Automatic gain control

English Feature Requests
1

Firstly, it’s nice to be the first person in the southern hemisphere to use mAirList. I’m from Australia & have been looking for this sort of program for a while. Just wish I had found it earlier.

Is there any way that an automatic gain control option can be added to the general features of the program? I’m sure we all have CD’s with various volume levels, and playing them back on air means potentially monitoring the volume to maintain a consistant level. Or does it exist already?

2

Mairlist hasn’t this feature, because this is Automation program, not a sound procesor. Try using e.g. a MP3gain to normalize your tracks, or, to have better efect, mbl4 with main output of your mix desk. I realy suggest you to use hardware sound procesor, Behringer Ultramizer is good device for good price. :wink:

3

Firstly, welcome to the mAirList forums!

This is, as midzi says, a gain levelling issue; as he also correctly says, mAirList was designed to be used in a radio studio, with an external mixing desk.

There are several ways to ‘level’ audio tracks when they are ripped from CDs to (usually) MP3 files. Decent ripping programs like dbPowerAmp have the ability to normalize tracks to a standard maximum level like the widely-used ‘89dB’ level. Some also have the ability to adjust the ‘loudness’ of ripped tracks, the intention being that they have the same AVERAGE perceived level to the human ear: but personally, I don’t like that kind of pre-processing, I prefer to simply normalize everything to -0dB (or 100%).

To handle the levelling issue post-rip, as it were, you need a great piece of freeware called MP3Gain. This simple software can do both ‘levelling’ and ‘loudness’ (though it takes a bit of effort to persuade it to do true ‘levelling:’ Ctrl+M followed by Ctrl+X does it). Personally I use MP3Gain immediately post-rip to set the maximum no-clip gain (‘levelling’): it’s surprising how many tracks allegedly ‘normalized’ during ripping can end up 6dB or more into clipping!

midzi is right in saying that you really need a hardware box like an Ultramizer somewhere after your master outputs from the desk: othewise, you are unlikely to sound like a radio station (ALL radio stations use some kind of hardware audio processor device to ‘beef up’ their audio).

Hope that helps, and please feel free to ask anything else in here: don’t be shy! One or other of us will usually be able to help you quickly.

PS: I was sure that another chap in here is posting from NZ, or am I mistaken?

BFN
CAD

4

Thanks for the info guys. I’ll start doing the background work on this over the next few weeks as I have about 400 sound files to edit as well!!!

BTW - this is for a local radio station program that is available on the Internet. Hopefully our wonderful moderator wond mind me mentioning it - Sunday nights (Australian Eastern time) from 10pm to midnight. Go to www.893fm.com.au & follow the links yadda yadda yadda. You will obviously have to check to see when we are on at your local time but I would love your feedback. maf@dodo.com.au.

Yours in radio & fun,

Radioman (Mark)