[Trotsky26]

Hello Friends,

Can anyone suggest me the way to do audio normalization? I am on Windows 10.

[GraemeJ]

Firstly, you can not do this within MSP, it will have to be done using an external program.

Secondly, you have to understand that 'normalising' an audio file merely increases it's level such that the peak level is at 0db (or whatever peak level you choose).  If that's what you need to do, then fine, but what most people need is to make a series of tracks play at the same relative level.  If you 'normalise' a series of files, their relative volumes will still vary - you need to to do something known as RMS (root mean square) balancing, this makes all the files play at the same relative volume.

There's a ton of programs around that can do this, from free to expensive.  You can search for them easily enugh, but I'll give you two to start you on your way.  For .wav files, volume balancer - http://www.delback.co.uk/volbal/ - and for MP3 files, MP3Gain - https://www.filehorse.com/download-mp3gain/ .

[Trotsky26]

Firstly, you can not do this within MSP, it will have to be done using an external program.

Secondly, you have to understand that 'normalising' an audio file merely increases it's level such that the peak level is at 0db (or whatever peak level you choose).  If that's what you need to do, then fine, but what most people need is to make a series of tracks play at the same relative level.  If you 'normalise' a series of files, their relative volumes will still vary - you need to to do something known as RMS (root mean square) balancing, this makes all the files play at the same relative volume.

There's a ton of programs around that can do this, from free to expensive.  You can search for them easily enugh, but I'll give you two to start you on your way.  For .wav files, volume balancer - http://www.delback.co.uk/volbal/ - and for MP3 files, MP3Gain - https://www.filehorse.com/download-mp3gain/ .

Will this method be able to handle what you say?

[otnt]

Hello Friends,

Can anyone suggest me the way to do audio normalization? I am on Windows 10.

Audacity is free Windows software:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/normalize.html

[GraemeJ]

Audacity is free Windows software:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/normalize.html

Audacity is is bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

More to the point, the normalise function merely sets the peak level (as I described in my initial post) and if the OP wants to prepare his recordings so they play at the same perceived volume, then Audacity is not the right tool to use.

[otnt]

Audacity is free Windows software:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/normalize.html

Audacity is is bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

More to the point, the normalise function merely sets the peak level (as I described in my initial post) and if the OP wants to prepare his recordings so they play at the same perceived volume, then Audacity is not the right tool to use.

Even IF Trotsky26 wants this or that be sure Audacity can do your compression/RMS too:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/compressor.html

[GraemeJ]

Even IF Trotsky26 wants this or that be sure Audacity can do your compression/RMS too:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/compressor.html

If the desired end result is a series of tracks which all play at the same volume (thus avoiding having to change the volume control for every new track) then the RMS average of each track needs to be the same - compression is not the way to achieve this and as far as I am aware, it's not a function available in Audacity.  

Of course, since many modern recordings are compressed to within an inch of their life anyway ("louder is better") it's not something that needs to be done as often as it used to be.

[otnt]

Even IF Trotsky26 wants this or that be sure Audacity can do your compression/RMS too:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/compressor.html

If the desired end result is a series of tracks which all play at the same volume (thus avoiding having to change the volume control for every new track) then the RMS average of each track needs to be the same - compression is not the way to achieve this and as far as I am aware, it's not a function available in Audacity.  

Of course, since many modern recordings are compressed to within an inch of their life anyway ("louder is better") it's not something that needs to be done as often as it used to be.

Please let us know how to average audio without calling it RMS.

[GraemeJ]

Please let us know how to average audio without calling it RMS.

I'd be happy to help, but I'm not sure I understand the question?

[saxmaneric]

Hey all,
I'm new and browsing for info and saw this. I know I'm late, but maybe this will help someone.

For volume normalization, there is a VERY easy solution that I've used for performance tracks for many years.
Unfortunately, the program hasn't been updated since 2018, but it still works great.

The program is called MP3Gain, and it's open source, available here: http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net
Here's their write-up:
"Tired of reaching for your volume knob every time your mp3 player changes to a new song?
MP3Gain analyzes and adjusts mp3 files so that they have the same volume.
MP3Gain does not just do peak normalization, as many normalizers do. Instead, it does some statistical analysis to determine how loud the file actually sounds to the human ear.
Also, the changes MP3Gain makes are completely lossless. There is no quality lost in the change because the program adjusts the mp3 file directly, without decoding and re-encoding."


In case anyone is curious, here's my personal work-flow:
1. After installing, I create shortcuts to the main file (MP3GainGUI.exe) in the folder that holds my tracks. Do this for all the places you store music you want to normalize.
2. Now, any time you put new tracks in the folder, drag and drop as many as you want right on the shortcut. MP3Gain will open and wait for your input!
3. Once in the program, first thing to do is set your "Target 'Normal' Volume." Since this is lossless, don't worry about messing it up. 
BUT! I have found that the default 89dB is great for most tracks. Not nearly as much clipping. The only drawback is that your volume isn't "quite" as loud, so you'll have to turn it up on your computer a little.
4. You will want to click the Track Analysis the first few times just to see what happens. It's not really necessary once you get used to it.
5. If you have a lot of tracks, don't select any, just hit Track Gain and it'll do them all (or Select All, either way works).
6. I always watch to see just how much it adjusts the Gain. Interesting!
7. Don't freak out if you see a few tracks get marked under the "clip(Track)" column. That means a few 'highs' were knocked off, but if it didn't adust a lot, you will be ok. Take a listen to them to make sure. After a while you probably won't notice.

I should note that I make all my own tracks using MIDI and real Audio instruments. 
My programs are Band-In-A-Box (mainly for drums) and I record and edit in Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 (old version that works great!).
I perform with tracks at my church every week and also for jazz gigs on my saxophones. Every file has been normalized!
And now that I have MSP and a pedal... look out! ;-)

Hope that helps!
Eric