Automatically adjust Track volume

Amivideotek wrote on 7/26/2023, 2:21 PM

I have a track with music and a track with video sounds from videos from different places. Together, these sometimes the audio go above the level of distortion. I now have to adjust these one by one by lowering each audio clip from -2db to -12db.
Is there a way to automatically adjust the audio track so that the volumes of the clips automatically decrease so that they all stay below the level of distortion when they come out above it? It is not my intention to maximize the sound of each event first with "Normalise" and then lower the entire track. Maybe I can do it using Vegasaur, but I didn't find this in Vegasaur or maybe someone knows another method, script or plugin.

Vegas Pro 20 + Ignite Pro

HitFilm Pro 2023.1

Moho Pro 13.5

Luminar Neo

Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher

Blender 3D (if I have a lot of time)

Operating System : Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU : Intel Core i7 @ 2.50GHz
Ram : 32.0GB
Motherboard : HP 8860 (U3E1)
Graphics : 4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (HP)
Storage :
953GB MTFDHBA1T0QFD-1AX1AABHA (Unknown (SSD)) 
3726GB Seagate ST4000DM004-2CV104 (SATA )
3726GB Western Digital WDC WD40EFZX-68AWUN0 (SATA )
Optical Drives : /
Audio : Realtek High Definition Audio

Comments

Robert Johnston wrote on 7/26/2023, 4:47 PM

@Amivideotek

Have your tried putting a Limiter on just the audio bus track? (View > Audio Bus Tracks)

 

Intel Core i7 10700K CPU @ 3.80GHz (to 4.65GHz), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GBytes. Memory 32 GBytes DDR4. Also Intel UHD Graphics 630. Mainboard: Dell Inc. PCI-Express 3.0 (8.0 GT/s) Comet Lake. Bench CPU Multi Thread: 5500.5 per CPU-Z.

Vegas Pro 21.0 (Build 108) with Mocha Vegas

Windows 11 not pro

fr0sty wrote on 7/26/2023, 4:59 PM

Highlight all the audio clips you want to match volume on. Right-click the chosen clips on your audio track. Choose "Switches" from the drop-down menu then select the "Normalize" switch.

Last changed by fr0sty on 7/26/2023, 4:59 PM, changed a total of 1 times.

Systems:

Desktop

AMD Ryzen 7 1800x 8 core 16 thread at stock speed

64GB 3000mhz DDR4

Geforce RTX 3090

Windows 10

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ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 32GB (9980HK CPU, RTX 2060 GPU, dual 4K touch screens, main one OLED HDR)

Googly-Smythe wrote on 7/26/2023, 8:11 PM

As has been said, use a limiter on the audio output bus. VEGAS comes with a usable limiter, eFX_Limiter.

Or, select the first audio clip on the timeline, right-click, press N to select all audio tracks after the cursor and lower all the selected audio outputs. Just repeat for all audio tracks.

Or you could simply reduce the output using the Master Bus slider.

Out of curiosity, why don't you want to normalise your tracks?

Last changed by Googly-Smythe on 7/26/2023, 8:15 PM, changed a total of 1 times.

A 100% amateur, making ham-fisted music with my guitar since 1969, soon after seeing Pink Floyd at the Festival Hall, the Albert Hall and the Fairfild Halls.

My main software is Cubase, but I use VEGAS to make videos to post on BitChute and, rarely, on Youtube.

My first computer was an Atari STE 1040, because it could run Cubase and had built-in MIDI ports.

Currently using an i9 12900/Radeon 6700XT machine, 64 gigs RAM, 2 x 32" 1440p monitors, Win 10, VEGAS 20.

Googly-Smythe wrote on 7/26/2023, 8:13 PM

Highlight all the audio clips you want to match volume on. Right-click the chosen clips on your audio track. Choose "Switches" from the drop-down menu then select the "Normalize" switch.

Amivideotek  says he doesn't want to normalise his tracks. I wonder, why not?

A 100% amateur, making ham-fisted music with my guitar since 1969, soon after seeing Pink Floyd at the Festival Hall, the Albert Hall and the Fairfild Halls.

