NicAudio has volume too low

[patrick_]

I'm using NicAudio to import an AC3 audio file. I'm setting Channels to 2 and DRC to default (0).
The problem is that the volume is quite low (a little lower than with WMP, and much lower than with MPC).
I'm wondering if this means that all programs touch the volume and nicaudio doesn't, or if it is the other way arround.
If nic audio doesn't everything's fine, and than I'ld like to know if Normalize reads all audio before normalizing (as it should).

BTW I tried to compare with FFmpegSource, but that giva me a decoding error. (the AC3 file has been created with DGIndex).

Thanks in advance.

[Adub]

Try comparing with Directshowsource. Make sure that your ffdshow is configure to not touch the audio, unless you want it to downmix the channels for you.

Also, the whole point of DRC is to dynamically increase specific areas of an audio waveform (such as speech) to better compliment the whole audio file. I don't know if setting the DRC to 0 disable it or not, but be careful if you are having volume issues.

Have you tried comparing the volume levels of the audio file vs the audio file through your NicAudio script? Are they different or the same?

[tebasuna51]

If you downmix 5.1 to 2 channels is recommended Normalize (and yes read all audio to apply the max gain without clip).

Don't apply Dynamic Range Compression (DRC=0) gives you the best quality. If you want less quality and more volume use DRC=1 and Normalize after.

[patrick_]

I just tried FFDShow and that also has the audio much louder. I configured it to downmix to 2.0. I'm unable to compare them at 5.1, because MPC won't reproduce the AVS file.
BTW I'm testing with the opening of Futurama, so the sound issue isn't a speech issue. It's the general (or peek) sound level.
I'm aware of the use of DRC (It's what many receivers call "Night-mode").
Have you tried comparing the volume levels of the audio file vs the audio file through your NicAudio script? Are they different or the same?
If you're talking about the AC3 audio file, than that's exactly what I did. I'm comparing to reproduce the AC3 file directly or to reproduce the AC3 file within a AVS script (using NicAudio).

[tebasuna51]

I just tried FFDShow and that also has the audio much louder. I configured it to downmix to 2.0.
Please inform about the 'Volume' and 'Mixer' settings (specially about Matrix mixer)

I'm aware of the use of DRC (It's what many receivers call "Night-mode").
Yes.

I'm comparing to reproduce the AC3 file directly or to reproduce the AC3 file within a AVS script (using NicAudio).
Please put your .avs script.

[patrick_]

Volume is unchecked
Mixer is checked, speaker 2/0/0 - stereo, nothing else is checked. So no custom or normalized matrix.

my script just opens a d2v (dgindex) file and adds an ac3 audio file. Nothing else (I'm just testing de nicaudio filter to see if it suits my purpose).

[tebasuna51]

Volume is unchecked
Mixer is checked, speaker 2/0/0 - stereo, nothing else is checked. So no custom or normalized matrix.

my script just opens a d2v (dgindex) file and adds an ac3 audio file. Nothing else (I'm just testing de nicaudio filter to see if it suits my purpose).

But I want know if you open the ac3 file propperly.

If you use in the .avs:

NicAc3Source("your.ac3", 2)
Normalize()

you obtain the max stereo volume without clip. If you obtain higher volume with other decoder you are clipping the audio.

[patrick_]

I don't normalize. Not with Nicac3, not with directshow. So it's just:
AudioDub(MPEG2Source("some.d2v"),NicAc3Source("your.ac3", 2))

[tebasuna51]

Then with Directshow you can have distort output and with NicAudio you can turn up the volume without distort.

[patrick_]

OK, Thanks for helping. Now I know I can safely use NicAudio.Normalize :D