Hi All,
What is the recommended effects chain in Audacity to get the file to meet Librivox specs? The chain I was using stopped letting my files pass in the Checker. It'll be years before I figure that one out.
Effects Chain
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I am not sure I understand what you mean by "effects chain".
Do you mean, what series of effects need to be used? That depends on your setup, mostly - if it needs to be amplified or is too loud, if the bit rate or sample rate is incorrect, etc.
When you put one of your files through checker, click on the Validation tab and see what test has failed. And maybe click on the Information tab and copy the data into a reply here, so we can see what you've got.
Do you mean, what series of effects need to be used? That depends on your setup, mostly - if it needs to be amplified or is too loud, if the bit rate or sample rate is incorrect, etc.
When you put one of your files through checker, click on the Validation tab and see what test has failed. And maybe click on the Information tab and copy the data into a reply here, so we can see what you've got.
School fiction: David Blaize
America Exploration: The First Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
America Exploration: The First Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Hi TriciaG,TriciaG wrote: ↑April 12th, 2024, 4:20 pm I am not sure I understand what you mean by "effects chain".
Do you mean, what series of effects need to be used? That depends on your setup, mostly - if it needs to be amplified or is too loud, if the bit rate or sample rate is incorrect, etc.
When you put one of your files through checker, click on the Validation tab and see what test has failed. And maybe click on the Information tab and copy the data into a reply here, so we can see what you've got.
Right. The effects that get the recording to meet Librivox requirements and pass Checker. I couldn't get the picture to copy to this reply. Checker says 'The volume falls outside of the target range (86–92 dB). ' The Volume is 93.6 db. Looking at it closer Check says Passed with Warnings. I'm not sure which effect will bring it into the target range.
VO gal
Do do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to you.
Do do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to you.
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Loudness Normalization is the easiest: just select the whole track and click Effect > Loudness Normalization. Make sure it’s set to -19LUFS and “perceived loudness” and click Apply. That will bring the whole track down to 89 - 90 dB. Alternately, you could use Amplification and plug in an amount, but that will reduce all of the volume throughout the track and if there’s variation, might not be quite as effective.VOgalUS wrote: ↑April 13th, 2024, 8:16 amHi TriciaG,TriciaG wrote: ↑April 12th, 2024, 4:20 pm I am not sure I understand what you mean by "effects chain".
Do you mean, what series of effects need to be used? That depends on your setup, mostly - if it needs to be amplified or is too loud, if the bit rate or sample rate is incorrect, etc.
When you put one of your files through checker, click on the Validation tab and see what test has failed. And maybe click on the Information tab and copy the data into a reply here, so we can see what you've got.
Right. The effects that get the recording to meet Librivox requirements and pass Checker. I couldn't get the picture to copy to this reply. Checker says 'The volume falls outside of the target range (86–92 dB). ' The Volume is 93.6 db. Looking at it closer Check says Passed with Warnings. I'm not sure which effect will bring it into the target range.
Cheers,
Winnifred
From May 15-23, no access to Checker or to PL readings longer than 10 minutes
Readers Wanted:
Potemkin Village by Fletcher Pratt (science fiction novelet)
The First Sir Percy (Scarlet Pimpernel prequel)
From May 15-23, no access to Checker or to PL readings longer than 10 minutes
Readers Wanted:
Potemkin Village by Fletcher Pratt (science fiction novelet)
The First Sir Percy (Scarlet Pimpernel prequel)
I certainly like Loudness Normalization. It's like using Amplify, but never having to guess how much this particular recording needs to be adjusted!
But Loudness Normalization doesn't 'even out' the quiet vs loud parts, it adjusts the entire track, so that on average, the track is the desired loudness. It doesn't have "Don't clip" safeguard that Amplify has, so if your volume is not even, you may find the loud parts get boosted to much. Same for quiet parts of mostly-loud recordings, as they'll be made even quieter.
I had trouble with that, but I have gotten a feel for keeping steady volume vs mic distance, over time. Meanwhile, you can use a Limiter or a Compressor effect to make just the loud parts quieter, and then use Loudness Normalization without the fear of shooting yourself in the foot.
There isn't any one pipeline that works for everyone, but here's what I use:
Noise Reduction
EQ (for more low-frequency noise reduction, and to make my vowels more intelligible)
De-Clicker and De-Esser
Loudness Normalization then Limiter.
I tend to record quiet, on average, so the Limiter is most useful after the volume adjustment. For roles where I record loud lines, I find it helpful to use the Limiter first.
But Loudness Normalization doesn't 'even out' the quiet vs loud parts, it adjusts the entire track, so that on average, the track is the desired loudness. It doesn't have "Don't clip" safeguard that Amplify has, so if your volume is not even, you may find the loud parts get boosted to much. Same for quiet parts of mostly-loud recordings, as they'll be made even quieter.
I had trouble with that, but I have gotten a feel for keeping steady volume vs mic distance, over time. Meanwhile, you can use a Limiter or a Compressor effect to make just the loud parts quieter, and then use Loudness Normalization without the fear of shooting yourself in the foot.
