Topic: Boosting volume?

[Yahweh]

Can anyone give advice about boosting the volume of a tape? I recorded a show the other night and had the levels set too low...I have CoolEdit, so is it easy to do with that?

[dhora]

I just normalize to 0db.
effects >> amplitude >> normalize.

[Evil Taper]

All that you really can do without effecting anything besides your tapes volume is to normalize it.  If you do something like use the Volume function in soundforge you're adding X decibels to all of the sound and that can cause clipping what not.  You might want to normalize to -0.2 instead of 0 also to insure that the peak in the recording doesn't clip.  If you do shit like compress the recording you're messing up the dynamics and it isn't natural anymore.  If you look around here there's other in depth threads about this sort of thing.

[Yahweh]

Thanks for the info. So nobody recommedns the 'Change Gain' option? The tape had a peak of -39  so if I normalize it to 0 db or -0.2 it should bring it up without losing anything or messing the recording up?

[Ray76]

Thanks for the info. So nobody recommedns the 'Change Gain' option? The tape had a peak of -39  so if I normalize it to 0 db or -0.2 it should bring it up without losing anything or messing the recording up?

yes, just like he said, adding much else to it colors it really and makes it unnatural.

normalize is the only thing most folks here use.

Ray

[Yahweh]

OK, thanks!

[Ray76]

OK, thanks!

no problem bud

+T
ray

[F.O.Bean]

you can use 'change gain' for a more natural feel, when doing normalizing, it does iut against the peak of the wav, when you 'change gain' the gain is raised everywhere in the wav

at least trhats always the way i looked at it

id recomend changing gain but YMMV

[NewHomebrew]

It's up to you what you want the peak level of your final product to be.  I typically don't put it right at 0, I leave some space.  Just my own thing.  Also remember there may be one really loud handclap that is a few dB hotter than anything else.

The next problem you'll probably run into is the high levels of noise in the recording.  When your input signal is that low, you get a poor S/N.  I know from bad experience!

[Ray76]

you can use 'change gain' for a more natural feel, when doing normalizing, it does iut against the peak of the wav, when you 'change gain' the gain is raised everywhere in the wav

at least trhats always the way i looked at it

id recomend changing gain but YMMV

hmm...thats interesting. ive never done that, but I will try it now Bean. Thanks for the idee.
+T brother.
BTW< check out team potential avitars.....

Ray