RMS

[TJB]

... got 2 more related questions ...

Y'all are great and thanx for the tip about RMS Normalize ........ but where do I find that?

I also understand that I would apply this at the end of recording session (Chapter 1, etc) and that each Chapter may be different and need 'tweaking'. Soooo, a rather basic question (for me) is how, at the end of session, can I determine what the RMS was for the session ... and thereby adjust accordingly. Or am I wayyyyyy off base ???

[DVDdoug]

RMS Normalize and ACX check are optional add-on tools that have to be downloaded and installed. The Audiobook mastering link will give you links you to those and give you some instructions. After they are installed and enabled, RMS Normalize will show-up as an Effect and ACX Check will show-up under Analyze.

There is some more information on this page about installing and enabling plug-ins.

[TJB]

Question #1: Trying to load the plug-ins you recommended but can't seem to do it .... instead of downloading a program, I get an English language fact sheet about the program. What am I doing wrong ?

Question #2: I used the Analyze section to determine the RMS of an entire sound track .... for instance -30. How do I change that to, say perhaps -22, and then apply across the entire track?

[kozikowski]

This is my RMS Normalize plugin. I can't find ACX Check right this second.

rms-normalize.ny

(810 Bytes) Downloaded 5 times

How do I change that to, say perhaps -22, and then apply across the entire track?

I think you're working too hard. Audiobook Mastering was designed to correct a reading so Peak and RMS comfortably meet audiobook standards. If the tools aren't needed, they don't do anything. There is no tuning or adjusting. Just apply them all and in order.

MasteringSuite.png (41.82 KiB) Viewed 152 times

It is possible to have a selection that's too long. It will tell you that. ACX also has limits on how long your chapters can be.

There is no noise correction, the third audiobook standard.

This is where it gets interesting. Background noise can come from anywhere and some of it is easily cured, some of it has pre-baked tools to solve, and some of it you have to cure by changing your studio. If you start failing ACX Check because of noise and it's not obvious why, you can post a sample of your work on the forum.

https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/Tes ... _Clip.html

Koz

[kozikowski]

Acx-check.ny

(9.33 KiB) Downloaded 11 times

Koz

[DVDdoug]

instead of downloading a program, I get an English language fact sheet about the program. What am I doing wrong ?

The two files you should have are:

"Acx-check.ny"
"rms-normalize.ny"

You don't have to open & read those files but they do have English language "comments" for humans/programmers as well as the actual Nyquist-language computer code. (Any line that starts with a semicolon is a comment and it will be ignored by the computer.)

Plug-in Installation:

To install new LADSPA or Nyquist plug-ins, place them in Audacity’s Plug-Ins folder. On Windows computers, this is usually under “Program Files/Audacity” on 32-bit Windows or “Program Files (x86)/Audacity” on 64-bit Windows.

… Open the Plug-in Manager. Select and enable the plug-ins you added, then they will appear underneath the divider in the “Effect”, “Generate” or “Analyze” menus.

Question #2: I used the Analyze section to determine the RMS of an entire sound track .... for instance -30. How do I change that to, say perhaps -22 and then apply across the entire track?

Simply run RMS Normalize and type in -22 (or -20 as recommended). It will automatically do it's own analysis so you don't have to analyze first.

If you run RMS Normalize and the Limiter the RMS and peak should both be in-spec (no analysis required). But, you still need to run ACX Check to check the noise floor.

[kozikowski]

If you're reading and processing a long book, you should only have to put the correction values in each tool once. They're sticky and will repeat until you change them.

Don't leave out that Filter Curve tool. Many home microphones and microphone systems produce rumble and earthquake tones by accident. You can't hear them, but they are sound and can throw off the other tools.

Koz

[TJB]

Thanx, Koz .... lemme work on these issues .... you've been more than helpful