FCP/DVDSP/Compressor .ac3 Low Audio

Can somebody tell me why .ac3 files come out so low compared to .aif when sent to compressor from FCP, even though I boosted the levels in FCP. I need more level in ac3 format for DVDSP.

In Compressor, duplicate the AC3 (Dolby Digital) preset for DVD then modify the copy this way: in the Audio tab, set Dialog Normalization to -31dbfs (that will leave the audio at the same level as it was in FCP). In the Preprocessing tab, set 'Compressor Preset' to NONE.
These are excerpts from the Compressor Help Files: http://documentation.apple.com/en/compressor/usermanual/#chapter=10%26section=1% 26hash=apple_ref:doc:uid:TempBookID-ReplacedWhenAssociatingWithMessierRevision-9 0863AC3-1007867
"If you enter –31 dBFS: The attenuation is 0 dB (31 dBFS–31 dBFS), and the source audio levels are not affected at all.
If you enter –27 dBFS: The attenuation will be 4 dB (31 dBFS–27 dBFS).
If you enter –12 dBFS: The attenuation is 19 dB (31 dBFS–12 dBFS)."
"Compression Preset: Specifies one of the dynamic range processing modes built in to the AC-3 format. The default of Film Standard Compression should only be used when you are encoding an original mix intended for cinema. In almost all cases, you should choose None."
-DH

Similar Messages

Low audio level in encoded ac3 file

When I export from FCS 2 using Compressor, audio ac3 file has a low audio level. I was trying change settings in compressor but no result. Therefore I export audio from FCP as quick time movie - AIFF audio file. Then audio level is the same as in FCS. But file is so big. It takes so much space on my DVD when authoring with DVD Studio Pro. I make DVD - PAL. Anybody with the same problem?

I'm glad you mentioned the preset, Silal. I kept meaning to bring that up, but forgot.
Set Preprocessing to None. That will keep high level short duration sounds, like drums, etc., from overtaking your dialog, and crushing it.
The way DIALNORM is intended to work, you set it to the average level of your dialog from your editing app. If you're working in FCP, then that might be something like -12. That setting will cause the player to attenuate the level so dialog is attenuated by 19dB (-31 minus -12 = 19dB of attenuation by the player).
That, in turn, allows the ridiculously loud music and nat sounds in the film soundtrack to sound "more natural", as they blast your ear drums into bits. "More natural" means "much louder than dialog, just like they are in real life".
Bah, humbug! Let me hear what the talent is saying. I don't care if I can hear every nuance of that rock ballad, I just want to be able to follow the story, the plot.
Hey, I'm an old dude, you whippersnappers.
But back to the point, by setting DIALNORM to -31, the player works out the math like this:
-31 minus -31 = 0dB of attenuation
So, your level should be exactly what it was before the compression/conversion. Why it isn't is a mystery, still.

Low audio volume in DVD SP

I've been experiencing low audio volume with burned DVDs in DVD SP 4.
The audio volume is fine in FCP, and also in the self-contained exported QT file.
But once imported into DVD SP and burned to a DVD, the volume is almost cut in half on multiple projects. The DVD's are short (< 30 minutes) so the audio is left as an AIFF file rather than converting it to an .ac3 with Compressor.
I don't see any way to control the volume in DVD SP.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Richard<br>
G5 dual 2 gig Mac OS X (10.4.7) 4.5 Gigs Ram

There's no way to control volume in DVDSP.
I had the same problem, but I had an ac3 file through Compressor. And there was this feature in it called "dialog normalization" that I had to turn off (setting it at -31dB), and my levels were good.
If you can't solve your problem with AIFF, maybe try ac3, and see if it suits you.

Problem exporting from FCP using compressor

Out of the blue - I'm getting batch failures trying to export from FCP for use in a DVD. Immediately after selecting compressor for export, I get an error reading "That file already exists", and a new tab appears in the media browser with a lengthy character string. Compressor opens fine, and I select Best Quality 4:3 encoding for video and aiff48 for audio. When the batch is submitted - it promptly fails and blames FCP for generating an error.
Did all kinds of restarts and work arounds to no avail. The promising news is that this error seems to occur only when exporting from FCP through Compressor.
My work-around is to export a QT movie of the piece, quit FCP, launch Compressor, and then import the QT for batching.
Hope this helps anyone else in similar situations
Martin
G5 PPC Mac OS X (10.4.8) FCP 512 post production

Hi:
How long is your movie?
The best workflow is FCP > Compressor > DVDSP.
You can encode your timeline directly to get MPEG2 video and Dolby 2 (AC3) audio files. Then import those in DVDSP and author your DVD.
Using Compressor you control the full encoding process. You can test with small parts of your movie (those where you got problems with iDVD) and find the best encoding options fopr your footage.
Of course the DVDSP learning curve is longer than iDVD but once you learned ir you probably never go back. Like iMovie and FCP.
To give you detailed info about what encoding settings to use you must post some info about your FCP project.
Hope that helps !
Alberto

Is there a deus ex maquina for the hashed over HDV- DV conversion issues in the temples of FCP and Compressor??

