OK, I am kinda newb when it comes to sound editing. But what I always wondered is the following.

Let's take a look at this picture first of a sound waveform:



Now, do you see that high vertical waveform on the right? Well, how do I equalize all others
below the highest one so they are all high up, in other words, how to make all waves sound rich
and high in volume without having to manually amplify each section, cause it would take ages
and WITHOUT sort of losing any quality in the dynamics of the sound.

Basically, I am trying to sort of achieve this without losing some sort of dynamic quality:


I hope you understand what I mean. Thanks

 

I think you mean "I want to apply dynamics compression" as opposed to equalize.

In Audacity, try the hard limiter plugin. That just chops the tops off, and then you can apply amplify afterwards.

Or try Compressor.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_normalization

You will lose some dynamic range doing this however. Is this waveform a Track or a DJ Mix ? I mean, if we are looking at a series of tracks (DJ) mixed together -- then go for it. If not -- just adjust your levels mixdown and export another one -- save your dynamics.

 

hmm, that's what I was wondering as well, something to do with compression. I guess it's a matter of trial and error with a couple of effects like normalization, compression, hard limiters, etc. I will see what is best for my tracks,
but you can always post some other suggestions. thanks

 

EQ is for frequency/spectrum balance. Compressors are for dynamic balance. Read up on audio compression (regular compression, limiters, parallel compression, expanders).

Maybe you need a mix of both EQ and compression.

 

what software DAW are you using PROTOOLS CUBASE what are u using because they all have simler and exclusive ways to do it

 

You seem to be confused about what you really want. If your aim is to have all of the waveforms peak at the same, or near the same height then compression is what you are looking for.

However if you are looking to accentuate the richness of certain frequencies, then EQ is what you need. An important thing to remember about EQ is that less is more. You can get the best results by taking away from certain frequencies, instead of increasing them.

 

Why are people talking about and linking pages to normalization? And no you dont loose any dynamics in doing this. At least someone give the op the right answer, compression. As for which Daw you use, thats also irrelevant

 

Hmm, yea, I think it is confusing what I want.
Let me put it this way, imagine a track that starts off with huge bass drums and suddenly switches
to some calm nice ambient pads or strings, well, how to make those strings to the same level
of richness or volume that the bass drums were at? You might answer by saying just amplify those
parts, but remember that this would require tons of time if the piece contains a mix of bass drums,
then quieter parts, then bass drums, etc. So like, what i am saying is, somehow manage to boost
those sort of lower volume frequencies throughout the track, at around same peak as the highest peak
sound, but keep the dynamics of the music I just "compressed" or "amplified" or whatever the term is.

Geez, this sounds like it's even more complicated now,

 

Basically, I am trying to sort of achieve this without losing some sort of dynamic quality:

 

LOL, You have no idea what you are trying to ask.

Stop using the word "richness" for one, it means nothing.

If you want drums as the same level as your strings, then you adjust the levels in the mix so they are the same.

It's not that complicated, really.

 

If you are new to this you may not realize that what you see is not what you hear! Not directly anyway.

Sound frequency is logarithmic. A Kick drum (because of low frequencies) looks bigger than a hi hat cymbal (very high frequency) at the same apparent volume level.

If we match up the height of these two instruments waveforms, the hi hat would sound many times louder than the kick drum. Same deal with Kick and Strings.

A compressor will turn down the large waveforms and even things out. Normalizing will make the loudest waveform use the full dynamic range.

Rely more on your ears more than your eyes.

 

From what you've been saying I don't think you need to worry about getting your tracks to look like that just yet. Focus on getting a good well balanced mix and as said trust your ears (though they will need training). You can slam it all through a limiter if you really wanted it to look like that right now, but I promise you, it will sound horrible!

 

I'm not quite sure what you have n mind, but this sounds to me like you need to automate your mix....volumes have to change when elements are removed or added...some will be pushed to the foreground and others will stay in the backdground ...compression or eqing can do nothing for you there....when your big bassy sound is gone, create an automation that will raise the volume or your strings to somehow "use" or take adavantage of that room that you have now available in your mix.
for a good mix (especially in electronic music) automation is the key

 

This forum is really starting to be a grand place, with some grand members.

 

Did you read the information in the link at all ? I provided this basic information, as I was unsure exactly what he was looking to accomplish -- AND because it provided some information and insight into Normalization as well as Dynamic Range Compression. I thought that maybe this information would help define which direction (compression / normalization) he might want to take to accomplish this goal. (I did not intend to ruffle any feathers here -- Just trying to help) Though the wiki supports your stance regarding dynamics -- I stand by my claim that normalization can impact the dynamic range of a track. (If I am wrong -- so be it -- it wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last). Again, if you have better, more complete information regarding this subject -- please, enlighten me. I am happy to take any criticism that is productive !


FROM THE LINK:

Audio normalization is the application of a constant amount of gain to an audio recording in order to bring the average or peak amplitude to a target level (the norm).

Because the same amount of gain is applied across the given range, the signal-to-noise ratio and relative dynamics are generally unchanged. Normalization differs from dynamic range compression, which applies varying levels of gain over a recording to fit the level within a minimum and maximum range. Normalization is commonly amongst the functions provided by a digital audio workstation.

One type of normalization is peak normalization, wherein the gain is changed in order to bring the highest PCM sample value or analog signal peak to a given level. Since it only searches for the highest level, it does not account for the apparent loudness of the content. As such, peak normalization is generally used to change the volume in such a way to ensure optimal use of the distribution medium in the mastering stage of a recording.

Another type of normalization is based on a measure of loudness, wherein the gain is changed in order to bring the average amplitude to a target level. This average can be a simple measurement of average power, such as the RMS value, or it can be a measure of human-perceived loudness, such as that offered by ReplayGain and EBU R128.

Depending on the dynamic range of the content and the target level, loudness normalization can result in peaks that exceed the recording medium's limits. Software offering such normalization typically provides the option of using dynamic range compression to prevent clipping when this happens. In this situation, signal-to-noise ratio and relative dynamics are altered.

 

hmm i'd re mix everything, and throw on a compressor/ saturator / limiter plug such as sausage fattener on the master... love that thing

 

So basically your saying if I have a track that is peaking at -5db on my mixer, and i simply turn the volume fader on the master up 5db so my track is now at 0db I will loose dynamics???

Other things you stated and quoted all involve compression as extra options, just normalizing will not alter the dynamics!!

 

normalization can mean different things so if you talk about peak normalization, it doesn't alter the dynamic of a track because the change that occurs doesnt alter the difference between the lower and higher peaks, it remains the same...but it will not make your mixing easier (might even be more difficult in the end!) and by normalizing you will also inevitably increase the noise level of your audio file...

is it because of the relationship between bit depth and dynamic range that you thought so?

 

I think the answer to what the OP is asking is..... "compression".

maybe, I'm wrong. I don't think s/he needs a complicated answer - surely it's quite straightforward?


"Dynamic range compression, also called DRC (often seen in DVD and car CD player settings) or simply compression reduces the volume of loud sounds or amplifies quiet sounds by narrowing or "compressing" an audio signal's dynamic range."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression