Hey everyone! So, I finally got some love ("Passed with warnings") from Checker after spending all afternoon yesterday figuring things out.
Got my bitrate constant to 128 KBs, my sample size to 16 bit, and placed my recording channel to Mono. But I'm still getting a warning from Checker that says "The volume falls outside the target range (86-92 db).
I've tweaked the volume on my mic (mid volume to maximum) and also the Recording Volume on my Audacity DAW, also from 86 to 92 and beyond (even went as far as 100 Dbl) and still the closest Checker got me to the target range was 81 Dbl. Am I missing a step somewhere? I don't know what else to do. Please !
After Checker warns you about the volume of your recording: say it's 95dB, for example, this means that you'll need your recording to be 6dB quieter to bring it to 89dB.
So, back in Audacity, Select All; then Effect/Amplify; and set Amplify to minus 6 dB. OK it.
If you want to double check, export as mp3 again and run it through Checker, but I've learned to trust the method.
Peter
"I think, therefore I am, I think." Solomon Cohen, in Terry Pratchett's Dodger
As Peter has said, you can amplify (or deamplify) in Audacity to reach the target db in Checker. In your case it would require amplifying by 8db to hit the 89 db target. This may not be possible without clipping if there are large spikes anywhere in the recording. Uploading the file to the tests folder and posting a link will make it easier for someone to recommend other options.
It would also be helpful if you could share what type and model of microphone you are using. Is it a USB condenser mic plugged in directly to a USB port on your computer? Or are you using an XLR mic plugged in through a mixer or other intermediate device? How are you tweaking the volume on the microphone - in the Sound settings for your sound card or elsewhere?
Hey Peter! Tks for this tip. That seems to have done it. My volume Dbl is now at 87!! Man, this sound engineering bit is a whole new ball game for me (as I'm sure it was for everyone else starting out!). Now I KNOW that joinning the forum was absolutely the right thing to do. Tks again Peter and have a great week!
As Peter has said, you can amplify (or deamplify) in Audacity to reach the target db in Checker. In your case it would require amplifying by 8db to hit the 89 db target. This may not be possible without clipping if there are large spikes anywhere in the recording. Uploading the file to the tests folder and posting a link will make it easier for someone to recommend other options.
It would also be helpful if you could share what type and model of microphone you are using. Is it a USB condenser mic plugged in directly to a USB port on your computer? Or are you using an XLR mic plugged in through a mixer or other intermediate device? How are you tweaking the volume on the microphone - in the Sound settings for your sound card or elsewhere?
Hey Jo! Tks for the advice. I have a Blue Snowball Black Ice. It's a plug-and-play USB mic. I tweaked the mic's volume in the Sound settings of my laptop. Fortunately, it seems that with your help and Peter's, Checker finally gave me the ok on all test parameters. I think I'm ready to submit my sound configuration for testing. Surely, if something is amiss, they will let me know. I'll go from there.
I’m having exactly the same issue, so I’ll try all these suggestions and see if it works. Fingers well and truly crossed! My headset is a Jabra Evolve 40 which I received through work only last Friday. Seems like this was meant to be!?…
I want to praise the new (to me) effect in Audacity called LOUDNESS NORMALIZATION . It quickly and simply makes my track 89 dB or very close to it and I use it for every track before exporting it now. The settings are in LUFS and use -20. This adjusts the perceived loudness to 89 db and I never have to check any more. Quick, easy and built into Audacity. It is better than Replay Gain and any other method I've used to adjust volume. I never need to check a track using our Checker program because I know it will be fine. Hey, maybe it's time for a video, eh?
philchenevert wrote: ↑October 24th, 2021, 7:24 am
I want to praise the new (to me) effect in Audacity called LOUDNESS NORMALIZATION . It quickly and simply makes my track 89 dB or very close to it and I use it for every track before exporting it now. The settings are in LUFS and use -20. This adjusts the perceived loudness to 89 db and I never have to check any more. Quick, easy and built into Audacity. It is better than Replay Gain and any other method I've used to adjust volume. I never need to check a track using our Checker program because I know it will be fine. Hey, maybe it's time for a video, eh?
Phil, I rarely have the chance to complete a recording in one session, so my volume tends to go up or down, depending on when I'm recording. I used Loudness Normalization on my last two recordings, and it was WONDERFUL!
I do still use the Checker program, but just because I like to see that the recording level is good.
“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”
―Diane Duane, So You Want to Be a Wizard.
MaryinArkansas wrote: ↑December 15th, 2021, 9:50 pm
Phil, I rarely have the chance to complete a recording in one session, so my volume tends to go up or down, depending on when I'm recording. I used Loudness Normalization on my last two recordings, and it was WONDERFUL!
I do still use the Checker program, but just because I like to see that the recording level is good.
Yes, this effect is wonderful and I have yet to find a flaw with it. What LUFS do you use? I have settled on -19 but others use different ones. And I agree it is nice to drop a file into Checker and see the volume right on the button.
MaryinArkansas wrote: ↑December 15th, 2021, 9:50 pm
Phil, I rarely have the chance to complete a recording in one session, so my volume tends to go up or down, depending on when I'm recording. I used Loudness Normalization on my last two recordings, and it was WONDERFUL!
I do still use the Checker program, but just because I like to see that the recording level is good.
Did you use it on the different recording sessions separately? Because it will adjust the volume on the part highlighted as a whole; it won't automatically think, "Hey! This 3 minute part is quieter than the rest! Let me bump up that part..."
Did you use it on the different recording sessions separately? Because it will adjust the volume on the part highlighted as a whole; it won't automatically think, "Hey! This 3 minute part is quieter than the rest! Let me bump up that part..."
Well and there is the rub, eh? Excellent point. I use it on the whole track and I am sure it does not carefully adjust different parts but just does the whole thing somehow. Ergo it probably has this weakness. I'll check it out. A track with large differences may not be the best usage. poop
I haven't gotten any reponse from the DPL to the recording I just submitted. Now I'm curious to see if the comments are too, low, too soft, or just right.
It is good to be aware of how much the sound can vary in a recording and the means available for fixing that problem. (Plus others.) I'm definitely more aware of how my voice comes across when I have to re-record. I don't always succeed, but I do try to record the correction at a volume similar to the original.
While this fix isn't perfect, it is good to be aware of its potential.
Maybe this is something newbies would be interested in.
“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”
―Diane Duane, So You Want to Be a Wizard.
The Problem with Checker is that it is set to need a very hight volume level overall, to with in -3 dB of full scale. My recordings are around -5 to -7 FS. Anything approaching -3 FS is beginning to have artefacts and some distortion. So I usually add anything between 4db to 7dB to the MP3 file to get it through Checker. So Checker does not really find the sweet spot!
If it's useful, I posted my audacity macro here which if you run it will lightly compress and get the levels right every time. It also automatically adds the silence at the start and end so you should trim your track to have nothing before or after when you run it.
!
Man, this sound engineering bit is a whole new ball game for me (as I'm sure it was for everyone else starting out!). Now I KNOW that joinning the forum was absolutely the right thing to do. Tks again Peter and have a great week!
poop