Peak Amplitude dropping significantly

Hey guys,

First post here. I used Audacity 1.2.x until my hard drive failed…so I switched to the latest version. I never had this problem with the old version, but it also could be a settings thing I’m missing. I rip my vinyl and generally aim for an initial peak amplitude of 13-17db before setting new peak amplitude to -0.1. The audio would amplify consistently across different vinyls at the same volume without clipping…until now.

With this new version, I tested and tested clips and found when they were short (~30secs), I’d reach that initial peak amplitude I look for stated above. However, with every recording now, it drops to 5db or so after the entire side has recorded. I never had this issue before and now I don’t have a general volume across all my vinyls. If I do get a general volume, it’s significantly lower than what it used to be. Comparatively speaking, initially before i lost my setup and information on my hard drive, after setting peak amplification to -0.1, the volume would be similar to CDs/mp3s. Now it’s not even half of that. I understand there’s a volume knob/slider for a reason, but I do enjoy the loudness without the clipping I had previously gotten.

So…does anyone have any insight into this? Basically why a 30 second clip will have a peak amplitude of ~15 and an entire side featuring the same clip drops to around ~5.

Thanks ahead of time.

Make sure [u]Windows “enhancements”[/u] are disabled.

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before setting new peak amplitude to -0.1. The audio would amplify consistently across different vinyls at the same volume without clipping…until now.

That’s cutting it very close… It’s very difficult to hit -0.1 without clipping when you have an analog source. It’s usually best to shoot for -3 to -6dB. …This isn’t analog tape where you need a hot signal to overcome tape noise. You can amplify/normalize digitally after recording for -0.1 or 0dB, or whatever you prefer. (Also unlike analog tape, digital has zero headroom over 0dB and will hard-clip.)

Nothing bad happens when you get close to 0dB as long as you don’t “try” to go over, but it’s not necessary to record so hot.

Comparatively speaking, initially before i lost my setup and information on my hard drive, after setting peak amplification to -0.1, the volume would be similar to CDs/mp3s.

FYI - Digitized vinyl normalized to 0dB will often sound quieter than 0dB normalized CDs for a couple of reasons. The vinyl recording/playback process can increase the peak-to-average ratio (without affecting the sound of the dynamics), plus modern CDs are often “[u]Loudness War[/u]” compressed/limited more than older records.