MPC volume normalization - how does that help?

[Artas1984]

Can somebody explain the use of this? From what i understand this feature makes sure that every audio track from a single file/source is being played equally loud or what? What if we have a DTS 5.1 movie, in which two tracks distributed to the rear speakers sound deliberately louder (airplane passing behind) than the front stereo ones? Would not audio normalization totally ruin that effect? I am only guessing this, since recently i launched a 4K 5.1 Dunkirk (movie) in an Polk home theater studio and i was displeased how the voice in front was louder than it needed to be compared to the surrounding effects like bombing sounds and airplane sounds. This is NOT how i remember this movie in a theater, for i clearly remember how loud those effects in the movie were compared to the speech.. I launched this movie from a laptop, through HDMI cable into a Denon home theater amplifier by using MPC, that had volume normalization enabled. The whole crucial decision to buy Polk 5.1 home audio was based on that experience, and basically because the sound sucked i was worried that this was not the fault of speakers or amp, but how my movie was being handled by MPC settings.

Please indulge me. How would volume normalization impact a 5.1 movie experience in a surround room?

[hello_hello]

If you're referring to the Normalize option under Audio Swither in Preferences, it's effectively an automatic method of turning the volume up and down. The volume is slowly increased until a peak is at maximum, or until the maximum amplification is achieved, if you have that option enabled. When a louder peak comes along, the volume is reduced to prevent clipping. If "regain volume" is checked, the process start over and the volume is slowly increased until the maximum application is achieved, then reduced again if another loud peak comes along....

As far as I know it adjusts the volume for each channel by the same amount, so it's effectively turning the volume up and down for you. I don't particularly like it as it's too slow, and it's often obvious the volume is being adjusted.

Because surround sound does nothing for me, aside from taking me out of the movie, I know almost nothing about it. For formats such as DTS and AC3 though, I'm pretty sure MPC-HC can bitsteam it down a HDMI cable, and your home theatre amp would then be responsible for decoding it. I assume MPC's Normalize option would have no effect when Bitsreaming. Under Internal Filters, click on the Audio Decoder button and you'll find options there.

Where's the "use internal audio" option you referred to in your other thread? Are you referring to the MPC-HC Audio Switcher or something else?