Topic: peaks in audacity

[pdastoor]

I have a recording which has been mixed and everything, the only problem is it sounds too loud. So what I did was I used the 'amplify' tool in audacity and set it to '-6' and the volume was now good. the only problem is that my peaks are all the same, like this straight line... hopefully this screenshot can explain what I'm talking about, i drew a red line over it so you can see what I mean:

http://img214.imageshack.us/f/asfafu.jpg/

this happens to any show I want to reduce the volume, even with nero wav editor. my question is how do I change the volume without have the peaks look like a straight line?

[vanark]

Looks like your levels are too high when you are recording it.  You need to record it originally so the levels are below 0 db for the entire show.  I usually shoot for -6 db and can add (not subtract) what I need after the show.

[pdastoor]

I didn't record it, only mixed it. What method could I use with the current show I have? amplify obviously doesn't seem to work (it gets the job done but leaves the straight line)

[Patrick]

You used up all your headroom when recording/mixing and now are S.O.L if you want to put dynamics back into the recording.  No need to do this especially if you're working with 24bit audio.  Try remixing at lower levels.

[pdastoor]

sorry man im a newb I don't really understand 

lets say I just got a show in trade which was its raw master file, great sound no need to clean up just reduce the volume. how would I go about it, like what steps should i take and what software to use. i dont understand terms like header and dynamics and all 

[page]

sorry man im a newb I don't really understand 

lets say I just got a show in trade which was its raw master file, great sound no need to clean up just reduce the volume. how would I go about it, like what steps should i take and what software to use. i dont understand terms like header and dynamics and all 

Ok, in this example, where all you are doing is removing volume, just use the amplify function (negative number of course) for reduction, the damage was done (reading 0db and flattening) before the material got to you.

If you took two different files and mixed them together and got that, then you would reduce the volume of both first, then use the Mix And Render function in Audacity to produce a file that does not reach 0db.

[newplanet7]

Nothing you can do sir.
It was either recorded that way or someone amplified it before it got to you
which is why the peaks are a straight line across the waveform. Now, if
someone amplified it before it got in your hands you could try and seek out a raw master.
Looks like a stick of butter when you take some volume away I'm sure.

[dorrcoq]

First thing that came to my mind when he said it "sounded too loud", was turn the damn volume down.

[morst]

lets say I just got a show in trade which was its raw master file, great sound no need to clean up just reduce the volume. how would I go about it, like what steps should i take and what software to use. i dont understand terms like header and dynamics and all 

If it sounds great, then there should be no need to reduce the volume. If the volume is too high and the sound is not good, reducing volume will not fix the sound.

In the first example, where the output of the mix causes the levels to be pegged, you'll need to remix with lower levels. In audacity, each track has a "GAIN" slider you can use. To mix two sources which peak at maximum level, I usually start each one at -3dB and see how hot the loudest spots peak, and trim from there.

"Headers" are non-music data which are included in each WAV file, they include such metadata (data about your data) as sample rate, total time, number of channels, & bit depth.

Dynamics refer to patterns of loudness within an audio program. For instance, a classical ensemble who plays very soft but gets loud would be said to be "very dynamic" whereas a metal band that only plays at full volume would just be "loud" not "dynamic" since they never get softer.