Enhancing Listening Experience: Steps for Standardizing Audio Amplitude in VLC

How To Normalize Volume in VLC

How to normalize volume, why should we do it, and what is it after all? – these are the questions when it comes to editing our audio files, as well as the video clips we tend to change the sound of. So, first of all, the volume normalization is pretty much explained as follows: The process when a constant amount of gain is applied to the audio recording, bringing the amplitude to a desirable level, which is “the norm” for the project. If it is a little bit difficult to understand, we have to highlight that when this tool is applied to our volume, the whole recording has the same amount of gain across it, every piece affected the same way. Accordingly, when we normalize volume, the relative dynamics are not changed.

But, why bother at all and why not leave it the way it is? Well, the answer to this is almost the same as on why editing exists in general, right? Things are not perfect! This is the fact that prompts us to make our video clips and audio better, improve it at least on the level which can get us the right amount of viewers and listeners. Everyone have had some pain listening to several podcasts, when the volume was too high or too low, or there were so much background noise that the whole recording was hurting the ears of a person! People will not convert to being loyal subscribers, viewers and listeners if their user experience is not favored. So, it is in our best interest to serve their best interest, with a little bit of editing.

When it comes to normalizing audio, there are two reasons we refer to this tool. First is when we feel we need to get the maximum volume, and the second is when we need to match different volumes.

In the first case, you might have somewhat quite voice recording, and would like to make it better without changing its dynamic range, while making it as loud as possible. And when it comes to matching volumes, it is logical that you need to manipulate your editing this way in case you have a group of audio files, each or some of them are at different volumes, so, understandably, if not necessarily, you would like to make them come closer to the same volume.

So, until we give you the step-by step guide on how to normalize your volume in VLC player, we also need to inform you about audio normalization types. Here, generally, we come across three of them: a so-called peak normalization, helping adjust the recording based on the highest signal level present in the recording; another is called loudness normalization and it adjusts the recording based on perceived loudness. Last but not least, RMS (Root-Mean-Square), changes the value of all the samples, where their average electrical volume overall is a specified level.

Using any of this, making it better to listen to your voice, without people being annoyed and their ears becoming exhausting with what you have to offer, you will be making it enjoyable for them and easy to come back to your content, as they will not be obliged to change the volume on their own audio players. Instead, their experience with you will be calm and effortless, which you are aiming to achieve.

So, not, what about VLC? – this is a very popular media player, favorite for a lot of people all around the world, so you should already be quite familiar with what it is, at least by having streamed videos and movies there. Speaking more of what it represents, it is a free-to-use, robust, and feature-packed software that plays a wide range of audio, image, and video files. It is worth noting that it can also play multimedia files directly from extractable devices or the PC and additionally, the program can stream from popular websites such as Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and so on.

As if it was not enough, you can do simple video and audio editing in VLC Media Player, which a lot of people are unaware of! For example, you can easily trim and cut videos. So, as it happens, we can also normalize volume in VLC Media Player. It is a very handy feature and it works on Windows as well as on Mac. Sooo… How to do that? Because, actually, it is so simple that you might be surprised you didn’t know about this earlier. To learn how to normalize volume in VLC, follow this simple guideline:

First, of course, as every time working with any software, you need to have VLC Media Player installed on your device. Once you have it installed, open VLC. Go to the Tools and Preferences and there, you will need to check the single box which is next to Normalize volume in Effects. Now, set the level to the one that works best for you. Then, when you are happy with the result, you can Save.

This is not something perfect, because it’s so simple to do and actually what it does is just help adjust the general volume, so it leaves the specifics alone.

But, it might be the case that you are not so satisfied with the simple editing and want a little more to get from the editing process on VLC. So, you can do more with the Audio Effects menu there. And the steps are as follows:

First, on your VLC player, find Tools and then, in the menu, go to Preferences. The window will open, and there you need to select All in Show settings – actually it is a little bit hard to find because this is in the bottom left corner of the window. From there, you will need to navigate to Audio, and then, a little below, click on Filters and highlight it. The checkbox next to the Dynamic range compressor will probably be unchecked – so, check in it.

Next, see where Compressor is in the left panel? Select it. And now, you are free to make the changes to the levels as you see fit.

Here, if you are a little bit overwhelmed with the wide range of options to work on, you can just concentrate the most on Makeup gain, Threshold, and Ratio. The first one is by which you adjust in quiet sequences to raise the volume, the second will help you reduce louder sequences to even things out, and ratio is the maximum level of all audio within a movie, let’s say.

Don’t underestimate Attack time and release time, either. They graduate the changes to ramp them up at first, then down again, rather than initiating them immediately. So, if you set them to your liking as well, this will ensure that you have a more fluid transition in and out of the scene and there are less sudden, sometimes scary volume changes.

Therefore, you are now equipped with the most information you will need to normalize volume in VLC Player – so free to give it a go, play around with the different settings and carry out the best result imaginable for you!

How to normalize audio in Wondershare Filmora?

Now, even though we already know how to normalize audio in VLC in the simplest, as well as in the more advanced way, it might be even better if we know some more about normalizing audios in different programs. Something worth discussing is a software called Wondershare Filmora , which carries out the same task wonderfully. Although, unlike VLC Media Player, it is a real video editor , but don’t panic if you have never laid your hand on editing – it is one of the easiest to use ini the word, operating also both on Mac and Windows, and its interface is utterly understandable for beginners right away. And, actually, it is a qhile that Wondershare Filmora X introduced the feature to normalize the audio for the first time. What to say more - you might want to stop now and download the latest version of Filmora because now we are about to learn how to normalize audio from the video there – so, tune in!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

When it is done installing, open the software. Now, click and drag the video of which the audio you want to normalize. Now you can select the clip you have chosen – if there are multiple, select all of them, then right-click and choose Detach Audio.

