I want to normalize all my MP3s before bringing them into MM.

I have one folder which contains all my MP3s. Can someone list the exact way to do this - step by step?

I'm new to this. Thanks!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pacific3000,

There are a variety of VST compression tools that come built into Fusion that will help you "normalize" your sound levels without making modifications to original files. Particularly, OzoneMP can be added globally to your set and will equalize your output at the Odb level while at the same time improving overall sound quality dramatically. You can toggle it on and off while working on the timeline.

Enable it globally on the master output by pulling it from your effects list and dropping it onto the bar area immediately above the timeline area, below the catalog and playlist--the same area that shows CURRENT: REMAINING: TOTAL: times. The MM controls are complicated, however the plugin has its own excellent control interface that can be turned on by clicking the "Enable the Effect Control Panel" Box (the second box to the right of the first at the top of the plugin itself, immediately preceding "iZotope OzoneMP"). This plugin control panel has dozens of presets to get you started, and you can manipulate these further with traditional analog modeling tools based on the characteristics of tube amps, valve equalizers, etc. Or, in this manner you can create your own parameters entirely from these or get way down to the nitty gritty and manipulate each individual parameter with the MM provided pots.

Using OzoneMP as a global compressor/normalizer offers significant advantages over the basic global compressor that was present in the previous generation of MM software. That compressor was difficult to work with and in order to get any good use out of it, you pretty much needed to apply it individually to each track and manipulate it from there, as settings for one track would not fit all. OzoneMP tends to give a unified, professional quality to your sound output, effecting similar results to all tracks globally, without a lot of extra work.

If you really want to get dang serious about mastering, you might be interested in the full Ozone product, which is available from iZotope for $249.99. Whereas the OzoneMP plugin comes with some of the features of the full product (3 modeling tools based on analog equipment), the full product will put you in complete control of your sound with a whole host more, and once installed will be available to you within the MM effects rack with all of the additional features present. It's definitely on my short wishlist, but as of yet I'm still using just the basic MP plugin, which, in and of itself, is quite useful.

I prefer not to mess around with any of those "sound normalizing" programs that read your files in and out separately. I have never trusted them to keep my files at their original resolution. Plus, using effects processing on the original files themselves from within Mixmeister means that you're not having to go to the extra effort of modifying the master files that you use at all.

Hi,

Sorry to disagree with you, Tepmix, but MP3Gain doesn't change your files apart from adding some hidden tag details to the files. according to their FAQ page MP3gain doesn't change the file at all.

I use MP3Gain all the time. I use 95 as the settings.

I'm at work at the moment, but I'll post instructions for use when I get home tonight...

Regards


Gaz

That's fine. However, you might want to make a consideration for all the additional work that is involved with this. Ozone is also available as a DirectX plugin that will work with the Pro series of products and it would save considerable time over having to perform additional processing on all your files.

Let me be a bit more specific here, in case you've perhaps gotten the wrong idea. I work specifically with individual tracks on a case by case basis in all my sets, always applying individual EQ parameters and additional effects, which obviously affect volume output within each frequency of the entire dynamic range, and then apply compression to those tracks in the same manner to further refine the sound.

Compression is not a be-all and end-all tool that will magically work for you unless you are further manipulating the sound levels and quality in advance of and when using a compression tool, hence my suggestions to work with the additional settings of the Ozone tool beyond those of the presets.

I guess that I might want to use MP3GAIN if I didn't want full control over my own volume levels within each frequency anyway. The loudness levels that presented in the track are part of the recording and I choose to work with them as they are presented, arriving at the correct levels as I work to achieve the sound that I want. I won't get into debatable detail how those levels might be affected by MP3GAIN's mathematical algorithm with the sound traveling through the DAC and beyond. However, it makes no difference to me whether they are all at the same volume because within the frequency range of each track, I'm going to be adjusting them up or down anyway. Since each track is unique, and depending on what frequencies I prefer to enhance or reduce, based on what I think needs further refinement for my use, these adjustments are always going to be different whether I use MP3GAIN or not. So, why bother as the end result is going to be the same, and using MP3GAIN is just going to waste my time. Whether I end up raising or lowering anything within the audible range of approx. 30hz to 20,000khz (if you're lucky to be able to actually hear anything way up here) an extra decibel or two, I'm still likely going to be raising or lowering it anyway.

On compression, if I were working with analog sound, I would be much more careful with the amount and manipulation of the compression then when I'm working with any entirely artificial genre, like electronic music, and excuse me if electronic is not the genre that you're working with here. For example, if the studio output of my master organ recital were overly compressed, I would have been very annoyed.

However, within many forms of electronic music, the debate over what is too much compression and what is not enough is much less of a debate, since this completely artificial genre lends itself particularly well to compression (also artifical), and in some cases, over-compression is considered a hallmark of the genre and has become irreversibly associated with it.

