Normalizing Songs

[gduns - with the Lord]

Originally Posted by Wallymeister

What do you do if the volume is louder than you wanted it when you change the station on your radio. You manually turn down the volume. Is that clipping. I don't think so. In this modern age of technology, why can't we automatically do that. If I remember right, that is what the Pioneer unit did. It detected that the level that I set the volume is this and would now lower or raise everything from that by manually turning the volume knob. My memory is a little vague now but I remember thinking at the time it was a pretty cool feature.

Of course that would only happen when I push the Volume leveling button.

Again, I'm just saying.......

I used to have a recorder with automatic level control, and it really sounded like crap. But that was 20 years ago, and they have progressed over the years. But you cant necessarily do anything with software you can do with electronic software.

[admin]

First, all you are remembering an ANALOG system as to the leveling control. It's a piece of cake to do a quality job of this in analog circuitry for peanuts cost.

Second, to do this at HIGH QUALITY in DIGITAL is another story. It requires both AGC (Automatic Gain Control) and Compression Limiting to make this work right.

THIRD... we are looking at enhancing Hoster to do llive effects. IF... and I do mean IF... we accomplish this without spending tens of thousands of $$$, we'll consider adding it. Then, we could add what you are talking about. However, will it work with Keychnage? Or recording and mixing? Or vocal reduction? Probably not unless you have a 3GHz processor with 2GB RAM, and maybe not even then.

Live effects is a very complex issue... especially on a $199 product!

As Forest Gump said; "That's all I gotta say about that."

[Skybird74]

What does Magnavox use on their TVs to keep the volume level when the commercials come on or when changing channels. Even the Magnavox we just bought last year has this feature. Can Hoster use that technology?

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Skybird74

What does Magnavox use on their TVs to keep the volume level when the commercials come on or when changing channels. Even the Magnavox we just bought last year has this feature. Can Hoster use that technology?

Magnavox and others use a hardware limiter circuit not software so no it isn't possible. There are amplifiers with limiters built in.

[admin]

So far, the direction we were researching generates a 300ms delay for any effects. We're not happy with that. We have a LOT of features in Hoster 4.0 that are far easier (even more complex ones like Singers Database and Rotation Control) to implement so they are acceptable and useable.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by admin

So far, the direction we were researching generates a 300ms delay for any effects. We're not happy with that. We have a LOT of features in Hoster 4.0 that are far easier (even more complex ones like Singers Database and Rotation Control) to implement so they are acceptable and useable.

Could that delay be at the beginning, in other words you would have to apply the effect before starting the song or it won't work (disabled)?

[admin]

Originally Posted by bobcox

WOW, Great Idea.
i like it.

Bob, where you been? This "proposal" was killed a long time ago.

You're supposed to be beta testing Microstudio 4.000 Beta 3 now...

Originally Posted by gduns

This thread is almost a year old, I think they scraped the idea for safety reasons.

See...

Originally Posted by bryant

Also, I recall there was some concern about making sure not to normalize them twice or the files would be destroyed somehow. Has that been worked around, or is that still an issue for the future?

And this was the reason I gave in the Beta forums which you are a member of!

Originally Posted by admin

Gduns is correct. Post-processing imported songs is dangerous, and I assure you if we provided it, many of you would do it and then have to re-import from the Discs again.

We're working on another way, but won't say more now as there is still critical research to be done yet that can allow or scrap it being done.

This was my answer...

Originally Posted by admin

So far, the direction we were researching generates a 300ms delay for any effects. We're not happy with that. We have a LOT of features in Hoster 4.0 that are far easier (even more complex ones like Singers Database and Rotation Control) to implement so they are acceptable and useable.

And this is our current state. Dale D asked if this was a "startup delay". It could be, but the reason we were looking at Direct Sound for the effects platform is for other reasons which need a "zero delay". We're not willing to invest in this just to get Microsoft's Comp/Lim added in with a 350ms delay.

Sorry... I can see some of you want this, and I realized years ago about its desirability, but the implementation is not without our sight at this time. We understand the desire, just can't justify the expense at this time.