Now if you have this kind of graphic before your eyes, you can be pretty sure without even listening, that the noises are really, really different from each other, which highlights once again how useful audio normalization can be:

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

Soon, all audio will be normalized, and you will already be able to see on the graphics that the volumes are almost on the same level and when you listen to it, you will make sure that there is no longer apparent difference between how they sound. And from there on, you can save the file you just normalized!

So, in this article, we learned a lot about normalizing volumes, why and how it is done, and, more specifically, how to get this task completed in VLC Media Player as well as in Wondershare Filmora X. you can proceed to putting this new information into a good use and come back to learn more about video and audio editing here!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

What Is Audio Ducking and How to Use It in Filmora

What is Audio Ducking and How to Use it in Filmora: A Beginner-friendly Guide

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are a content creator, you might already know the importance of having the right audio component in a video. For attaining a perfect balance between voiceovers and the background audio, the concept of “ducking” is implemented. I have come up with this post to help you know more about audio ducking and its importance. I will also include a detailed guide for implementing audio ducking on a video in a stepwise manner. Let’s begin!

Part 1: What Is Audio Ducking?
Part 2: When to Use Audio Ducking?
Part 3: How to Use the Audio Ducking Feature in Filmora?

Audio Ducking: What Is It All About?

In nutshell, it is a process that “ducks” or lowers the background volume when a voiceover appears. For instance, let’s consider that we already have a background score in our video playing. When we would add a narrator’s voice or apply a voiceover, it would create a lot of confusion. Therefore, we implement the audio ducking process to lower the background audio and amplify the voiceover instead.

In most cases, it is achieved through a side-chain compression technique. A control channel is set up that enables the compression of one sound (the background) while amplifying another (the voiceover).

When Do You Need to Implement Audio Ducking?

Since the concept of audio ducking is pretty useful, it can be implemented in different ways during the video editing process. While you can apply the process to any video, here are some of the major instances where it is used.

Travel Vlogs

If you are a travel vlogger, you might already know how tough it can be to make yourself heard in a video. When there are too many background noises, your voice can be diminished. This is exactly where you can apply audio ducking to decrease the background noise and focus on your voice.

Make-up Tutorials

While creating make-up video tutorials, most of us use a background track to keep our viewers engaged. At the same time, you need to let them know about the process by speaking clearly. If you use audio ducking, then you can easily attain a perfect balance between both sounds.

Other Instances

Ideally, if you are creating any other tutorial video for your audience, then audio ducking can be useful. From making video game tutorials to coming up with video lectures on a crucial topic, the concept would come in handy time and time again.

How to Use the Audio Ducking Feature in Filmora?

To implement audio ducking in your videos, you can use a reliable editing tool like Wondershare Filmora . It is a user-friendly and powerful video editing application that lets you “duck” the background sound and easily amplify voiceovers.

Without undergoing any complicated process, you can implement audio ducking and even scale it (from 1 to 100) to attain the right balance in your videos.
Filmora also offers tons of powerful audio features for video editing. It has a dedicated audio mixer that would let you split, detach, split, or mute the audio.
The application can also be used to add voiceovers to your video on its native interface. You can also use its inbuilt operations like noise remover, fade in/fade out, equalizer, etc. to make the needed changes.
Besides audio ducking, you can also access tons of advanced editing features in Filmora like motion tracking, color grading, keyframing, and so much more.
The application also offers a wide range of filters, presets, effects, stickers, and royalty-free music that you can easily use in your videos.

To learn how to implement audio ducking in your videos using Filmora, you can go through these basic steps:

Step 1. Import Your Videos on Filmora

To begin with, you have to install Wondershare Filmora on your computer and launch it. Now, go to the “Import” feature from the top, choose to add files, and browse and load your videos. After adding the video, you can drag it to the timeline below to start editing.

Step 2. Import An Audio or Record Voiceovers

Let’s suppose that your video already has an audio track in the background, and now you wish to add another audio component. Most of the people would like to record their voices in the video. For this, you can click on the voiceover (mic) icon at the bottom of the preview panel. This will open a dedicated window so that you can start recording your voice for the video.

Apart from that, you can also go to the “Import” feature to add any other audio component to the project. Besides that, Wondershare Filmora also has a wide range of royalty-free audio files that you can easily add to your projects.

Step 3. Apply Audio Ducking to Your Video

After adding the second audio component, you can view it under the video timeline on Filmora. Now, you need to select the audio track you wish to amplify (like your voiceover) and not the track that already has a prominent volume.

Once you have selected the audio you wish to amplify, right-click to get its context menu. Just select the “Adjust Audio” feature from all the available options.

This will launch a dedicated window on the screen with various audio options to apply. Go to the “Ducking” option here and enable the “Lower the volume of other clips” feature. You can also use a slider here to adjust how much you wish to lower the volume of other clips in the project.

That’s it! Once you have selected the value, click on the “OK” button. You can now preview the results on Filmora and check that the volume of other audio components has been ducked. You can later go to the “Export” option and save the project in the format of your choice.

After reading this post, I’m sure that you will know more about audio ducking and how we can implement it. Since many content creators encounter issues while working on their videos, audio ducking would certainly be a helpful feature. With an application like Wondershare Filmora, you can easily implement audio ducking on multiple files and further edit your videos like a pro!

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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