In commercial and ham audio processing engineering there are circuits known as Automatic Level Control (ALC) and Automatic Gain Control (AGC). These circuits maintain a constant peak amplitude audio signal in real time. In other words, there is no “up and down” in levels. Peak levels remain stable regardless of input fluctuations.
I sometimes use skype for round-table discussions, which I record using the skype record function. That works, but the levels are not consistent. I.E. skype “record” does not have an ALC/AGC function. This makes post-production processing tedious.
I have found no tool on Audacity that will automatically level out all signals in a file. No, “Normalize” is not the same. That only adjusts “selected” sections of a recording. To fix this problem of “wild levels”, I have to select and process each section manually. A big job when you’re dealing with an hour-long recording. I’m looking for an automatic tool to six this problem. Any suggestions?
Also, one of the participants in my most recent discussion had a terrible internet connection and had that awful “digital washing sound”. I know you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but is there a way to improve the readability in such a case using Audacity? I imagine removing bass and increasing presence is one way. But is there another trick?
Many thanks,
Sync 45