Topic: Best way to boost volume in soundforge 9.0? Normalize?

[setboy]

I just got SF is the normalization in SF 9.0 the best way to up levels.

I know this is a dumb thing to ask. I just want to make sure i'm not missing anything.

[su6oxone]

I just got SF is the normalization in SF 9.0 the best way to up levels.

I know this is a dumb thing to ask. I just want to make sure i'm not missing anything.

setboy,
If you're referring to increasing the volume overall (not specific frequencies or something like that), then just click 'processing' (under the top menu bar) and then I think select 'volume' and then you can adjust the percentage up to greater than 400% I think.  Usually I set the volume to 125-200% (meaning, increasing by 25-100% of the original).  This will increase the entire file volume.  You can also selectively increase a section's volume by just selecting (highlighting) the section and then doing the same processing>volume>%. 

normalize is for setting the volume level of a file to a similar level throughout (not good generally).

[setboy]

\

normalize is for setting the volume level of a file to a similar level throughout (not good generally).

that's only one kind of normalizing. if you normalize to peak it does not do that.

[su6oxone]

that's only one kind of normalizing. if you normalize to peak it does not do that.

Regardless, why would you want to raise levels in any other way? 

[setboy]

that's only one kind of normalizing. if you normalize to peak it does not do that.

Regardless, why would you want to raise levels in any other way? 

because obviously it seems like you understand something about normalizing i don't.  Why would i not want to do it that way?

[Scooter]

the kind of normalizing that you want goes like this...

the program looks at the WHOLE (I do this before tracking) file and determines the loudest point, let's say -8dB.
then the program raises the WHOLE file by 8dB so that the loudest point of the file is at 0dB, or whatever level that you specify, i use -.5dB.  What this is specifically called and where to find it in SF, i do not know.

there are other algorithms that look at perceived loudness and other nonsense, ignore those.

[rdfager]

^^^ This is the kind of normalization that SF 9.0 performs if you nomalize to 0db.  You could do this manually by looking at the statistics (tools > statistics) and then increasing the volume by the amount that the "Maximum sample value" is down, but why bother when the software will do this for you.  If you increase the volume any more than that amount, you'll be clipping.

[Brian Skalinder]

This is pretty much what peak normalizing does but with a little more control.  Of course you didn't ask about compression so I won't go there... cause mainly I don't have as good'a handle on that as I do the limiting process.

I get what you're trying to say, but peak normalization is fundamentally different in that it does not apply any compression / limiting.  And you've already entered the realm of compression:  hard limiting is compression, just with an infinite ratio, i.e. the output signal is not allowed to rise above the threshold at all.

Here's a decent write-up on compression / limiting settings and characteristics:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1996_articles/apr96/compression.html

[Liquid Drum]

Yes, use peak Normalizing (select whole file). It will raise the whole file by the same amount of db to match the maximum db you enter in the settings. Never go above 0db (I personally use -0.1db).