INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 19 for Windows => Topic started by: rn701 on March 28, 2014, 04:16:10 pm
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Loving this software. Two quick questions:
1. I ran the "analyze audio" feature on a playlist (very thoughtful, by the way, to be able to do that v. the entire library). I was hoping it would level out the quiet and loud volumes between some of the songs. Unless it's just my imagination, it appears to have done that on the files ripped from CD to WMA Lossless when playing back via DLNA. Some recent MP3 purchases from Google and Amazon, though, are really loud compared to everything else. (I'm guessing these files were "punched up" or something for the kids today?) Anyway, is there a setting or something somewhere? I didn't see any options for the "analyze audio" feature. I am playing over the network to an XBox 360 connected to a Denon AVR, etc. I have "volume leveling" checked in the media server DLNA server profile for the Xbox and I have it set to always convert to PCM 24 bit. (Extra bonus question: Are the volume leveling parameters applied when you export/transcode to a mobile device?)
2. Speaking of XBox, I was using Windows Media Player, Media Center and the Media Center Extender or whatever it's called before. With JRiver I have turned all that stuff off and just play to the XBox using Gizmo on Android. Works great. (Thank you!) My older Denon AVR doesn't have a network player interface. I am thinking about upgrading to a newer AVR with this feature and DLNA (Denon X3000 maybe?). Would there be any appreciable improvement in sound quality for a direct to AVR stream v. going through the Xbox? I think I read somewhere that the XBox always resamples to 48K something or other? Does that matter? Also, if I wanted to get some "high definition" files at 96 or 192K whatever, I guess it would be wasted on the Xbox?
Thanks in advance for any guidance. Like I said, loving this software.
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Welcome to the board.
Volume Leveling won't be applied to DLNA playback.
I think when you use the xBox as a DLNA Renderer, it is the box that does the decoding. A connection to a new receiver, using it as the DLNA Renderer, would do the decoding there.
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Volume Leveling won't be applied to DLNA playback.
The option to enable Volume Leveling for DLNA playback was added a while back.
Tools → Options → Media Network → Add or configure DLNA servers → Audio → Advanced: Volume Leveling
It's possible that you have to convert to the specified output format for leveling to be enabled, rather than outputting the original format.
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Thanks for that info.
So I'm curious, what does the ""volume leveling" check box do in the media DLNA profile under the media network settings?
Also, I have "mode: specified output format" and "PCM 24 bit" set in the profile. I thought that meant for JRiver to do the conversion and just send a bitstream?
Thanks again and in advance.
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FYI:
19.0.15 (7/29/2013)
1. Changed: Hooked up new R128 volume leveling for handhelds, DLNA, and file conversion.
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So I'm curious, what does the ""volume leveling" check box do in the media DLNA profile under the media network settings?
It will apply the Volume Leveling adjustment to the audio being sent to the DLNA renderer.
Also, I have "mode: specified output format" and "PCM 24 bit" set in the profile. I thought that meant for JRiver to do the conversion and just send a bitstream?
It means the PC will decode everything to PCM and then send that to the renderer.
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Thanks, that's what I thought that meant.
So back to my original question, is there something I can do different to have the analyzer and volume leveling functions make the really loud MP3s quieter?
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(Extra bonus question: Are the volume leveling parameters applied when you export/transcode to a mobile device?)
Yes, this is optional. When you specify the export options, there is the ability to apply volume levelling to the exported files.
With regard to your original question, volume levelling should work on all files that have had their audio analysed. I assume the specific MP3s you mentioned were part of the playlist that you analysed the audio for? If so, check the Volume Level tags in those files to make sure there is something there. If there is nothing there then somehow these files have been missed, so right-click on them and select Analyse Audio from the Library Tools context menu.
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Thanks for that info.
I checked, and the problem MP3 files do have values in the analyzer data.
Examples:
Fleetwood Mac, World Turning, ripped from CD to WMA lossless: Volume Level (ReplayGain) 2.60 db, Volume Level (R128) -2.4 LU, etc.
The Zombies, Time of the Season, downloaded from Amazon MP3: Volume Level (ReplayGain) -5.26 db, Volume Level (R128) -10.3 LU, etc.
When playing back (through Media Library DLNA to Xbox360 to Denon AVR via HDMI), the Zombies song is way louder.
The XBox 360 profile in Media Library options is set to Mode: Specified output format, Format: PCM 24 bit, Stereo downmix checked, volume leveling checked, Sample rate 48,000 hz
The Denon AVR shows audio status of 48K, 2.0 channels.
When playing back on the PC using JRiver player, the two songs have similar volume levels. Under audio, I have volume leveling and adaptive volume checked.
Maybe I don't understand how this is supposed to work.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions...
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I don't think Adaptive Volume is availabe for DLNA volume levelling so that may be the difference. Try disabling Adaptive Volume in MC front-end and see if playing the files locally has the same difference in volume as you are experiencing via DLNA. If so, then it is Adaptive Volume that is working a lot better than pure volume levelling, but it's not available in DLNA. And are you putting both tracks in the playing now list or have you been playing them individually?
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Thanks for helping with this.
Turned off adaptive volume in the player, and did not notice much (any?) difference. Both songs seem to play at a similar level.
Yes, these songs and others are playing from a playlist in "playing now."
The problem seems to happen with MP3s that I have purchased from Amazon and Google Play.
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Are you enabling Volume Leveling in DSP Studio, or in the DLNA Server Configuration?
DSP Studio will only affect local playback.
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That was my understanding, too. I have it set on in both places (player and media library DLNA settings).