My main software is Cubase, but I use VEGAS to make videos to post on BitChute and, rarely, on Youtube.

My first computer was an Atari STE 1040, because it could run Cubase and had built-in MIDI ports.

Currently using an i9 12900/Radeon 6700XT machine, 64 gigs RAM, 2 x 32" 1440p monitors, Win 10, VEGAS 20.

fr0sty wrote on 7/26/2023, 8:31 PM

It's the correct way to do it.

Robert Johnston wrote on 7/26/2023, 8:50 PM

@Googly-Smythe

Normalizing won't prevent clipping when you have two or more tracks of audio. If all the tracks are normalized, you'll probably get clipping when you add up the two or more tracks of audio. Just because track 1 is at -1 db and track 2 is at -1 db, for example, doesn't mean you get -1 db out the master bus. You'll still get clipping.

Intel Core i7 10700K CPU @ 3.80GHz (to 4.65GHz), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GBytes. Memory 32 GBytes DDR4. Also Intel UHD Graphics 630. Mainboard: Dell Inc. PCI-Express 3.0 (8.0 GT/s) Comet Lake. Bench CPU Multi Thread: 5500.5 per CPU-Z.

Vegas Pro 21.0 (Build 108) with Mocha Vegas

Windows 11 not pro

Googly-Smythe wrote on 7/26/2023, 9:02 PM

@Googly-Smythe

Normalizing won't prevent clipping when you have two or more tracks of audio. If all the tracks are normalized, you'll probably get clipping when you add up the two or more tracks of audio. Just because track 1 is at -1 db and track 2 is at -1 db, for example, doesn't mean you get -1 db out the master bus. You'll still get clipping.

Agreed. My main activity is music making using Cubase so I know that audio output is the sum of the parts, as it were. But normalising all the clips on a track will help if there is a limiter on the output bus. Or if you just turn down the output slider.

I always normalise and use a limiter on the output bus(es). If there are any problems with audio spikes in some clips (eg, people whispering, then someone slams a door), it's time to roll up one's sleeves and address each clip individually, even to the extent of editing the audio in an external editor.

A 100% amateur, making ham-fisted music with my guitar since 1969, soon after seeing Pink Floyd at the Festival Hall, the Albert Hall and the Fairfild Halls.

My main software is Cubase, but I use VEGAS to make videos to post on BitChute and, rarely, on Youtube.

My first computer was an Atari STE 1040, because it could run Cubase and had built-in MIDI ports.

Currently using an i9 12900/Radeon 6700XT machine, 64 gigs RAM, 2 x 32" 1440p monitors, Win 10, VEGAS 20.

Amivideotek wrote on 7/27/2023, 12:56 PM

@Robert Johnston

Lowering Audio Bus Track, eFX Limiter and Master Bus lower both the track with the song and the track with the various audio events.
I don't want this, the Track with the song has to stay as it is and the Track with the various audio events have to be adjusted.

@fr0sty @Googly-Smythe

When I select all audio events on the track with the various audio events and use Switches>Normalise to select them, all sounds are maximized below the level of distortion. I am now required to reduce the entire track volume.
But because the background and foreground sounds are maximized just below the level of distortion, I no longer hear any difference in the foreground and background sounds.

Is there an automatic method that checks each audio event separately along for distortion together with the track with the song and if necessary the volume of the audio events is lowered to just below this level?

 

 

Last changed by Amivideotek on 7/27/2023, 12:58 PM, changed a total of 1 times.

Vegas Pro 20 + Ignite Pro

HitFilm Pro 2023.1

Moho Pro 13.5

Luminar Neo

Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher

Blender 3D (if I have a lot of time)

Operating System : Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU : Intel Core i7 @ 2.50GHz
Ram : 32.0GB
Motherboard : HP 8860 (U3E1)
Graphics : 4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (HP)
Storage :
953GB MTFDHBA1T0QFD-1AX1AABHA (Unknown (SSD)) 
3726GB Seagate ST4000DM004-2CV104 (SATA )
3726GB Western Digital WDC WD40EFZX-68AWUN0 (SATA )
Optical Drives : /
Audio : Realtek High Definition Audio

Googly-Smythe wrote on 7/27/2023, 1:35 PM

<snip>

Is there an automatic method that checks each audio event separately along for distortion together with the track with the song and if necessary the volume of the audio events is lowered to just below this level?

You don't want to normalise.

You don't want to use a limiter.

You don't want to adjust the track or bus levels.

You don't want to adjust the clip levels.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say "No." The only way I see that this can be done is for a plugin to be told the reference track, the track to be adjusted, analyse the selected tracks, and then perform it's magic.

The only solution I can think of that may remotely do the job is a VST by Izotope: Neutron or Ozone, each of which cost more than VEGAS. I've never used them, but they have some AI functions that may help.

https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/neutron-4.html

https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/ozone-10-advanced.html

I'd be interested if any one can come with a solution for this problem, that doesn't require the use of expensive 3rd party tools.

A 100% amateur, making ham-fisted music with my guitar since 1969, soon after seeing Pink Floyd at the Festival Hall, the Albert Hall and the Fairfild Halls.

My main software is Cubase, but I use VEGAS to make videos to post on BitChute and, rarely, on Youtube.

My first computer was an Atari STE 1040, because it could run Cubase and had built-in MIDI ports.

Currently using an i9 12900/Radeon 6700XT machine, 64 gigs RAM, 2 x 32" 1440p monitors, Win 10, VEGAS 20.

Amivideotek wrote on 7/27/2023, 2:39 PM

@Googly-Smythe Yes, it is possible. Now I've done it manually, but I'll look around for the future when the same problem happens to me. I always look for an easier way.

Last changed by Amivideotek on 7/27/2023, 2:40 PM, changed a total of 1 times.

Vegas Pro 20 + Ignite Pro

HitFilm Pro 2023.1

Moho Pro 13.5

Luminar Neo

Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher

Blender 3D (if I have a lot of time)

Operating System : Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU : Intel Core i7 @ 2.50GHz
Ram : 32.0GB
Motherboard : HP 8860 (U3E1)
Graphics : 4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (HP)
Storage :
953GB MTFDHBA1T0QFD-1AX1AABHA (Unknown (SSD)) 
3726GB Seagate ST4000DM004-2CV104 (SATA )
3726GB Western Digital WDC WD40EFZX-68AWUN0 (SATA )
Optical Drives : /
Audio : Realtek High Definition Audio

Howard-Vigorita wrote on 7/27/2023, 2:54 PM

There are a number of different ways it can be done with Vegas. If you have multiple clips recorded at different levels, normalizing can match the maximum peaks in the various clips to one another. Works well when the relative levels throughout each clip are consistent, but they just don't match one another. It's a good 1st step to match up separately recorded clips. A variation if you have a long clip with some loud parts and some soft parts is to split it into sections and do the same thing.

If you want to get a little deeper into the weeds on that, you could also take loudness readings for the various audio clips and manipulate the loudness with compression or expansion to force them into a closer match while holding peak levels constant. I often do that on stage shows featuring multiple performers of different styles and/or dynamics.

A more automatic and natural sounding way to do it is with either variable compression or brick-wall limiting compression. One natural sounding tool I often use is the Vegas Wave Hammer fx Volume Maximizer threshhold control to bring peaks down 3 to 6 db which can lift non-peak parts of the clip by the same amount depending on how you set the output level. If more is needed, I follow that with maybe 5:1 broadband compression.

Some audio tracks are so badly captured that none of that works well enough. Happens allot when performers wander away from the mic while talking or singing. In those cases I go manual with volume envelopes on tracks and lots of breakpoints. Sometimes its so bad that the 6db range of a volume envelope is inadequate. In which case I create a track envelope for the the track compressor's input or output gain which have 25db ranges... that's a pretty extreme correction range and is only practical with very low self-noise recordings.

john_dennis wrote on 7/27/2023, 8:34 PM

@Amivideotek

Though not an "automatic - one button" solution there is a lot of good information in this thread:

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/broadcast-delivery-with-vegas-pro--140074/?page=1