125 lines
4.3 KiB
HTML
125 lines
4.3 KiB
HTML
<p>
|
|
Ardour allows adjusting region gain by a constant amount as opposed to
|
|
adjusting gain envelope where it's possible to change it gradually over time.
|
|
Like everything in Ardour, this is a non-destructive change. The result can be
|
|
adjusted at any a later time or discarded altogether. Internally, region gain
|
|
is an inherent property of regions, it can be edited directly in the region
|
|
properties dialog.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<figure>
|
|
<img style="width:50%;" src="/images/region-properties-gain-adjusted.png" alt="Region Properties">
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|
Region Properties
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
There are two additional ways to adjust region gain: by boosting or cutting
|
|
gain with a 1dB step, or by normalizing audio.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Boosting and Cutting Gain</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The quickest way to increase or decrease gain of selected regions without
|
|
involving the gain envelope is to use <em>Boost Gain</em> and
|
|
<em>Cut Gain</em> commands respectively.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
These commands can be accessed via the main <em>Region > Gain</em> menu or
|
|
region's context menu. A much easier way is to use shortcuts:
|
|
<strong>Alt+6</strong> boosts gain by 1dB, <strong>Alt+7</strong> cuts gain
|
|
by 1dB.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
When gain is boosted or cut, the region caption in the bottom of the affected
|
|
region specifies the amount in parentheses. In an example below, gain was cut
|
|
by 2dB.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<figure>
|
|
<img style="width:50%;" src="/images/gain-cut-example.png" alt="Gain cut">
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|
Gain cut
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Normalizing Audio Regions</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Audio normalization is a way to bring the amplitude of a signal to a target
|
|
level by applying the same amount of gain to an entire piece of audio data.
|
|
Unlike other ways to treat perceived loudness, such as compression,
|
|
normalization retains the original dynamic range.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Normalization is a common step in exporting an entire project to an audio
|
|
file. However, with Ardour, it's also possible to normalize some of the
|
|
regions. This effectively changes the region gain setting, the same one that
|
|
the boost/cut gain commands change.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Region-level normalization in Ardour can be accessed via the <em>Region >
|
|
Gain > Normalize…</em> menu command
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<figure>
|
|
<img style="width:50%;" src="/images/normalize-region-settings.png" alt="Normalize Region">
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|
Normalize Region
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The normalization tool locates the part of the audio region that has the
|
|
largest amplitude and adjusts the whole region so that that part matches the
|
|
normalization target. In an example below, an audio region was normalized
|
|
to -3dBFS, which led to -2.5dB gain reduction, and this is the part with the
|
|
largest amplitude hitting the exact -3dBFS target:
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<figure>
|
|
<img style="width:50%;" src="/images/peak-normalization-zoomed-in.png" alt="Normalized region, zoomed in">
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|
Normalized region, zoomed in
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It's also possible to apply additional constraints by analyzing perceieved
|
|
loudness of the material. The first option is to constraint root mean square
|
|
(RMS) to a certain amplitude value. The second option is to constrain loudness
|
|
units (LUFS) to a certain value.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The normalization tool will use the peak amplitude value, but will also
|
|
correct the calculated gain adjustment when the constraint demands that.
|
|
In the example below the same region as in example above was normalized to the
|
|
same peak amplitude of -3dB but with an additional constraint of -21LUFS.
|
|
The normalization tool took the peak amplitude into account and made sure it
|
|
wouldn't exceed the target value of -3dBFS, then adjusted the region gain
|
|
further from -2.5dB to -3.3dB to meet the LUFS constraint demands. This
|
|
resulted in the peak amplitude hitting -4.2dBFS rather than the target -3dBFS.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<figure>
|
|
<img style="width:50%;" src="/images/peak-normalization-with-lufs-zoomed-in.png" alt="Normalization with LUFS constraint, zoomed in">
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|
Normalization with LUFS constraint, zoomed in
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Resetting Gain</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
To reset gain correction for a region entirely you can either set it to
|
|
<tt>0</tt> in the region properties dialog or use the
|
|
<em>Region > Gain > Reset Gain</em> menu command.
|
|
</p>
|