hello there.
I am a teacher and i am trying to make some e-learning videos. My first video consists of 8 scenes. Its scene has its own recording.
I have 8 recordings that i am going to use in the same video. I want them to sound like the speaker never stoped recording. like it is one track that it is playing. Right now there are some differences in volume. One of those recordings was made in differnet day and the listener can tell the difference since the voice sound like - am not sure how (i think i was standing more near to th mic).
What should i do?
I would appreciate and some advices in order for me to suceed the best quality i can get. I know i should buy a good microphone. Do not write that. I can not affort it right know.
How long is each recording? The odd one is probably not a volume change but a quality change. You may be stuck with that one. We can’t do, “Make My Voice Sound Like…” In this case it would be ‘make clip 8 sound like all the others.’ Maybe matching the volumes close will be enough.
The standard theatrical toolset is Compressor, Limiter, Equalizer, Normalize, etc, but you maybe a good fit for Chris’s Compressor.
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/chriss-dynamic-compressor-plugin-for-audacity/
Chris wrote this so he could listen to opera in the car without constantly adjusting volume. I use it to process a raw podcast to strict broadcast standards so I can listen while hiking. I change the first value, Compress Ratio from default 0.5 to 0.77. That’s it. Leave all the other settings alone.
There is one tiny bug. Chris doesn’t like it if the first thing on the beginning of the blue waves (extreme left) is a flat line. So put some sound in there or maybe the slate “Thursday Soundtrack Take 3”. You can cut it off later if you’re happy with the work. If you don’t get this right, the compressor will just not work.
This is an illustration. Top to bottom: no compression, default 0.5 and broadcast 0.77.
The sound gets denser and much more even.
Koz
Warning. This and other production tools act funny if you have a noisy recording. Background noises create all sorts of problems.
Koz
thanks a lot for the answers.
I tried Cris’s compressor and i am gonna use it. It is really good. (there is another bug when there is silence in the extreme right too)
Just tell me because i am not sure. This tool adjust the quality inside a track.
What about between 2 differnet tracks. If one is louder than the other does it set the volume to a specific point so i can compine my scenes (and recordings)?
I know you might think why dont i listen to them. I have listened 100 times and i can not figure it out. I am not sure.
Any other ideas to maximize quality it would be appreciated.
What about between 2 differnet tracks.
Do you mean two different performances like two mono blue waves? Or one stereo performance with two linked blue waves. I’m pretty sure Chris will not work if you select two or more different tracks.
I don’t know what would happen with a stereo track. Stereo compression and limiting is very difficult because if you make a processing error, the artist or performer will sound like they moved side to side. That does not sound right because most artists don’t move during a show.
If I follow what you’re trying to do, I don’t think there are any processors that you can use on a multi-channel show and they will get everything right, especially if you are performing different dialogs on the tracks.
They warn you even on shows with many people and many microphones, it’s best if the show is mono—one blue wave—not stereo.
One of the podcasts I listen to has two different men talking. One is a lot louder than the other and has a very loud laugh. It’s a mono show, so one blue wave. Chris manages to even out both voices and even takes care of the loud laugh. I don’t know the other variations or talents of the software.
Koz