Normalization

[chucktx]

I have alot of downloaded movie clips from a lot of different places and then there are the files I am creating. Is there a way (software or setting, anything) to actually normalize atleast the majority of them w/o having to reencode them? I have tried the normalization in ffdshow but it did not seem to help much. It may have been the settings that I had. When I did start to see some difference I was starting to get distortion from them.
Any ideas would be great. If I have to reencode them could someone give me some pointers on what to use?
Thanks

[KpeX]

Please note that we cannot provide help with downloaded files, regardless of their legality or content. See the forum rules or the announcement in the newbies forum for more information. As far as normalization goes, whether it can be done losslessly or not depends on the format. Please read the audio FAQ and do some searches based on what audio format you're interested in, there are many threads about software and permanent normalization.

[chucktx]

Ok so then don't help me with the files I have downloaded help me with the one's that I have created. The ones that I have created using AC3 I understand how & why they are low. But not everything I have encoded do I care to take the space for surround sound. Some of my collection I want pristine quality, other parts all I want is a livable picture w/ 128kbps mp3 I have been toying w/ AAC-HE for other non surround files also. For the AAC I have been using recode. For the others I have been following different posted guides and also DVD2avi & Intervideo DVD Copy. Back to my point the few posts that I have found for software normalization never really give a definitive answer. Is there something that is capapble of doing good normalization on any type of file after it has been encoded or am I going to have to go back and reencode everything that I have done so far? Really I am just talking about mp4 & avi. I would consider changing players but I don't really want to do that. I have my videos playing at night randomly for the most part. I'll be going along & then on come the beginning of Beverly Hills Cop & its twice as loud as an AC3 file that was playing before it. Beverly Hills Cop is just an example of one of the shows where sound was not my utmost concern therefore I didn't waste the space for surround sound. I would just like to get some setting or software that would play it at roughly the same output so I don't wake up & have to turn it down.

[f@chance]

AC3 is usually lower in volume then MP3 or MPA. For some of the sound tracks that require normalization the only way I know is use Besweet to get the WAV files and then open it in Sound Forge to get a visual feedback of how much normalization and then re-encode it to AC3 or MP3.

[daphy]

I guess you need a harware limiter like this one: :rolleyes:

http://www.golem.de/0511/41548-audiolevellimiter.jpg

[CWR03]

AC3 is usually lower in volume then MP3 or MPA. For some of the sound tracks that require normalization the only way I know is use Besweet to get the WAV files and then open it in Sound Forge to get a visual feedback of how much normalization and then re-encode it to AC3 or MP3.
...or you could enter the AC3 filter setup and adjust the Power, Voice and Master sliders, and turn off the Auto gain. I usually have to reduce the volume when I play a file with AC3 audio.