Podcast Audio Level Editing

Hi all,

I’m finally giving my ongoing podcast the technical love it deserves and have started proper editing of the file as opposed to ‘record, splice, export, upload’.

The main technical issue I’ve got is one I’m not quite able to put into words without the knowhow, but I’ll try…

Essentially, I record each episode with my fellow hosts over Discord through my desktop audio and via my podcast mic (with pop filter).
Whilst my audio sounds ok, my fellow osts volumes are never quite as loud as mine and this is where I get this volume disparity.

How can I balance out the volume in this single track file between the lare waves (my voice) and the short waves (my discord recorded hosts).

Thanks!
podcastfile.PNG

LevelSpeech2.ny plugin, or manually using envelope tool.

There is also a standalone tool called levelator.

I’m surprised you got that to work at all. It’s normal to record you, or the others, but not both at once.

Can you describe the setup? Is this a service of Discord, by any chance?

Anyway, you might also try Chris’s Compressor.

https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/chriss-dynamic-compressor-plugin-for-audacity/

Chris simulates Broadcast Transmitter Processing. Whatever comes by gets adjusted to a common volume. It’s a look-ahead processor, so it doesn’t get surprised by sudden changes in volume or rapid conversation swings.

It works with music. Chris designed it so he could listen to opera in the car.

It’s only shortcoming is a bug where it doesn’t like to run off the end of the show. I usually put some unimportant sound on the end, compress, and then cut it off later. I used to record an on-line show and I would record too much. Compress it and then cut it down.

I change the first variable Compress ratio, from the default 0.5 to 0.77 and it matches the local radio station.

Koz

Thanks, I’ll give that a spin :slight_smile:

It’s a horrible setup that I’ve got working… (it’s worked for 32 episodes though, so it does what’s roughly needed!)

I capture both audio feeds (Discord through my desktop and Mic seperately) through OBS (without the screen capture turned on), and import the audio into audacity from the generated .mp4

Would you recommend a better way of doing this? I’d like to essentially record my co-hosts, but ensure all 3 audio feeds (my mic plus their discord call) are balanced.

Just wanted to add that I think I’ve gotten the balance’s amended by playing with the compression settings. There’s still a little margin of difference between my direct mic and the discord hosts feed, but it’s definitely less harsh on the ear now.

https://www.google.com/search?q=voicemeeter+banana+obs+setup

Thanks :+1: