New User - Cleanup and MP3 Questions

[Jeff C]

I'm a new VS user, so please bear with me. I just converted my first album and a few questions have come up. After recording and splitting tracks, I used the Cleanup tools to normalize to 0dB (I'm extremely hard of hearing and need all the volume I can get), adjust the bass and remove some of the hiss. The adjusted recording sounds great and has excellent volume. I then saved the tracks as MP3s. My questions are (1) Does VS automatically convert the adjusted audio? The reason I ask is that the volume on the MP3s, while OK, is not nearly as loud as the edited recording, so I'm wondering if it converted the unadjusted track. (2) If the answer to #1 is yes, is lower volume in the MP3s to be expected or did I do something wrong along the way (and if so, what do I need to do to fix it)?

One last question has to do with editing track details. VS says I can add the track names/artists etc. while recording, but how is that possible if the tracks aren't split yet? When I go to the split tracks screen, it show 0 tracks, so there's nothing to select for editing. I can only access this function after the entire recording is completed. Am I missing something?

Thanks for your help
Jeff

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

Yes, VinylStudio uses your corrected audio when it saves your tracks.  Just make sure that 'Save corrections' is checked in the confirmation dialog displayed when saving.  Other than that, I don't know why they sound quieter than they should do.  What are you playing them on?

You can't insert  track breaks in the waveform display while VinylStudio is recording, but you can type in the track names ('Edit Track Details') or look them up on line ('Lookup Track Listing').

HTH.

[Jeff C]

Hmm ... it seems we have a mystery. The unconverted file is definitely louder. I'm playing the MP3s on Windows Media Player 12 using the same laptop & ear buds that did the recording. Also playing them on an MP3 player app on my smartphone. Could there be something out of whack with the LAME converter?

Jeff

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

That seems unlikely.  Millions of people use it.  Where did you get it from (the version of LAME on your system)?

I just did some quick tests here and everything's fine.  I am on Windows 8 with Windows Media Player 12.  One thing about Windows Media Player is you need to set the volume slider to maximum (in WMP) to get the same playback level as VinylStudio.  On your smartphone, you have no reference level to compare your saved tracks with, so that could be a bit misleading.

Also, what version of Windows are you using please?  On some version, you can set the system volume to different levels for each application (too many volume controls, no?).  You can check that by clicking on the loudspeaker icon in the notification area (you might need to 'unhide' it).

[Jeff C]

Using LAME V3.99.5. Downloaded from wherever VS directed me on setup. Using Win7 Pro. I set the vol to max when I did the recordings - could that have had any effect? I'll be doing another conversion over the next couple of days. Let me know if you have any settings adjustment suggestions and I'll try them out.

Thank you for all of your quick replies!

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Check the volume slider in Windows Media Player.  That's the most likely explanation.

Also, if you right-click on a track in the waveform display in the Split Tracks window and select Save Track As, you can save a single track and VinylStudio will then offer to play it. That will et you assess the volume level (i.e. it should be loud) and should demonstrate that the file has been saved correctly (VinylStudio is playing the file 'native' at that point).

[Jeff C]

I've now converted 10 albums to MP3s. In every case, the volume is lower on the MP3s than in the native VS files (played on WMP 12 and Amazon Cloud Players on my laptop as well as Amazon Cloud and Samsung Music Players on my GS4 phone).  I've got everything cranked up to max (all sliders in the players etc.) to assure I'm comparing apples to apples. I'm normalizing to -0dB (sometimes raising it a bit if it settles out low), fixing clicks to level 1 (minimum) and percussion protection to 3 (near max), rumble, hum and hiss filters all on. The VS file is brawny, but the MP3, while good, is just not to the same level of volume. To be clear - I've pretty much got the volume I need with a little to spare, but it's perplexing, especially since you've said that there should be no degradation in volume.

Please don't take this as a knock - I'm quite pleased with the program and will continue to use it for the remaining 150 or so albums I intend to convert.

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

Thanks for this.  I too am puzzled - everything tests out OK here (I checked again this morning) and we have no other reports of this problem.  Maybe it is the version of LAME you're using.  Email me direct and I will send you the version we use here when we test the software:

p DOT sanders AT alpinesoft DOT co DOT uk