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Did you know that Adobe Audition includes Group Waveform Normalize? This is not your standard 'peak' normalizer, but instead a process that uniformly matches the 'loudness' of files based on their RMS levels...(actually, you have the option of true RMS normalization, or you can use our Equal Loudness Contouring, which takes into account frequencies the human ear is more or less sensitive to - but more about that in the help file)
What's this used for? Well, many of you have talked about downloading MP3s, burning them to CD, and they're all different levels, forcing you to turn up the volume on some tracks, and turn it down on others...Perhaps you're making a compilation CD of your favorite tracks but the CDs are from all different eras (ie, early 80s with no remastering, late 90s with remastering and loudness maximizing)...again, same problem; some are too loud, some are too soft.
Or, maybe you've been mixing your new record and you've done it at different times, in different places, maybe on different gear...again, same problem....the apparent 'loudness' is not the same.
Well, with Audition's Group Waveform Normalize, you now have the ability to analyze the loudness of your files, and in just a few steps, make all files the same 'apparent' level. No more dial-fiddling, no more guess work...Cool Edit does it all for you.
To begin, simply open a series of files and go to Edit>Group Waveform Normalize. You'll be prompted to 'Choose Your Files' from a list. Hold the Ctrl key and left-click to select all the files that you want to RMS normalize. Then, click over to the Analyze Loudness tab.
Click on 'Scan For Statistical Information'. Audition will now gather the attributes of each file. For detailed info on each one of the data fields, click the HELP button.
Now, click on the Normalize Tab. Here's where you have some options. By default, Audition will select the first option which is Normalize to Average Level of Source Files. This option is preferable if you just want to make everything the same because you're dealing with a group of files whose levels are all over the place. This will generate a nice, average loudness which is suitable for most situations.
Now, if you choose the Normalize to a Level of... option, this is what you would use to make everything Loud, Louder and Loudest, regardless of their 'collective average'. note: most modern CDs have a max RMS between -12 and -5, depending on the style of music. Some can even go higher, but in general, I'd stick within the -10/-8 range...It's really all up to you. So, select this option, type in a figure and you're good to go.
You'll also notice that there's a little information field to tell you that normalizing to a specific decibel value would cause clipping. Not to worry, as here's where you can implement the Hard Limiter to prevent digital clipping and keep those files loud. By default it's already selected. If you're familiar with setting the Hard Limiter, you can also alter the Look-Ahead and Release times. Click on Run Normalize and it's done.
Now, go ahead and save the changes to your files(if you're happy with the results). If you'd like, you can also run this process *before* burning to CD, so it's one step just before you burn. No guess work, no worries, but definitely, uniformly loud!
---Audition M.D.
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