Help with LF_Rolloff_for_speech

[kozikowski]

Regarding the WCAG 'test,' that's a result on the Analyze/Contrast screen, which collects sound data and then gives some numbers about background noise compared to foreground, so one might think it's a sound test.

I think I got that one. That's using Analyze > Contrast in its purist form all the way through to the end. I've never done that. I just use the first number. It turns out the top portion of the tool works about the same way that ACX does (attached). But that's as far as I go. The RMS (loudness) value of my clip or show is -20.0dB. Close.

ACX doesn't use the relative values, so the rest of the tool isn't valuable.

And since ACX Check became available, you don't even need to do that. ACX check does the leg work of finding all the values exhibited by your clip and tells you what they are, and then compares them to the ACX standard and tells you whether you passed or failed.

Handy thing, that.

Let me see about that download. This would be so much handier with a forum elf who speaks Windows.

Koz

[kozikowski]

I made a zip package out of the file (attached). I'm guessing Windows will volunteer to unzip it and present you with the contents which will turn out to be acx-check.ny. Windows may not show you the .ny.

[Jan B.]

Koz! I got the file and ran the analysis. I analyzed two files and flunked them both. I am attaching the screen shots. I don't know if you want me to upload <15 seconds of audio, too, since you said to do that if it passed, and it didn't. But I will anyway in the off chance.

It flunked, Koz!

[Jan B.]

Btw this looks suspiciously like the chart from the doc's office after the annual, except that's blood sugar and cholesterol and total lipids! lol

[kozikowski]

Blood sugar is too high. Isn't that sweet?

Actually, you didn't send a sound file. The AUP file is the Audacity instructions what to do with all that stuff inside the _DATA folder. That's where all the sound is. The AUP is a text file.

Once you fail, you get to decide what to do to fix it. The first one is easy. I bet the last thing you did to that clip was not Effect > Normalize.

This step:

Select the whole clip by clicking just above MUTE.
Effect > Normalize: [X]Remove DC, [X]Normalize to -3.2 > OK

... pretty much guarantees passing the peak test unless you did something to the show after that.

So open that clip in Audacity and run Normalize according to that recipe. Does it pass now?

Koz

[Jan B.]

Hi, Koz,

Okay, this time I ran Normalize for two files (same two) and am attaching the ACX results. I am not attaching a sound sample at this time, so I can focus on the Acx results (and also because I just don't know what's up with the distinctions between Aux and _data files but want to save that for another time). The question is, is it possible to 'fix' these files so that they meet Acx standards, or must they be redone? If you teach me that, I can do it to all the files.

But notice that I ran Normalize and it didn't fix everything up to Acx standards. Maybe the assumption is wrong? It's a new tool, right?

Thank you so much,

Janet

[kozikowski]

It's a new tool, right?

Actually, normalize has been around for years. I use that specific version in an effort to standardize the toolsets and processes. There are seven different versions of that tool not counting to stop using it altogether. It answers the question of 'what tool do I use to prevent my show from exceeding the ACX peak volume specification?'

There are no "make my show conform to ACX" tools.

Who told you this was going to be fast, convenient or simple? It's certainly possible that fixing one part of your show may cause another part to fail, particularly if you have a home recording with normal home recording problems.

To give you an idea of the development, flynwill's analysis tool is about 30 days old. Before that there was no tool. You had to do each of the three analyses individually and interpret the results on your own. Like this:

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/ACXT ... sting.html

So you are on the bleeding edge of software development. Welcome. Would you like some coffee?

The first presentation seems to be furthest along. Post that on your dropbox (it's longer than ten seconds, right?) and give us the address or access. I can give you specific tools and processes to fix it.

....I hope.

Koz

[kozikowski]

POST THE RAW CLIP, not the patched one. Once you start to patch audio on your own, we can't fix it any more.

Koz

[Jan B.]

Okay, hold on. 1. the results I posted below were for two entire chapters, not a few seconds. Just in case that makes any difference. 2. Could you please explain what you mean by 'patched file' in this context, where you want me to upload ten seconds or so of the first file, by which I am guessing you mean the top one, where only the loudness is out of compliance with standards. Do you want me to take ten seconds of it, name it a new file name, and upload it? Or is that patching it, which could ruin the whole chapter?

[kozikowski]

the results I posted below were for two entire chapters

Yes. I guessed that. We're beyond ten second test clips.

Could you please explain what you mean by 'patched file' in this context

I generally mean a sound file that has had corrections done in order to achieve ACX compliance. That's different from editing and cutting where you take out the fluffs, sneezes and the dog barking at the wrong time. I'd like after the edit but before the sound filters like LF_rolloff, compression and limiter.

Once you apply compression, for example, it's permanent. We can't take the effect out. This makes the final correction list insane because it's a combination of your work and our work. Much better that everybody start from the same file, the clean Edit master.

you mean the top one, where only the loudness is out of compliance with standards.

You make that sound so simple. Fixing RMS (loudness) frequently throws the other two measurements off.

I wouldn't mind working with a whole chapter. We don't generally do that, so we never discover odd problems that only happen with longer works. If that makes you nervous, we can coordinate. Post it and I'll go up and grab and and tell you to take it down.

File > Export Audio > WAV (Microsoft). Don't send the Audacity Project. Let us know how big it is.

Let me know.

Koz