Topic: how do you deal with varying levels in post?

[junkyardt]

just curious what programs/features everyone uses to deal with a recording where you were adjusting levels a few times. or do you even do anything? do you just deal with it and listen to it the way it is? with a recent recording of mine, it has a few snippets at the beginning with low levels, then i brought it up to max for about 10 minutes (can't remember if this was intentional or accidental) so the waveform is nearly full for those 10 minutes or so, then i adjusted it back down for the remaining 80 mins or so and it's much lower for the remainder.

i use cool edit pro 2, and haven't found a way yet to neatly make it so it sounds just like i recorded the whole show at the same level. you can run "normalize" on a single file but it doesn't seem to have any effect at all that way. it does have an effect when you run it on multiple files, so i've tried tracking it into sections based on where the levels change, and running "group waveform normalize" and putting it back together, but that didn't really make it much better, and there's something about the normalization process that seems to distort certain wav's anyway so i'm wondering if there's any other options.

[Belexes]

I use Cool Edit Pro 2 as well and I amplify the sections that need boosting and try and make it as uniform as possible.

I moved away from "that drunk whistling guy" that seems to be at all my shows recently and need to perform this tedious task to one of my recordings.

[Brian Skalinder]

CEP/Audition has an option to apply fixed or faded volume:  Effects | Amplitude | Amplify/Fade.  Both tabs allow you to modify the L and R channels independently, if you wish.  The Constant Amplification tab raises the whole highlighted selection -- you guessed it -- by a constant value.  The Fade tab allows you to highlight a section, apply a starting amplification (positive or negative) and an ending amplification, and then determine how to transition from the starting amplification to the ending amplification (linear or logarithmic).  This might accomplish what you need.

Alternatively, if you need greater / more complex amplitude control, CEP/Audition also has two envelope tools, one in Waveform view (Effects | Amplitude | Amplify/Fade), one in Multitrack view (just click the horizontal line near the top of the waveform to create your envelope points).  I never cared for the envelope in Waveform view, and never used the one much in Multrack view (as I moved to a different editor), but they're there and you might find them useful.

[easy jim]

Automation, usually with the pencil tool.  Any editing software that supports automation will allow you to 'draw' a volume curve/ramp/line to make adjustments in the level of a track that will apply to a resultant mix.

[su6oxone]

CEP/Audition has an option to apply fixed or faded volume:  Effects | Amplitude | Amplify/Fade.  Both tabs allow you to modify the L and R channels independently, if you wish.

This is a nice feature of Cool Edit Pro/Audition. 

[bgreen]

CEP/Audition has an option to apply fixed or faded volume:  Effects | Amplitude | Amplify/Fade.  Both tabs allow you to modify the L and R channels independently, if you wish.

This is a nice feature of Cool Edit Pro/Audition. 

I use wavelabs montage to do this. Another fine program that is really surgical when it comes to doing this and is as easy as dragging and dropping points.

[DisturbedPyro]

i use audacity and with that program, i use the envelope tool to make that amplify curve to extend the quieter parts to more consistently meet the louder parts. i know you said you dont use this program, but if you want to see what i mean, and how it works, i can make some screens and show you. let me know if youre interested

[Scooter123]

Gold wave has a couple of ways to skin that cat.

First, by looking at the wave form, you can pretty much see the boundaries of the boost.  I segment those boundaries, one section at a time, and boost.  Once boosted, some slight compression will even things out.

Second, Goldwave has expansion, which is just the opposite of compression.  It takes a set threshold of volume and boosts it to a set number. 

[Cheesecadet]

I also use Cool Edit Pro for this.  The faded amplification is very handy...

[Brian Skalinder]

I think the bottom line is that most commonly used audio editors will provide the functionality you desire, it's just a question of <a> confirming they do what you want, and <b> selecting your preference, whether it be Audacity, Audition/CEP. Wavelab, Goldwave, Samplitude SE, etc.