No sound from an 'imported' mp3 file

[Black Lab]

Sorry.

[johnnyivan]

Thanks. I do appreciate your help.

[johnnyivan]

Agk! Just opened a file in Audacity and discovered that they ARE wav files. Idiot. And after renaming dozens of them last night, how did i forget?

So Jeff, my prob now is how to get the right balance of audio tracks I suppose. Although, you did say that when you import a wav file the music isn't barely audible until you turn it up. In my case it is.

How high can you turn it before it distorts? - does it even distort? I presume it can go up to '500' for a good reason.
John

[Ken Berry]

If your mp3s are playing that is at least something. But while the base volume in the existing sound track might be 100 and the slider goes up to 500, it also goes *down* to 0. So the idea is that you reduce the original ambient audio level to, say, 50, and then play it again to see how the mp3 sounds in relation to it. If it is still not loud enough, then reduce the ambient sound a little more and/or nudge up the mp3 level until you strike the balance you want.

I certainly wouldn't go much higher than 200. Remember, if you are going to distribute the DVD to friends, or even playing it back over your own TV, if the sound on the DVD is too loud people are going to have to adjust their volume fairly significantly if they don't want to be deafened... At the higher volume levels, you are also liable to encounter audio distortion for certain frequencies...

[johnnyivan]

Hi Ken, they're actually wav files after all. Because VS took them in from a CD.

Is there a more scientific - no not scientific - a more accurate method for balancing audio and not overloading on volume? Is the tracks have those ripply/wavy indicators of volume. Presumably they shoudn't peak above a certain level?

Also, are the levels of the audio tracks additive? What I mean is if 200 was - for the sake of argument - the max allowable, and the ambient and music tracks were 50 and 180 - then does that make a distorted 230? Or am I being too simplistic.

Thanks!
John

[johnnyivan]

By the way, when laying in the music track last night I had some success. I put the ambient and music tracks to 100 and then used the rubber-bands to ease the relative volumes up and down. But, as i said, i don't know how that will come out volume or quality-wise in the finished movie, on TV.

[Black Lab]

As you are well aware, not every CD is mixed the same. Some are louder than others. Basically, that is your problem.

When you finally go to the Share > Create Disc phase and get to the actual burn window where you can choose to Create Disc, Create DVD Folders, etc. there is a box for Normalize Audio. Make sure you check that. In fact, before fiddle with all the audio for all your clips, why don't you do a little test with a some of your clip audio and some ripped from the CD and see if the Normalize function fixes it.

[johnnyivan]

I'll try that thanks. I suppose there's a danger of horrid compression if i don't know what i'm doing.