There isn't any one pipeline that works for everyone, but here's what I use:
Noise Reduction
EQ (for more low-frequency noise reduction, and to make my vowels more intelligible)
De-Clicker and De-Esser
Loudness Normalization then Limiter.
I tend to record quiet, on average, so the Limiter is most useful after the volume adjustment. For roles where I record loud lines, I find it helpful to use the Limiter first.
Hi Winifred,Winnifred wrote: ↑April 13th, 2024, 8:56 amLoudness Normalization is the easiest: just select the whole track and click Effect > Loudness Normalization. Make sure it’s set to -19LUFS and “perceived loudness” and click Apply. That will bring the whole track down to 89 - 90 dB. Alternately, you could use Amplification and plug in an amount, but that will reduce all of the volume throughout the track and if there’s variation, might not be quite as effective.VOgalUS wrote: ↑April 13th, 2024, 8:16 amHi TriciaG,TriciaG wrote: ↑April 12th, 2024, 4:20 pm I am not sure I understand what you mean by "effects chain".
Do you mean, what series of effects need to be used? That depends on your setup, mostly - if it needs to be amplified or is too loud, if the bit rate or sample rate is incorrect, etc.
When you put one of your files through checker, click on the Validation tab and see what test has failed. And maybe click on the Information tab and copy the data into a reply here, so we can see what you've got.
Right. The effects that get the recording to meet Librivox requirements and pass Checker. I couldn't get the picture to copy to this reply. Checker says 'The volume falls outside of the target range (86–92 dB). ' The Volume is 93.6 db. Looking at it closer Check says Passed with Warnings. I'm not sure which effect will bring it into the target range.
Cheers,
Success! That did it. My "percvd loudness" was at -23LUFS. On to editing...
VO gal
Do do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to you.
Do do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to you.
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That's useful information. I haven't yet tried De-Esser, Limiter, or Compressor, though I do use the others. I shall have to play with those. I also generally try to record quieter (or at least consistently), and re-record any large parts (or manually reduce them first).redrun wrote: ↑April 13th, 2024, 9:32 am I certainly like Loudness Normalization. It's like using Amplify, but never having to guess how much this particular recording needs to be adjusted!
But Loudness Normalization doesn't 'even out' the quiet vs loud parts, it adjusts the entire track, so that on average, the track is the desired loudness. It doesn't have "Don't clip" safeguard that Amplify has, so if your volume is not even, you may find the loud parts get boosted to much. Same for quiet parts of mostly-loud recordings, as they'll be made even quieter.
I had trouble with that, but I have gotten a feel for keeping steady volume vs mic distance, over time. Meanwhile, you can use a Limiter or a Compressor effect to make just the loud parts quieter, and then use Loudness Normalization without the fear of shooting yourself in the foot.
There isn't any one pipeline that works for everyone, but here's what I use:
Noise Reduction
EQ (for more low-frequency noise reduction, and to make my vowels more intelligible)
De-Clicker and De-Esser
Loudness Normalization then Limiter.
I tend to record quiet, on average, so the Limiter is most useful after the volume adjustment. For roles where I record loud lines, I find it helpful to use the Limiter first.
Thanks!
Winnifred
From May 15-23, no access to Checker or to PL readings longer than 10 minutes
Readers Wanted:
Potemkin Village by Fletcher Pratt (science fiction novelet)
The First Sir Percy (Scarlet Pimpernel prequel)
From May 15-23, no access to Checker or to PL readings longer than 10 minutes
Readers Wanted:
Potemkin Village by Fletcher Pratt (science fiction novelet)
The First Sir Percy (Scarlet Pimpernel prequel)
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Wow! I guess I have it easy! I have an almost perfectly quiet recording room, so I have no trouble with noise. I only ever have to change the volume (I am a loud talker ) Well, I guess I shouldn't be grumbling about having to fiddle with the volume anymore.redrun wrote: ↑April 13th, 2024, 9:32 am
There isn't any one pipeline that works for everyone, but here's what I use:
Noise Reduction
EQ (for more low-frequency noise reduction, and to make my vowels more intelligible)
De-Clicker and De-Esser
Loudness Normalization then Limiter.
I tend to record quiet, on average, so the Limiter is most useful after the volume adjustment. For roles where I record loud lines, I find it helpful to use the Limiter first.
-Iona
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My effects:
While editing, I'll use de-clicker on the occasional mouth click
After editing:
- Leveler (only to settle down some occasional vowel "blasts")
- Noise reduction
- Volume adjustment if needed, but usually not needed (I check with ReplayGain and then use Amplify if needed)
While editing, I'll use de-clicker on the occasional mouth click
After editing:
- Leveler (only to settle down some occasional vowel "blasts")
- Noise reduction
- Volume adjustment if needed, but usually not needed (I check with ReplayGain and then use Amplify if needed)
School fiction: David Blaize
America Exploration: The First Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
America Exploration: The First Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart