Audio Normalize problem?

GaryStebbins wrote on 3/25/2003, 8:47 PM

I'm new to Vegas, so there's a good chance I've overlooked something.

I have some video where the audio is too low. So, I'm trying to normalize the audio on these events to bring it up. I right-click on the audio event, and select Switches --> Normalize. For some events this works fine. For most in my project, when I do that, the event waveform "flatlines", and no audio plays for that event. If I turn off the Normalize, the clip waveform returns to normal.

Is this a bug, or have I done something wrong?

Thanks.

Gary

Comments

wcoxe1 wrote on 3/25/2003, 9:02 PM

Start by pressing F5 to regenerate your waveforms. If that doesn't work, it is probably a bug.

Please write

customerservice@sonicfoundry.com

and report this definite bug to support at SoFo. The wish more confirmation on this.

Randy Brown wrote on 3/30/2003, 3:59 PM

I brought up a similar problem a while back...for me it sometimes works great but other tomes it does nothing; ie when I go to properties check "normalize" then recalculate it still reads 0 db when no peaks are anywhere close to 0. Very frustrating when I normalize 20 clips and then all of a sudden 1 or 2 doesn't work. The workaround I've found is to add a volume envelope to the whole track and turning just those 2 up but it's sure a pain...if it's a bug then I assume SF is working on it and I won't bring it up again, but if I'm missing something please clue me in.
TIA,
Randy

Randy Brown wrote on 3/30/2003, 4:09 PM

Hmmm...I just jacked with one of the clips some more and all of a sudden I get "inf" at the "recalculte" dialogue with no sound like Gary mentioned. I turned off normalize and the wave form is back (fortunately)
Randy

vicmilt wrote on 3/30/2003, 4:55 PM

Normalize checks the ENTIRE audio sample, figures the highest peak and if it is under max, proportionally raises everything the appropriate amount.
The beauty of normalize is that being a digital process, it will raise your sound levels without introducing any "tape" or other hiss.
Sometimes a problem will occur when you have a low audio leveled track with one spike of sound. (a door slam, etc).
Try zooming in on your audio track and cutting it into little pieces with the split tool (s), with each section you cut containing similar sized low audio passages. Chances are they will Pop up in in size. Leave the loud passages alone. Soon your whole track will have some "meat" to it, and you can then set audio envelope levels to even everything out.
There ain't no easy fast way to do this, yet, in Vegas. A link (suggestion??) to a hardware audio slider control, would be a great improvement, since you could mix your stuff live. (VV experts... does this exist??)

Randy Brown wrote on 3/30/2003, 5:50 PM

Thanks vicmilt, I wish it were that simple but peaks are the first thing I always check (they're no where near 0).
Thanks again,
Randy

wcoxe1 wrote on 3/30/2003, 5:56 PM

The typical thing that happens when you try to normalize a whole track is that every clip that is actually on screen (in view) has normalized peaks, and every one that is off screen has ZERO peeks. Move to a different place and perform the operation and you get a different set of clips involved, but same resulte.

Even assuming there was a door slamming or such, the result should be that the peaks stay the same rather than expand. Certainly not go to ZERO.

Randy Brown wrote on 3/31/2003, 8:25 AM

Good morning wcoxe1,
I'm not sure if that was for vicmilt or me, but I'm not trying to normalize a whole track just a single clip that is probably (I have to eyeball it since there is no scale in V4) around -30 db.
Thanks,
Randy

craftech wrote on 3/31/2003, 9:28 AM

This was a problem in VV3 and remains a problem in VV4.
Do a Search and type in "normalize". Read about the workarounds. The other unresolved problem is the infamous "blank black frames" issue. Same thing. Do a search for the workarounds.

John

Randy Brown wrote on 3/31/2003, 11:25 AM

Okay John, you told me this when I posted the same problem a while back so I searched all the way back to October of 2002 and found the following posted by SonicEPM. For those interested, it works:
>>>Normalizing before all peak files are finished building seems to be at the root of this. Try going to the folder that has the problem media in it, and delete all ".sfk" files (the peak files), then go back into Vegas, zoom the timeline all the way out and hit F5- this will rebuild all the peaks. The flatlining events should be ok after you do this.<<<
Thanks for your patience John,
Randy
Update: I just added another avi to the timeline and it did the same thing...apparently the secret is to clip off a second or two at either end as someone else suggested.