Hi there,

I play as a solo act with a POD X3 Live, alternating between electric and acoustic guitars. I usually play backing tracks off my Nokia N95 without major problems.

The only issue I have is trying to get a consistent level between all backing tracks. Obviously some tracks can have more dynamics than others. How can I get a consistent level between all tracks without having to constantly adjust the volume (a little) after each song starts? I use a Mac.

What Audio editors would you recommend? I have tried audacity but am just unsure of exactly what to do to get a consistent level for all tracks.

Finally, is there a higher end program that anyone would recommend which has pitch changing on it. I would like to change the key of one or two backing tracks down a half step/full step without the horrible warbling that you get from Audacity.

Cheers,

Tom

Hi Tom,
You might try Sony's Sound Forge Audio Studio.
It's cheap and will do what you ask.
I use the older pro version and it's my best audio program.

It's very time consuming trying to get all backing tracks "even".
It can be done though...one by one using volume adjustment or compression, each method having it's own drawbacks.
I would recommend the volume adjustment method, the drawback being that you must base all levels on the weakest MP3s.

I have a friend using I-Tunes. You can have a custom EQ and volume for each track.

quote:

I have a friend using I-Tunes. You can have a custom EQ and volume for each track.

I've used iTune's leveler too Roy.
But I think the changes it makes don't "save", modifying the MP3, they are just remembered within iTunes.
If you ever crashed and had to reload it, could those settings get lost?
Not sure I'd risk all that work without knowing for sure.

Wavelab essential is cheap and easy to use. You could look at the output of one song, mark it down and the manually match the next.

Or, you could try program call, "har bal equalization system." It's actually for final mastering. And very useful.

But, it also has a, "match volume," feature. So, if you like one tracks output, you can put another one in and just match it.

If you don't want to edit at all, you could try just putting your samples through a compressor, with a high out gain, and high compression ratio. What this does is kind of puts a vice around the track, lifts it up and pushed it down at the same time. So, you get a volume boost and a peaks are killed.

Make the tracks much more even and punchier.

This has been my battle for five years now. Part of the problem is that my newer tracks are better quality to start with and and the old ones don't sound better just by making them louder. Almost all of my current set are newer, or re-made, tracks that have been treated in Garageband. Whether midi, mp3 or scratch-built, they all get the Multi-band compressor and normalization on the mixdown to iTunes. If I keep a good eye on the meters, I usually get mixes that are very close in volume.

In iTunes, I start with the individual track volume turned full up(info->options->volume 100%). Songs that need to be quieter, like when I use acoustic accompaniment, I back off a bit. I go from my mac to the T1 via usb, but not in an input channel, so it's important for me that they sound right at the source...the T1 only does the D/A conversion. I added a usb volume control(Powermate) which allows easy vol adjustment on the fly.

EDIT: Wrong pic loaded. No preview function???

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 6inline,

Hi Tom
I have had some success with a free program called MP3Gain you should be able to do a search on the net for it

MP3Gain analyzes mp3 files to determine how loud they sound to the human ear. It can then adjust the mp3 files so that they all have the same loudness without any quality loss. This way, you don't have to keep reaching for the volume dial on your mp3 player every time it switches to a new song.

tightrope....JB here....I've tried I-tunes for syncing tracks with consistent volume levels...have tried a number of ways...to no avail...my solution....go Roxio...each song can be equalized....and even the intro & ending shorted...things you can do with I-tunes...to me, I-tunes wasn't nearly as user-friendly...and the changes you make with Roxio stay....hope this helps!