Peak and Floor levels

[TJB]

How are these two adjusted in post-processing?

[DVDdoug]

When you make a linear volume adjustment with Amplify, Normalize, or RMS Normalize everything is adjusted up or down by the same dB amount.

Usually RMS Normalize will end-up amplifying so the peaks end-up too high. The limiter will "push down" the peaks if necessary. (If your peaks are OK, the limiter won't do anything.)

Those two steps are virtually foolproof. (It's easy to get the RMS & peaks into compliance if you follow the procedure.)

With "home recordings" the noise floor is almost always out of spec (even before increasing the noise when you run RMS normalize). So, you'll probably need some Noise Reduction, and hopefully you don't get artifacts (side effects) from the noise reduction.

[TJB]

Thanx, Doug ... worked perfectly on the peaks ... but still about 5db to loud on floor noise ... any thoughts?

[kozikowski]

The best way to adjust the Noise Floor is make your room or microphone quieter. Can you tell if the computer is on just by listening? If so, it's going to be a long day.

We publish Audiobook Mastering instructions.

This is an abbreviation.

MasteringSuite.png (41.82 KiB) Viewed 274 times

From here.

https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audiobook_Mastering

If you recorded well in quiet, echo-free room, that process will produce a sound file acceptable to ACX and almost anybody else who needs voice work.

Koz

[TJB]

seems like if I adjust the floor noise, the peak goes up, or the RSM ... and vice versa. Is there a sequence I should be using. For instance, I WAS doing the following in post-processing:
noise reduction
normalization
EQ
Compressor
Normalization

Now, per your suggestions, I have downloaded ACX Control and RSM normalization.

So, which comes first ... the chicken or the egg???????????????

[kozikowski]

Post a sample of the work. Sometimes we can tell by analyzing the silent portion how best to deal with the noise. Sometimes, in rare cases, you're just measuring it wrong.

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

Record, stop, cut it if needed, and export. Don't filter anything.

Koz

[TJB]

Thanx, Koz, will do later

[kozikowski]

Every time it says "RMS," say to yourself "Loudness."

viewtopic.php?p=297423#p297423

Koz

[TJB]

untitled.wav

short 10 sec blurb as requested (raw)

(964.85 KiB) Downloaded 11 times

[kozikowski]

We didn't get the two seconds where you hold your breath and don't move. We need that to analyze the noise.

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

You also need to record louder.

Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 11.29.07.png (13.26 KiB) Viewed 246 times

The blue blobs on the left are you reading. The blobs on the right are after I doubled the volume. Twice. And that's still not enough. Did you post an equipment list? Sometimes we can suggest adjustments.

Koz