flat sound after ableton audio export

[mpetersen3]

true, but if he isn't getting it mastered wouldn't it be advisable for ableton?

[sj03w4t]

I don't think its wise to normalize an entire track because the sounds you wanted to be subtle get louder and vice versa..
Also, there are many free mastering vsts and I think maybe some built in tools in ableton you can use..

[n2hf1st]

Never normalize...

if you want to do some quick and dirty boosting in live, dip the mids a little and put a compressor set to rms with 30ms attack and moderate release.

[MisterMoleyMole]

Never Normalize! Really Thats what i have done with all my vinyl rips! Is this why i dont really like the sound of them?

[charo]

i'm not sure why people are saying don't normalize. I think its a better option then compressing. Many many hardware samplers have normalize features, i use the normalize feature on my sampler all the time when sampling*

*please note when sampling, I wouldn't normalize after a certain stage either.

[MisterMoleyMole]

I really dont like the sound of any of my vinyl rips and i hope this isnt why as so many people say normalize

With reagrds to teh comment re making discreet or subtle sounds louder, is that not rubbish as it makes everything louder by a certain percentage so in the grand scheme of things it will still be quiet in relation to the ludest parts, will it not ?

[charo]

here is a thread i found on normalizing vs compression:

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=37683

Normalization finds the highest peak in your track and raises that to whatever setting you are normalizing to (usually 0 db). It also raises the rest of the track by the same amount. So, for example, if the highest peak in your track is -2db, normalizing to 0db will raise everything in the track by 2db. If you normalize to 0db (or something less, like -0.3db) you should not be getting any "red lights", since by default all material will be below that point.

Compression, on the other hand, squashes (compresses) your peaks, and reduces the dynamic range of the material (the difference between the lows and the highs). How much of a reduction will depend on the threshold setting (where the comrpession kicks in) and the amount of compression you use. Doing this generally allows you to raise the overall volume of the track more than you can do by just normalizing (since your peaks are now lower, you have more room to go up). Using the example above, if your highest peak is -2db, you might be able to knock that down to say -6db by compressing the track, then you can apply 6db gain to bring the peak back up to 0db. So your track volume has been increased by 6db, as opposed to the 2db that normalizing would have given you.

here is another one:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-mu...nt-levels.html

this one talks about when and why normalizing can be used and also why sound engineers don't like it.

here is a good thread too with this quote:

" you look at normalizing as the process of making your loudest peak, your loudest possible peak, then it isn't really useful. But if you look at normalizing as setting a level, and then all audio gets turned down and/or up to match that level then it can be really useful in certain situations, especially if you can not only normalize by peak value, but by RMS as well.

A good example of RMS normalization is Dolby decoding. Every piece of audio encoded with dolby has a "dialnorm" metadata tag. This tag tells the decoder what the average RMS level of the material is. The decoder then adjusts the output volume to match your current output levels, basically eliminating the need for "volume wars". Ever notice how TV commercials are insanely loud compared to a movie you might be watching on cable? If you run your cable through your audio receiver that has a dolby decoder instead of plugging straight into the TV (and the audio from the station is dolby encoded) , then the commercials will playback through your system at the same level as the movie you were watching.

Another very handy use for normalization is when putting together a library of sounds or sound effects. You recorded them all, but there might be slight variations in volume from day to day... so instead of making them all as loud as possible, you set the normalizer to a median level, that way the few that were a hair too loud get brought down and the few that were a hair too soft get brought up. This way you still maintain the dynamic range and low noise floor that you originally recorded, but have slightly adjusted the files so they are all the same average level.

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=236798

the last use is what's its being used for one samplers.

we are all trying to help but there are so many things that could be affecting the audio in question. It maybe as simple as needing volume leveling something like mediamonkey can do where all your tracks are brought up or down to the same level.

good luck

edit, not trying to come out blasting with all these links, just sharing this info, not trying to booster my side's argument or anything...there is a right way and a wrong way do use most of this stuff.

[janzak]

Yeah normalizing is just amplifying the entire track by the same amount, has no effect on dynamics in the track

It's important to note that normalizing is applied on the individual channels in a track i.e. on the Left and Right channels separately. This means that if one channel is intentionally louder or has a different peak level (like a huge crash panned all the way to the left), normalizing will skew the stereo image you intentionally made while producing!

[sj03w4t]

So is normalizing then the same as turning open the gain?

Edit. I quote from 'dance music manual', second edition by Rick snoman. Page 420/421

Do not normalize a mix.
All normalizing algorithms look for the highest peaks and then increase the volume of the surrounding audio, but the eae doesn't respond in the same way. Rather, it judges the loudness of music by average level.

[Tobert]

normalizing = gain

It won't screw your stereo image. When the left channel was -6 db and the right channel -4 db it will be -4 db and -2 db.

However it won't make your track sound louder. Average volume is what we hear as loudness, and that you will only gain by having a nice mix and usage of a compressor/limiter.