Topic: Help evening left and right channels in Soundorge

[suspect]

Hi kids,
I have a recording in which the left channel is hotter than the right channel.  I'd like to normalize the recording but I think that may lead to some clipping on the left channel.  Can anyone help or point me in the right direction of evening the channels out in Soundforge 7? 

TIA,
...tom

[The Kilted Taper]

It won't add clipping, just tell it to normalize to 0dB. This basically means Soundforge is taking the highest peak and taking it to 0dB and increasing the rest of the track based on that. If you have already peaked at 0dB or higher, well, nothing will be done. You can also normalize 1 track (L or R) at a time.

[pfife]

don't know if you solved this, but you can use RMS normalization too.

[suspect]

don't know if you solved this, but you can use RMS normalization too.

Explain to me RMS like I didn't know what you were talking about

[pfife]

Look in the archive section at the normalization thread - Leegeddy wrote something up in there about regular and RMS normalization that is way, way better than I could do.

[dgale]

I don't know about SF 7.0 but I use SF 6.0 and it is quite easy to even out levels - just select only the channel that is lower and normalize it however many db (using peak normalization) so they are even (i.e. you can only boost one channel if you wish and hence it should have no effect on the other channel).  Th eonly problem with this technique is if the lower channel happens to already have some peaks of 0 db, then you need to look into the RMS method instead.  DOn't be shy about experimenting a bit - you can always select "undo" if you don't get the results you want.

[spyder9]

Wouldn't it make more sense to highlight the entire left channel and decrease the amplitude?  Normalizing it will mess with the highs and lows.  Amplification adjusts the loudness.  That's how I even out the levels.  I never use normalization because it will change the sound you recorded.  That's just my 2 cents.

[dgale]

Wouldn't it make more sense to highlight the entire left channel and decrease the amplitude?  Normalizing it will mess with the highs and lows.  Amplification adjusts the loudness.  That's how I even out the levels.  I never use normalization because it will change the sound you recorded.  That's just my 2 cents.

If you normalize with SF using peak level, all it does is increase/decrease the amplitude evenly across the selection - within the given the selction it doesn't change some parts more then others, so unless you only normalize a portion of a recording or soemthing like that, it simply will increase/decrease the levels the number of db you specify.  I am not familiar with using RMS normalization and am not sure how that works or what effect it has but peak normalization should have the desired effect.