Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Help for Audacity on Windows.
Forum rules
ImageThis forum is for Audacity on Windows.
Please state which version of Windows you are using,
and the exact three-section version number of Audacity from "Help menu > About Audacity".


Audacity 1.2.x and 1.3.x are obsolete and no longer supported. If you still have those versions, please upgrade at https://www.audacityteam.org/download/.
The old forums for those versions are now closed, but you can still read the archives of the 1.2.x and 1.3.x forums.
Post Reply
edwinn
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:46 am
Operating System: Windows 7

Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by edwinn » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:53 am

I've been recording steaming audio, and recently in one feed, the LEFT channel is weak. It needs ~24 dB of amplification after recording. I can not figure out a way to isolate and apply "Amplify" to the LEFT channel only. Also there doesn't seem to be any way to adjust Gain (or Rec level) for individual L & R channels, and there are no sliders in my Volume control panel.

TIA,

-Ed

kozikowski
Forum Staff
Posts: 68902
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:57 pm
Operating System: macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Re: Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by kozikowski » Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:05 am

Use the drop-down menus to the left of the track and Split Stereo Track. Same menus to recombine when you're finished. Are you completely sure the low level side of the show is actual show and not just quiet trash? You can use the SOLO and MUTE buttons after you split the tracks to listen. If it really is trash, you can delete it and duplicate the one remaining track and make "fake stereo" that way, or you can convert the one channel left to Mono and it will play to both left and right anyway, and take up half the data storage.

Koz

edwinn
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:46 am
Operating System: Windows 7

Re: Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by edwinn » Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:24 am

kozikowski wrote:Use the drop-down menus to the left of the track and Split Stereo Track.

Are you completely sure the low level side of the show is actual show and not just quiet trash?

You can use the SOLO and MUTE buttons after you split the tracks to listen.

Koz
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I've found the SPLIT TRACK function and can do that, then select (yellow frame) the LOW channel, but cannot AMPLIFY the one low split track. Every time, BOTH channels get amplified. If i close the Good channel, THEN the LOW channel can be AMPLIFY'd. It's rather awkward. Is rthere a separate L & R GAIN slider for recording?

Will check out the SOLO and MUTE buttons.

BTW, the LOW channel isn't trash, just low. Have recovered channels that were 39 - 40 dB low with good results!


Otherwise Love this app!

-Ed

kozikowski
Forum Staff
Posts: 68902
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:57 pm
Operating System: macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Re: Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by kozikowski » Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:34 am

After you split them apart, select one track by clicking just above MUTE. The tools and filters should only affect that one track.

Koz

steve
Site Admin
Posts: 80693
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:43 am
Operating System: Linux *buntu

Re: Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by steve » Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:42 am

edwinn wrote:the LEFT channel is weak. It needs ~24 dB of amplification after recording. I can not figure out a way to isolate and apply "Amplify" to the LEFT channel only.
You may not need to split the track. Try applying the Normalize effect and tick the "Normalize stereo channels independently" box: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/normalize.html
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

edwinn
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:46 am
Operating System: Windows 7

Re: Amplifying LEFT channel only - setting Gains

Post by edwinn » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:39 pm

kozikowski wrote:After you split them apart, select one track by clicking just above MUTE. The tools and filters should only affect that one track.
Thanks again. Was able to Adjust gain after SPLITTING on the LEFT channel only.. by double-clicking that channel, which basically 'selected' the entire waveform of the single channel. So it amplifies anything that is selected apparently. ;)

Also thanks to Steve for the tip. It will take some time to learn all the features.

-Ed

Post Reply