Help! RMS Level is pissing me off

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Ok so I’ll need REALLY EASY Layman’s terms here as I am NOT an audacity pro.

I’ve done this many times and have been fine but my ACX check is telling me that my RMS level is -24.1 which fails. If I compress my file (thus fixing my RMS to -20.0), then my peak goes wonky and I have to fix that. I can’t fix one without the other going out of whack. What can I do to help my RMS numbers?

I do NOT have this RMS Normalizer plug-in that I’ve seen others talking about. I tried to follow the instructions to install the plug-in but it’s not working for me and I’m just getting more and more frustrated. Would this plug-in be the tool that would help me out? Or is there something that I’m just missing?

Thanks to ANYONE for help!

2

We publish a mastering process, but if you can’t install RMS-Normalise, that’s not going to do much good.

How did you install ACX-Check and not RMS-Normalize?

Anyway, it’s good to note that Peak and Noise are limits. Peaks no louder than -3dB and Noise no louder than -60db.

RMS (Loudness) is the one with the restricted range: -18dB to -23dB. Any peaks quieter than -3dB are good to go.

You don’t have to “hit” the peak number.

Does that help?

I’m just getting more and more frustrated.

You are the poster child for getting someone else to help you. Can you cook? Most techies I know can’t cook a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And just to cover it, this is our published Mastering Suite.

Sounds grand doesn’t it? It three tools and two downloads and you already have one of them.

Koz

3

Thanks for the reply.
My husband installed the ACX check for me :wink: Does that tell you anything about how tech savvy I am? And yes, I think I’m a pretty good cook so it’s a fair trade for my hubby’s tech prowess. (Though he knows NOTHING about recording for audible…or even what RMS means). I’m sure I’m just missing a step in the plug-in instal so I’ll go back and look and perhaps that will help. It’s also time for me to update to Audacity 2.3.1. I’m on the 2.3.0 though I don’t believe TOO much has changed for WINDOWS.

Thanks so much!

4

My husband installed the ACX check for me

Does that tell you where you should go for mastering help? The process is pretty straighforward. Do this, push that button.

The first major heading Custom Tools you already have.

Second heading Setup, tells you (among other things) not to use an ancient version of Audacity.

The third heading Process is push this button, push that button.

RMS means Root Mean Square which is an electrical measurement (power lines, wall sockets). RMS, when applied to audio, happens to work out to loudness. Obviously, having loudness match across chapters, performances and books is a big deal, so that’s why it’s there.

The three mastering tools are Rumble Filter (Equalization), Loudness (RMS-Normalize) and overload distortion (Limiter).

That’s the easy part. Most performances can be made to pass those. ACX also has a specification for background noise.

Noise causes the most trouble for home readers. -60dB in English means the background noise when you stop speaking has to be 1000 times quieter than your voice. No, that’s not easy and most of the problems readers have are produced by noises around the house, or even electrical noise.


But you don’t need to worry about any of that to post a sound test.

Record a 20 second voice sound test and post it on the forum. The instructions are in that panel.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html

We can identify problems immediately and in some cases, master the clip and you’re done.

Koz

5

As you may know, a linear volume adjustment changes the peak & RMS by the same amount… If you lower the volume by -3dB with the Amplify effect, the peak & RMS values both go-down by 3dB.

If I compress my file (thus fixing my RMS to -20.0), then my peak goes wonky and I have to fix that.

Dynamic compression reduces the dynamic range (or “dynamic contrast”) by reducing the loud parts and/or boosts the quiet parts so it tends to bring peak and average (or RMS) closer together. In practice it’s most-often used to bring-up the overall loudness without boosting or clipping (distorting) the peaks.

Limiting is a special kind of (fast) dynamic compression that “pushes down” the peaks (again bringing the peak & RMS levels closer together). Again, in practice it’s most-often used with make-up gain following the limiting to bring-up everything except the peaks. Limiting is easier to “control” than general compression.

Since make-up gain is normally used, these processes tend to boost (almost) everything including background noise. (Just something to be aware of.)

Virtually all commercial recordings are compressed and/or limited.

6

Virtually all commercial recordings are compressed and/or limited.

And that’s why you have trouble making your live musical performance match a CD or download song.

People think the songs are louder, but that’s not enough. They’re really “denser,” appearing louder without significantly increasing distortion.

It’s harder than it looks.

Audacity Audiobook Mastering isn’t the only process to do this, but I think it’s the process that gets it done and takes the least commitment.

And yes, I’m crystal clear everybody wants one button.

[_] Make ACX

Koz

7

I have gone to your link so many times today to try to get the RMS plugin and it never works. When I click on It, it instead tries to install a whole new Audacity program, which I already have of course, so I get a pop-up window saying that I already have Audacity installed. :unamused:

8

Yes I am quite aware of the “Do this, push that”. THank you. What I’m saying, is that I don’t HAVE those effects in my program. I don’t HAVE RMS-Normalize and I don’t HAVE Limiter. I’ve been trying all day to find the damn plugin but the one that everyone keeps posting isn’t working for me. It tries to install an entire new Audacity program that I don’t need.

9

What, if anything, is in the Effect menu list below “Wah wah”?

10

What, if anything, is in the Effect menu list below “Wah wah”?

What he said.

You may have more damage than everybody thinks.

Koz

11

ok I see the LIMITER below WAh WAh. I attached a pic of all I have listed beneath the wah wah
audacity pic.png

12

I can get my RMS to -23.5.
Now if by some grace of God, ACX will take that, then I won’t stress over it anymore. But if they’ll deny it (which I’m guessing will be the case), then I’m at a loss.

13

If only somebody published a process that guaranteed both Peak and RMS in the same file…

This is a presentation I announced and mastered a couple of weeks ago.


Screen Shot 2019-04-11 at 16.38.05.png

Koz