Should i normalise vocals

Note that peak normalization is only concerned with detecting the peak of the audio signal and in no way accounts for the perceived loudness of the audio. This brings us to the next type of normalization. The reason many people choose this second method is because of the human perception of loudness. At equal dBFS values and ultimately sound pressure levels , sustained sounds are perceived to be louder than transient sounds.

Loudness normalizing, on the other hand, will adjust the levels of the recording to perceived loudness. This is a more complex, advanced procedure, and the results are perceived as louder by the human ear. They are both standard loudness measurement units used for audio normalization in broadcast, television, music, and other recordings. The audible range for human hearing is 20 Hz to 20, Hz, though we are more sensitive to certain frequencies particularly in the Hz to 6, Hz range.

This normalization process could be used to bring the overall level up or down, depending on the circumstance. As mentioned previously, dynamic range compression and normalization are similar but different. Yet, there is a big difference between these processes. Dynamic range compression is the process of reducing the dynamic range of an audio signal the difference in amplitude between the highest and lowest points.

Compression does so by attenuating the signal amplitude above a set threshold point and providing makeup gain to make up for the levels lost. This means the resulting audio is the same as the original, just louder or quieter. Volume consistency: The first pro is common practice, level-out audio recorded in different conditions and places.

For example, to level the tracks in a record or the episodes in a podcast. Note that limiters also offer the same result, though, like compression, they do so by affecting the dynamic range of the audio. Normalization is often destructive: Although DAWs offer up to levels of undo in most cases, not every process can be undone. Indeed, most programs will ask you to create a new version of the file to normalize it. All times are GMT The time now is AM. User Name. Remember Me?

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Find More Posts by Valle. Send a private message to uksnowy. Find More Posts by uksnowy. Quote: Originally Posted by uksnowy I would argue that you shouldn't.

Send a private message to Judders. Find More Posts by Judders. Quote: Originally Posted by Judders Normalizing doesn't change the dynamics at all. Quote: Originally Posted by uksnowy Agreed if you normalise the entire vocal track Quote: Originally Posted by Eliseat Of course it matters. Quote: Originally Posted by Eliseat Yes, its makes no difference if you level the items down per normalizing or per item level. Quote: The minus 18dp thing is not a stupid rule from a bored nerd on youtube, its a rule many students world wide learn as a guide value.

Send a private message to karbomusic. Find More Posts by karbomusic. Originally Posted by Eliseat I do my rough mix on the fly by starting in a low db area and adjusting the levels where ever I can item volume, plugin level, compressor output etc. Send a private message to beatsbooster. Find More Posts by beatsbooster. Send a private message to vdubreeze. Find More Posts by vdubreeze. Quote: Originally Posted by Eliseat Valle, you don't have to follow the db rule exactly, but -3db or -5db - like you said - is in my opinion useless.

Send a private message to Tod. Find More Posts by Tod. Send a private message to ChristopherT. Find More Posts by ChristopherT. Posting Rules. When we normalize, as has been mentioned, we are raising the noisefloor.

Also mentioned is the fact that a compressor will likely not only raise the noisefloor, but warp it's dynamic so that it is no longer static. Obviously there are situations when you need a track to be louder. There is not much difference between raising a volume slider and normalizing. They are essentially the same thing. So using normalization as standard practice is a bad idea. But don't throw out a useful tool just because it is usually not a good thing to use.

Just know what you are doing when you do it, and measure the benefits against the consequences. The difference is that if you normalize a track, you are likely to use a volume slider on it again when you are mixing.

You are right that they both raise the noisefloor. The point is you only want to do it once. Similarly, I believe that one should adjust the output gain of effects using the effects' own sliders. Presumably, they work internally in 32 or even 64 bit precision, and when they convert back to 24, you want them to produce the signal at the level you want outside and keep the Sonar slider at 0.

This way, you adjust the level while still in the high resolution mode. OK, I can see that normalizing is a "lossy" technique, and will only negatively impact the quality of audio -- when working within the context of an individual song.

But what about when burning a CD? Let's say I'm making my own CD, and I'm now at the final stages -- with a bunch of bit WAVs sitting back-to-back on a big long "track", and I'm ready to burn. Is "normalizing" acceptable in this instance? Surely a pro mastering house would have to do something to ensure the overall volume level stays as "loud" as possible [not to mention the need to "even out" the volume of songs].

Maybe I'm thinking wrong, but normalizing here seems unavoidable There's no need for it. Turn the volumes of certain songs up or down. I can't imagine ever using normalize in that situation. Maybe if you're not limiting or compressing entire tracks, you could definitely use normalize on the whole CD project. But normalizing individual songs makes no sense; their peaks are totally different, and if one song is really peaky and another isn't peaky at all, the peaky song with sound really quiet in comparison when normalized.

You're not helping out the average-level-from-song-to-song situation. No matter how you figure it, it's an unnecessary step when used in this manner. If normalizing is undesirable, then what about the 3db louder command? If I have enough headroom I often use this command to punch up a track. I've never heard any artifacts, but what do you all think? Will it adversely affect a signal? Lynn Ah, you've brought up one of the features that make users of other software laugh at us.

IMO and the opinion of many others , this is the most worthless feature on Sonar. Again, no reason for it whatsoever. It adds the same quantization noise as the normalize function or anything else. Actually, it's pretty much the exact same thing as the normalize function except it brings it up 3 dB from wherever it is instead of bringing it all the way to 0.

BTW, odds are you won't hear artifacts within individual tracks, but when you have a 20 or 30 track project, you don't want ANY extra noise, ya know? Normalization is typically used to scale the level of track or file to just within its available maximum.

If that sounds complicated, all it means is that normalization brings up the volume of a file to the maximum amount based on the loudest point. Audio normalization might seem a bit old fashioned by modern standards. Back then many components had limited performance when it came to dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio. Normalization is still a common feature on hardware samplers that helps equalize the volume of different samples in the memory. It might seem like a convenient way to bring tracks up to a good volume, but there are several reasons why other methods are a better choice.

Normalization might seem like a convenient way to bring tracks up to a good volume, but there are several reasons why other methods are a better choice. What does that mean? Think of a strip of reel-to-reel tape—to perform an edit you need to physically slice it with a razor!

But in your DAW you could simply drag the corners of the region out to restore the file. Unfortunately there are some operations in the digital domain that are still technically destructive. Any time you create a new audio file, you commit to the changes you make.