Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.txt blows out all ACX Check settings

My ACX check is nearly there, but… When I use the proscribed audiobook-mastering-macro.txt, it blows up, so that’s no good. I’ve been tinkering with manual settings for hours and hours over days… I’ve tried manually setting the RMS but then the peaks go to high. I lower the peaks (using Loudness Normalization) and then the RMS says too quiet. I’m on a PC and need settings to fix this:
Peak -3.19 PASS
RMS -28.46 Db FAIL too quiet
Floor -71 PASS

If you are using the current version of Audacity the limiter has changed and you should be using 36Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.txt.

…Or, you can manually run Loudness Normalization set to -20dB RMS.

Then to push the peaks down into spec, run Effect → Legacy → Legacy Limiter with a limit of -3.5dB.

Note that by boosting by 8dB to hit the RMS target you’ll also be boosting the noise floor.

36Audiobook…

That took extra Starbucks. Turns out the new limiter has two responses now instead of just one. If you don’t supply two, the final limiter step, intended to gently fold occasional high volume peaks to passing will instead jack the show volume up to maximum. Blammo!

Oddly, 36Audiobook… works on older Audacity versions, too. I think it stops at about 2.4.2 because 2.4.2 hates the comment line.

Koz

True, but, you didn’t specify the steps. You can’t simply make volume adjustments. Limiting is required.

You can manually apply the effects in the macro. Or you can manually apply the effects from the old macro if you use the Legacy Limiter.

When you make a linear volume adjustment, the peak, RMS, and noise floor all change by the same dB amount. If you boost to get RMS in-spec the peak will fail.

I think you’re working way too hard.

I announced a test by speaking into iPhone Voice Memo laying on the desk in my quiet, echo-free office. I cut down the sound file to just the parts I wanted. Straight editing.

I applied 36Audiobook-Mastering-Macro.txt in Audacity 3.4.2.

ACX-Check passed all three submission standards including noise. But I thought noise was too close to failing at -61.6dB, so I applied conventional, gentle 6dB noise reduction which gave me this:

Screen Shot 2024-10-16 at 11.18.16

I sound exactly like me.

Aaaaaand. We’re done.

Koz

Koz, I appreciate reading your expertise along with other contributors. New to Audacity here and doing first narration. I figured out that having exact same setup (distance to mic, settings of mic and volume, etc) is first step for me. Then I struggled with Peak and/or RMS going back and forth after I figured out the floor adjusted based on first 2 ACX fixes. Based on your advice, I cranked up my mic volume to 96 as well. I created a macro (anyone can do these) which gave me a Pass x 3 after cranking volume settings for the recording. Details are below. I welcome any advice as I probably overcomplicated this.
Macro applied:

  1. Compression (-18 threshold, 4.0 makeup gain, 30 knee, 3.1 ratio, 0 lookahead, 2 attach, 100 release)
  2. Normalized at -3.1
  3. Loudness Normalized set to RMS at -16.3
  4. Limiter (-3.1 threshold, -1.9 makeup target, 0 knee, 0.1 lookahead, 10.1 release)
  5. Noise Reduction at 6/6/6
  6. Compression again at (-6, 4, 30, 3.1, 0, 1, 250)
  7. Normalized once more at -3.1