So, if you want to work with the full dynamic range of your tracks anyway, I'm basically telling you that MP3GAIN might be an additional unecessary step for you, but if you want to set it and forget it, it might be just the thing.

quote:

So, why bother as the end result is going to be the same, and using MP3GAIN is just going to waste my time.

because MP3Gain is 100 times easier to do, since it's automatic and is not dependant on your easily tired ears. I can assure you, you will waste more time listening to every track and volume matching them, than using mp3gain, unless of course you can volume adjust in less than 5 secs/track.

You do realize MP3Gain is not a compressor right? It does not make adjustments thoughout the track, but on the overall track, as a whole. It's the equivilant of a master volume control, ensuring your trax are the same overall loudness. A track can still lower in overall volume at any point within the track, just all the peaks are the same.

I have seen trax from the same album range in volume as much as 12 - 18db, but this is by design. Pink Floyd wants some trax to scream (In the Flesh 95.5db), and other trax to purr (Goodbye Cruel World 81.5db) on The Wall, but I don't want that on my DJ Mixes. I don't think Ozone (or any other plug-in) can boost a track 18db without issues (realtime playback, distortion, etc)

I love and swear by Mp3Gain

Yes, I know what it does and have been familiar with it since it hit the scene. I know that it employs a mathematical algorithm to analyze and increase the gain respective to where it calculates it should be, based on a constant it creates that the developers believe is how the file actually should sound to the ear. I also know that it is mightily appreciated by many and is well-developed software with a lot of research. And I'm not trying to deprecate its use in any way by those who choose to use it. I'm also not trying to compare it with compression or suggest that it would be advisable to use compression solely as means to achieve basic gain.

There are a variety of ways that musicians work with their music here, and the point I'm trying to make is that, if you are working extensively with the sound quality of the tracks, in terms of using graphic EQ to set the gain on all the frequencies within the entire volume range, then the addition of another software program to do this may not gain you as much time as you think. You're still going to be touching at least 9 controls to adjust the gain with a basic graphic equalizer. If you add any parametric EQ to the non-basic 9 generic standards to each track, you're adjusting more. So, is MP3GAIN still going to buy you some time here, as you're going to be manipulating those anyway?

However, you probably also should understand that when I started working with MM, MP3GAIN wasn't around, so I developed my working style without it. I would not have acquired the skill to be able to quickly adjust these settings had I not developed them over a number of years, which, in addition to listening, includes observing the heights of the peaks within the MM trackline waveform, in terms of overall gain, as well as the density of the waveforms (how well they are separated as the peaks rise), in terms of overall compression already present.

Now, I've also got the use of several really good compression tools already included in the effects rack and these give me more options in terms of adding the final polish to the set. Whereas I would not rely upon them independently for gain, I am a fan of compression in electronic dance music for doing exactly what it is intended to do--alter the perception of level in the audio output so that loud sounds above a certain point are diminished and quieter sounds increased. I find Ozone to be an amazing compression tool in this regard, as it does maintain a lot more of the quality of the sound than others I've used, and I am certainly going to plop down the extra bucks for the full version by the end of the year.

I like my dance music to be perceived loud, only my dance music, just as if I were at the club, so more compression. With electro, a whole lot. Not so much with casual deep house, garage and definitely not for ambient and lounge. For recorded sets this becomes a constant that varies only between styles. For venues, it depends on what the crowd is doing.

But the point of the original answer was to provide for the exploration of options here, which I think, at this point has been done pretty much thoroughly. This manner of working I describe has been acquired over many years, and I personally believe that it has its advantages. Are there other methods of working? Absolutely. Does that negate any of them in terms of black vs. white solutions? Probably not. How can you arrive at the sound quality that you like best using what tools and methods? By exploration. Will you change your methods over time? Probably. Can we help you? Hopefully. Will your audience help you? Undoubtedly. Who ultimately decides?

You do. And that's what will make your music unique.

quote:

If you add any parametric EQ to the non-basic 9 generic standards to each track, you're adjusting more. So, is MP3GAIN still going to buy you some time here, as you're going to be manipulating those anyway?

of course it does

Lemme see if I can explain it another way...

Imagine you were painting a mural, and the mural is made up of multiple pieces of paper, stitched together, creating a long narrow strip. Since you’re painting is going to spread across these sheets, it would be best if they were all the same colour, so that the seams aren’t too obvious. Now, you could individually paint each piece of paper to have the same background colour, adjusting the tint for each pages variance, this one a little brighter, that one a little darker, or…. You could just soak all the sheets in a big bucket of the same dye, so they’re all the same shade to begin with.

Hopefully that’s a painfully obvious metaphor for a mix with all the trax the same volume (a la MP3Gain). I’m not saying you cannot do this manually, I’m saying you can’t do it as fast

I do throw a lot of tweaks in my mixes, using plug-ins, eqs, edits, loops, overlays, etc, and it’s nice not to worry about matching volumes.

And you do know mp3gain is not a compressor right?

Creatures of habit die hard, phreaq!

