I’ve been recording an audio version of my own book using Audacity, and mastering with a macro of Filter Curve EQ, Limiter, RMS normaliser, and ACX analysis. It’s been going well until I upgraded to Audacity 3.6.2 this morning. Every recording I do now is rejected by the ACX analyser because the peaks are too high. All the settings are the same as before. I don’t know enough about it to be able to fiddle around, I was given those setting by a friend and they worked. Now I’m stuck, two chapters from the end. I have reinstalled the previous version to no avail. It seems that whatever has changed is beyond my capabilities.Help. Please!
Try Koz’ new audiobook macro. Post #53 in this thread.
Audiobook-Mastering-Macro is now 36Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.
36Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.txt (585 Bytes)
When the new Audacity Limiter Effect was posted, it had a different number of controls and settings. So all the original Mastering Macros dropped dead—or worse, delivered bad chapters.
Then I discovered, while I was re-writing the Macro, that a scrambled version got out of the cage. I have no idea if the scramble made it on-line, but there is a good way to tell.
Open the macro in a text editor and read it. It really is a text file, although it represents effects control codes. There should be a comment line and three actions. Four lines total. The scrambled trash had many more.
Click on the graphic.
Koz
But wait! There’s more!
Apparently the Limiter was re-written, so the results may not be surgically identical, but they are so close that nobody cares. Couple that with my obsession of building in a little slop.
We understand that in Audacity 3.6.2 (now available) that they re-established the older effects in response to screams from users. I have no idea of the relationships any more, but it’s possible both versions might work.
Should you decide to roll back to an earlier Audacity you should know that the 3.6x versions change the Audacity environment and the changes hang around even if you roll back the versions. You can get some relief with Tools > Reset Configuration.
If that’s not enough, there are some more serious spells to make your machine forget all about the earlier Audacity and start over.
We will note that although I haven’t tried it (yet) the main download process for 3.6.2 has you opening an account. In less boisterous lettering is a way to get 3.6.2 without the account.
This stuff changes hourly. Don’t look away.
Can you post some notes about how you read? I have posted many times that once you get everything settled, reading chapters is not a career move.
ShortHow-To-Ver02.txt (449 Bytes)
Koz
A massive huge thanks to DVDdoug and kozikowski for all your help! I’m finally back on track. I deleted the new version and cleaned up all I could in the hope of eliminating any legacy that migh remain. Reinstalled 3.6.1, then reinstalled from new the plugins, but the magic ingredient i think was koz’s 36Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.txt . Guess that’s what finally did it. I’ll think twice about upgrading in future.
I’ve started calling it “Updating.”
Glad you like the Macro. The patch actually wasn’t that bad. It turns out the new limiter has one more control than everyone was expecting. I added a step in the Macro and it started working.
You may note that the ACX-Checks are not perfect as compared to the older Macro, but they’re really close. If you’ve been following the drama, you know I built in some sloppy. For one example, It sets Peak at -3.5dB, not -3.0dB which is the actual ACX limit. Nobody can hear half-dB and the latest limiter doesn’t even hit that.
Had I set the Macro for -3.0dB, any error could kill your ACX.
Koz