizing everything to 0db (100%), and clearing the slight hiss that became plainly audible in Adobe Audition. Why Pioneer Classics couldn't have mastered this more properly is beyond me but in this case it is still the performers that save the day (always should be).