It would present an overwhelming task for me at this point to apply MP3GAIN on 50GB of music files compiled over 8 years or so. Because, in doing so, I would inevitably render useless all the studio mixes, live sets, mashups and other work I did over the years after I began transferring and keep music in digital format and started working with MM--identifying the various tracks from those sets to isolate them from such a process would be nigh on impossible. I can't imagine how I would begin to accomplish that unless I want to lose that work. And, although I suppose it could be useful going forward, I always think that I might want to revisit some of that work at some time, as the longer it ages the fresher it may become for new generations. To be honest with you, if I ever did do that, I'd probably rework everything anyway. But, still, it was a lot of work.

Additionally, in terms of now, I have spent lots of time over the past 10 months in PMs and on the J2I forum with a variety of new users whose sets have had issues with wildly divergent db levels trying to get them to actually listen to their sets with critical ears and learn how to make those adjustments themselves--listen to your sets on good speakers, preferably quality monitors, at between low and medium volume!, get out of the cans!, if you don't have a good set of monitors for your computer, burn your set to CD and listen to it on a high quality room audio system! Sort of like my piano teacher of 10 years, who one day, after I had come to one of my lessons unprepared, having not practiced my Hanon exercises, pulled out a thin cane and began smacking me on the back of my hands every time my hand position dropped. There is a certain value in acquiring simple skills like this, I believe.

Perhaps I'm just spitting in the wind, and I should let the winds of technology change sweep away these obviously aging philosophies. But tell me, if the new user doesn't learn how to make the simplest of gain adjustments within his/her sets/recordings, exactly how are these people going to grasp any of the more advanced concepts of EQ adjustment, compression and effects processing? It does seem important to me. To a greater or lesser extent, the process of doing this oneself has merit as part of a greater learning process.

Well, enough of this, because magical powers have now finally caused me to lose my mind and all concept of compression.

Thanks for the tips guys.

tepmix, I'm not gonna be spending years to learn this... I just want to make a mix cd that sounds good. I'm gonna play around with both for a little while.

phreak, I am brand new at this... could you tell me in simple terms how to apply MP3 Gain to my tracks?

thanks,
p3000

Hey pacific3000,

When you open mp3gain you can either drag files into it to process, or use the 'add folder' or 'add file(s)' icons. Since all your trax are in one folder you can add them all at once with the 'add folder' option.

Then set the 'target "Normal" Volume' value. By default it's 89db (the MPAA standard), but I use 94db. Some people use 95db, 93db, 90db, 99db, whateverdb, it's your choice. The higher the number, the louder the trax will be.

Then press the "Track Gain" button to update the volume of all your tracks to a common level. It should take 5 - 10 secs/track to process.

That's it! Now, I guarantee your current/next mix will have smoother transitions.

Thanks phreaq! That's way less complicated than I thought it would be.

-P3000

On the same topic I do have a question.
First off I am a regular user of MP3Gain and love what it does.
I simply grab my main folder that contains many folders and drop it into MP3Gain. I make sure my screen saver is off as well as my power down is set to never. Sorry Tim, but I do have to agree with Phreaq…. It has saved so much time considering everything else I am doing to each individual song.

My question is:
Do I have to put MP3Gain on all my computers for the settings to work or once your music is put through MP3Gain, is it a permanent adjustment?

Example:
Once I put all my music through MP3Gain are these adjustments permanent and do they stay that way or if I move my tunes to another computer do I need to install MP3Gain to all computers my music will be stored and will I have to run them through MP3Gain again once the tunes are put on the others computers?

A note to Pacific3000:
Make sure to keep a back-up of your original MP3’s before you make any adjustments. I have a folder called “Master Tunes” of my music after it has been ripped but no adjustments have been made. I also keep this folder in three places (on two separate external/portable hard drives as well as on DVDs). This way if you are unhappy with any adjustments you have made you can start over from scratch.

I look forward to anyone’s input.

Banter

Hey Banter,

You only need mp3gain on one computer, and you only need to process the file once.

I have a few computers in my house, and they all point to the same network drive that holds all my mp3s. I process all my trax on my main server, and the mp3gain adjustment is made to the actual file itself. No matter what computer I use to play back my tracks, they will all be 94db (in my case), regardless of mp3gain being on the computer or not.

One thing to note, mp3gain can undo it's changes. Just bring the trax back into mp3gain, and select "undo gain changes" from the 'modify gain' menu (it stores it's adjustment values in the tag in order to undo it)

Fellow DJ's,

phreaq is right. The gains only need to be done once and they can be undone if you change your mind and want a different gain setting.

A word of caution: You must make sure that you DO NOT process the files with another program that will wipe out the gain change information!!

For example, I'm was once a user of pcdj FX. It required that we process the files through a program called Tag Sweeper so that file indexing was enhanced.

The issue I had was one of sequence. If I processed Tag Sweeper first, then ran MP3Gain, no problems.

If I did MP3Gain first, then Tag Sweeper, the gain change was PERMANENT!! In other words, if I MP3Gain'd my files to 94dB then ran Tag Sweeper, I could no longer go back to the original setting! All the UNdo information was GONE!

I agree whole heartedly with Banter, make sure you have a backup of your files in their virgin forms.