Ok, i have a new computer
3.0 giga hrtz dual core Pentium, 2 gigs of ram
With on board audio
and i am using a Behringer usb mic
when i record something, i hear it fine, but others are saying the mp3 file i am exporting, the sound is too low
I am not figuring out what i am doing wrong.
the Behringer manual suggested using Audacity, so i am new to this software
Can some one help?
Well, how loud is the signal you’re outputting? Do the peaks reach the top of the track, or are they well below full volume?
Listen to some regular sound files, adjust the volume to your liking and then listen to the track you’ve recorded? Does it sound much quieter?
You can amplify the signal by highlighting the whole thing and clicking Effects → Amplify and clicking ok with the default value in place. It’ll amplify as much as possible without clipping. If that’s still not loud enough, you’ve got to compress the signal using the Compressor effect.
Info on the Compressor:
http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Compressor
Basically, keep the Attack time as low as it will go, and leave the “Normalize” button checked. Try a Ratio of 5:1 and adjust the Threshold to the left until it sounds as loud as you want it. Higher Ratios will reduce the difference between quiet and loud even more.
Also, notice how much worse the signal sounds (but more radio friendly) when you compress it more. Then shed a tear for radio.
well here is a screen shot after a recording
Screenshot
I am guessing they are below normal by the look of it
but on my comp they actually sound loud
-blinks when i open a song file-
Whoah!.. BIG difference, no wonder no one can hear me…
And like i said, i just installed this software
So i am very much a n00b with it
I got a part in an online anime thing
I will be doing the voice for one of the characters
So i need to figure out what i am doing wrong, so that the sound file the creator gets is loud enough to be heard
with out the static that often comes with amplifying sound…
“Basically, keep the Attack time as low as it will go, and leave the “Normalize” button checked”
I can’t find anything listed as “Attack” but i did find a Normalize in effects but not a button for it
Thanks so much for helping me out with this
Don’t worry about compressing unless it’s absolutely necessary. Those waveforms are much more quiet than they need to be.
The best thing to do is to record louder, as long as you don’t clip. It looks like the recording volume is already turned up in Audacity, so that’s probably not the problem. You might have another volume control in the USB mics driver software. Look into that. It might be called -20dB pad, or -10dB attenuation (or something similar). There might even be a similar switch on the mic itself. Many fully featured mics have a setting like that, but it’s only really useful for recording very loud sources (which your voice is not).
If none of the above works (and the instruction manual doesn’t help), then your next best bet is to simply amplify the signal. Highlight it and click Effects → Amplify. Audacity will automatically set the highest possible volume boost, so just click ok.
If all of that still leaves it too quiet, I’d say just leave it up to the audio editor for the anime. Hopefully e will know what e’s doing.
I ran through everything that was suggested, and finally found the problem
And totally feel stupid…
The main problem was with the mixer board,
When its not software, it has to be hardware right?
The hardware is new to me too [something else i am just now learning]
And it seems that not only did a wire get pulled loose
(…I blaim the tiny terrorist thats new to my home,
a small kitten we just got thats fascinated with all the bazillion wires i have for my external deceives,
from the mic to the hard drives and other goodies…)
But some of the dials had been readjusted from where i originally had them
Ahh kids… a true test of patience building skills…
So all is well now… Thank You so much for all the input and the patience with me,
It has helped me learn things about the software for future use, so it was not a total loss
That normalizer is a niffy thing!
And i have a better understanding of how the sound files should look
And much more because of the helpful tips
So Thanks Guys… and Have a wonderful day
