[ardour-users] Volume loss

[Joe Hartley]

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 07:34:35 +0200
Björn Elenfors <bjoele at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 8/9/05, Zach Trexler <zach at orangerobot.com> wrote:
> > Unsure if this is a result of ardour, but when I play back an mp3 created from
> > a wav made in ardour, the volume level seems significantly lower.  Any way to
> > curb this?
> 
> Have you made any attempts to "master" the file, e.g. with Jammin or
> similar tools?  Most commerical music is mastered to appear as loud 
> as possible.

I too noticed that when I exported from Ardour the resulting WAV file
would be quieter than files ripped from CDs, or when I burned the tracks
to a CD, it'd be quieter.

I have half a suspicion that either the meters on my system aren't 
calibrated to how I expect, or that there's a lot of headroom available.

I now routinely push the levels higher than I would expect, and don't
worry so much about peaking the meter until it gets to the point where I
hear distortion.  Unlike the analog world of tape, when you push the levels
over the top in the digital realm, it sounds *bad*.  So even though the 
indications on the meters (or waveforms) indicate a hot signal, if I can't
hear it, I don't worry about it.

That, coupled with the amazing mastering too JAMin, has made a world of 
difference in the loudness of the tracks coming out of my studio.

-- 
======================================================================
       Joe Hartley - UNIX/network Consultant - jh at brainiac.com
Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa