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Old 01-12-2020, 06:50 PM   #1
TallTaleTV
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Default How do I Normalize to -19db ?

Hey guys,

So from my research podcasts are supposed to be normalized to -19db

Until a few days ago I had reaper set up so that I could just hit cntrl+N, enter in the -19, and it would all work (at least I think it worked).

A few days ago my entire computer crashed. I had to do a fresh install of windows and therefore the newest version of Reaper. I hadn't updated it in about a year. Bad of me, I know.

I have all the recommended plugins, plus Izotope RX 7 Standard.

Now I can't seem to figure out how to get that normalization tool back. And to tell the truth, I have no idea if I was doing it right, to begin with.

Any help would be appreciated!
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Old 01-13-2020, 01:34 AM   #2
clepsydrae
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Are you sure you're supposed to normalize to -19dBFS? Maybe you/they meant -19 LUFS?

To normalize, you can select all the items you want to normalize, and choose "Item Processing -> Normalize items (common gain)" and they will all be turned up (or down) so that the loudest peak is at 0dBFS. (This is typically associated with Shift-N -- maybe that's what you're recalling.) You could then drag the volume handle (the top line of the item) on one item while they are all selected, and move it down until you've lowered it 19dB, which will lower all of them such that the loudest peak is now at -19dBFS.

But this is possibly not what you really want to do, since if you have effects on the track or the master track those effects might still cause your overall levels not to be peaking at -19dBFS. And requiring peaks to be at -19dBFS would be a weird and unusual request.

Where is that number coming from? It sounds to me like a standard broadcast level requirement... those are typically specified in something like LKFS / LUFS (same thing) which are kinda like dBFS but are computed using a time averaged analysis of the signal instead of instantaneous peaks (to give a more humanized notion of "how loud" it is, since peaks don't really tell that story). Normal LUFS specifications are on the order of -18 to -24 LUFS for broadcast and such, so -19 fits in there, which is why I suspect it. Online streaming distribution is usually louder than that.

To figure out the LUFS of your program, if you have RX7, you can use Insight, which IIRC comes with RX. If not, you can use the free Youlean Loudness Meter. (The creator is a forum member.)
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Old 01-13-2020, 04:49 AM   #3
TallTaleTV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clepsydrae View Post
Are you sure you're supposed to normalize to -19dBFS? Maybe you/they meant -19 LUFS?

Yep, you are correct. I still can't figure out the difference between these after 3 years of audiowork. I will check out insight, thank you!

If I understand right, I would shift+N to normalize items to common gain, use insight to find my LUFS level, and then drag the volume down until insight read -19 LUFS?
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Old 01-13-2020, 09:05 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TallTaleTV View Post
Yep, you are correct. I still can't figure out the difference between these after 3 years of audiowork. I will check out insight, thank you!

If I understand right, I would shift+N to normalize items to common gain, use insight to find my LUFS level, and then drag the volume down until insight read -19 LUFS?
hi,

open the actions list and search for "analyze loudness" and another search for "normalize". it will show you all options.
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Old 01-13-2020, 09:56 AM   #5
pandabot
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Also make sure you have SWS installed
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Old 01-13-2020, 12:18 PM   #6
clepsydrae
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Originally Posted by TallTaleTV View Post
If I understand right, I would shift+N to normalize items to common gain, use insight to find my LUFS level, and then drag the volume down until insight read -19 LUFS?
If you are using plugins on the track and/or master track, that's more often where you make the adjustments to get things in the right area (e.g. you could normalize the items with common gain, and then you'd have some eq/compression effects with make-up gain going on, adjust the track fader etc., then have the fader or plugins on the master track that bring the level down to -19 LUFS), but yes, the procedure you describe would get the job done. The value you want to look at is the "Integrated" loudness. You can also note the "maximum true peak" which should be something like -1 or -2 dBFS (depending on the standard you are mixing to).

Note that Insight (or Youlean Loudness Meter) operates on a track level (the track containing the audio items, or the master track, or wherever else you put it) rather than the item level. The overall track/program level is what you want to be checking (in this case).

The SWS Analyze Loudness tool is nice too, but AFAIK it operates on the item level. [edit: I take it back -- it has an "analyze track" option, which is still only per track, but better] E.g. if you edit your piece at all, it will show you the loudness of a single part of the edit, rather than the overall whole. So it will only be appropriate to use if you have no edits, no track adjustments (e.g. no effects or changes in the fader level from 0dB) and similarly no changes on the master track, in which case the item levels will be identical to the master track output levels. Usually at least one of the above are going on, making it more sensible to do your level analysis at the master track level, at the last slot in the effects chain.

And if you have Insight, it tells you some other handy things about your audio too, if you want to know them.
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Old 01-13-2020, 12:22 PM   #7
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OK but it was actually doing what you want and now it’s not?

Previously, one way or another, you had the SWS action that normalizes loudness to a level you enter bound to a key combination. To get that back, install SWS, open the action list, find that action, and add the shortcut.
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Old 01-13-2020, 12:24 PM   #8
clepsydrae
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Originally Posted by ashcat_lt View Post
OK but it was actually doing what you want and now it’s not?

Previously, one way or another, you had the SWS action that normalizes loudness to a level you enter bound to a key combination. To get that back, install SWS, open the action list, find that action, and add the shortcut.
(It sounded to me like they confused ctrl-N with shift-N and were referring to the built-in normalize function... but maybe I misread...)
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Old 01-13-2020, 03:17 PM   #9
TallTaleTV
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Originally Posted by clepsydrae View Post
(It sounded to me like they confused ctrl-N with shift-N and were referring to the built-in normalize function... but maybe I misread...)
I probably had it tied to an action. I set up tons of those shortcuts before my computer crashed and now I can't remember them for the life of me. It was definitely cntrl+N

However, I honestly have no clue if I was doing ti right either way. From the above comments, I really doubt I was getting the desired effect.

Thank you everyone for your answers! This has helped a lot!
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