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Author Topic: Normalize on Sync  (Read 2130 times)

RedJ

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Normalize on Sync
« on: April 10, 2009, 05:21:50 pm »

For future versions of MC, I would like to have a way to normalize audio based on library gain values on conversion/sync to a device.  It seems odd to me that MC will normalize when ripping even though this is probably something most people want to avoid using regularly, but not on conversion where it would benefit many (most?) of the players out there that don't have gain compensation.

When I hook my player up to external speakers, there is a wide fluctuation in volume levels from song to song that I'd really like to get rid of.  It would also be nice to boost some of the tracks that have low volume due to the level they are from the source CDs to help a little when connecting to external speakers with modest amplifiers.
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leezer3

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2009, 06:31:13 pm »

Main issue here I would have thought is the sheer time it'd take to do this. Don't forget that normalising audio takes a long while :)
Having said that, it would be a nice option to have. It also frustrates me that MC still doesn't have the option to write tags on sync (At present, sync writes whatever tags are in the file, regardless of whats in the library)

-Leezer-
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JimH

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2009, 06:50:19 pm »

... MC still doesn't have the option to write tags on sync (At present, sync writes whatever tags are in the file, regardless of whats in the library)

Couldn't you fix that by telling MC to put the tags in the file?
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RedJ

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2009, 09:19:18 pm »

I'm not an expert on this topic, but my impression is that a lot of the time normalization takes to do involves the analysis of the track's levels, basically making it a two-pass operation.  In this case, you already have a replay gain value that, at least hypothetically, could be used to determine what levels to write out.  Since I'm already forcing a convert, I don't know that it would take much more, if any extra time at that point.
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justsomeguy

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2009, 03:26:00 pm »

I brought this up in the MC12 days and I know the idea has been raised by a few others as well.  I've had my fingers crossed ever since hoping that it would be added at some point.  I use the replay gain value in my files to physically adjust the track volume using foobar.  I use a flash drive with my kennwood car stereo and most car stereos don't support replaygain.  SO the only option is to apply the actual change to the file.  It works very well with foobar.  I could be wrong but it doesn't seem like it should be a complicated thing to add to MC.  It just seems for a long time now the programmers have been focused on the video/home media part of MC.

Oh well... I continue to keep my fingers crossed.
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leezer3

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2009, 06:05:16 pm »

Couldn't you fix that by telling MC to put the tags in the file?

I'm assuming you mean in day to day operations.
When I'm dealing & meddling with over 4tb of media, that just isn't an option. Everything is contained within my database, and I mean everything.
Occasionally, an external program, or for that matter user error decides that it needs to change something. Inevitably, this error then writes itself back into the main database, and it isn't a possibility I can accept- I've put countless hours of work into everything :)
A secondary consideration is that updating the external tags for an import batch of several thousand files can take a very long time, and slow everything down in the process- Again, it's easier just to leave things, and update the external tags manually should I ever need to sync to somewhere else.

-Leezer-
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Taxee

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2009, 08:56:45 am »

What about using MP3Gain? (see http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net/)
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RedJ

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Re: Normalize on Sync
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2009, 09:20:25 am »

MP3 Gain would probably do the job, but my post was not because I lack available external tools to do this.  I just want to be able to sync a portable in one step, not 2-3.  And autosync completely goes away by having to use an external tool.
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