Subject:Emergency Mixed CD

Posted by: djkrave

Date:1/8/2003 4:33:01 PM

Hey, I've practically lost my hair dealing with acid in recording my cd. I like the fact i could lay everything out but I have a serious volume problem. I've read the forum but some of the info is wishy washy. Here lies the problem. I got a 74 min set with about 60 tracks all mixed. Only problem is the VOLUME. Defaults when recording make the track -0.7, when i add an mp3 it's also different. How can I render it to wav with a consistent sound. I'm stuck between using my ears and levels but the levels with the master look very unprecise and i don't even know what I should leave the master at. When rendering, what decides the volume for the wav, preview or master? If either, what should the be? If they should be something, what should each track be set at, 0? original? default? and after allll that, how can i ensure this wav will sound crisp? soundforge? wavelab? I've only got a couple of strands left, all help would be most appreciated. Thanks in adv.

Subject:MASTERING

Reply by: djkrave

Date:1/8/2003 6:25:33 PM

m

Subject:RE: Emergency Mixed CD

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:1/8/2003 9:38:04 PM

The master volume has the final say over the entire mix, after the track's volume. (Think of it like a chain.) For all intensive purposes, leave the master fader alone if at all possible and adjust using the individual track volumes instead.

Your best bet is to use something like Sound Forge to normalize the tracks you plan to use/mix in ACID. That way, the volume will be consistent throughout and you won't have to twiddle with individual volumes as much. A little compression never hurt anything either to tighten the mix (but go easy).

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: Emergency Mixed CD

Reply by: djkrave

Date:1/8/2003 9:56:55 PM

Thanx for the replay mD! When I normalize though in SF, do i choose 0? And is there any faster way to do this? SF takes a million yrs creating an undo file

Subject:RE: Emergency Mixed CD

Reply by: spectre1

Date:1/8/2003 10:12:12 PM

0.0dB or slightly less (0.05ish) should be good for normalization.

You should check out Sound Forge 6 or SF Studio 6. They fly compared to older verions. Creating Undo's only take a few moments, at most.

Subject:RE: Emergency Mixed CD

Reply by: dkistner

Date:1/9/2003 8:41:12 AM

I can batch-process normalizing all my waves in Cool Edit 2000. I record a script (to which I can add sample rate conversion if I need to, or whatever else I want to do globally to the files), load 'em up, start the batch going (either overwriting the files or saving them under a different name with wild cards), and walk away from my computer for a while. I disable undo, too. When I come back, it's often all done.

I was confused about how the volume should be managed in the tracks and master faders myself. And I wonder what is the best way to keep the peaks out of the clipping zone. I have console fader control for my Echo Mia, and it seems to take over control from software--e.g., my standard Windows or Media Jukebox volume controls are locked all the way at the top and cannot be moved. Is this the place I should be trying to control the overall volume being rendered out of Acid?

Subject:RE: Emergency Mixed CD

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:1/10/2003 6:17:43 PM

Ditto what spectre1 said; Sound Forge 6.0 and Sound Forge Studio 6.0 are quite speedier than previous versions.

I would say keep the faders in the Mia's mixer at unity gain (0.0 dB) and adjust the tracks' volumes individually in ACID to keep them from clipping the master output meter. As always, finding the right balance will all depend on the media being used.

HTH,
Iacobus