I want to create a good quality SD DVD from 1080i/60 footage (20 minutes duration) from a Sony ZiU camera (mini DV tape) using FCP and Compressor. I can't do it. My hair has fallen out, but I don't want to throw in the towel.
I have imported the same footage with different FCP presets. The video quality in FCP is excellent.
But once I send the footage to Compressor. I end up with video exhibiting gradations of the following: blurry, jagged edges, jerky movement, darker color. Poor quality especially if a subject (kids playing football) runs fast.
The QT conversion process in Ken Stone’s article (May, 2008/updated in Jan, 2011) provides the most helpful information in getting a quality SD DVD. (Quality means looking as good as SD video DVDs). Except for the fact that the DVD is widescreen, the better quality alternative may just be to stick with the old 4:3 shooting, editing, burning methods that I’ve used for years. Unless of course, I am missing something. Hence my appeal to the knowledgable.
FYI Equipment/software: MAC Pro (OS 10.6.8); ATI Radeon HD 4870; terabytes to spare on 2 internal hard drives; FCS - FCP 7.0.3, Compressor 3.5.3, DVDSP 4.2.2. All applications are on Drive 1. FCP project files, scratch and other setups are on drive 2.
My current settings in FCP appear below. What's wrong here? Better alternative? Or it just may be HDV should not go to a SD DVD.
CAPTURE PRESET: HDV - APPLE PRORES 422
DEVICE CONTROL PRESET: Sony HDV FireWire
VIDEO PROCESSING Render 10-bit material in high precion YUV
I now send the Sequence to Compressor I've tried various settings, and the split screen preview in Compressor reveals on the right side the jaggy, blurred, darker video. Same shows up after submitting; and of course if I try to burn a DVD in DVDSP. I've followed Stone's Aug 31, 2009 article on Compressor 3.5. I experiemented with changes here and there without success (like changing field dominance of even selecting DV NTSC, etc).
If you got this far, thank you. And I really could use the help.
Sorry.Presets: Apple Pro Res 422 1440x1080 60i 48 kHz, HDV- Apple ProRes 422, Sony HDV FireWire. Capture Preset: HDV-Apple ProRes 422; Device control Sony HDV FireWire. Sequence Settings: 1440x1080 HD (1440X1080) (16:9), PIixel HD(1440x1080), Upper/Odd, 29.97, Compressor Apple ProRes 422. Message was edited by: Richard Fera

Michael,
Thanks for the helpful comments. Two tactics today helped. Where ever field dominance was indicated I made sure "upper/top" was the same everywhere throughout FCP and Compressor. That almost eliminated the jagged edges. Also, in the easy setup, I selected Apple ProRes 422 as the format, using HDV to ProRes HQ - Sony -1080i60. Sending direct to Compressor rather than through QuickTime conversion also help produce a clearer, less dark picture.
I'll try your suggesstions especially adding compression markers. I'll check back with you on results.
Thanks

What is the workflow from FCP to Compressor to preserve 24p frame rate?

I just exported my 108-minute project from FCP to Compressor (v3.0.3). I used the MPEG-2 "setting" in Compressor. My end result was a Compressor file whose frame rate is at 29.97. When I import this new compressed file into DVD Studio Pro, the DVD project defaults to 29.97.
I'm a little unsure of how this works. I have an FCP project set at XDCAM EX 1080p24. I'd like to preserve 24 frames per second for a "film" look in the final product, which right now is ultimately a burning of a DVD using DVD Studio Pro.
Should I be using a different setting in Compressor to achieve 24 frames per second? Am I missing a switch to toggle in Compressor? Or FCP? Or DVD Studio Pro? Or... is my final DVD product, which is listed at 29.97, actually preserving the 24 frames and I'm just seeing things incorrectly? (It looks video-ish.)
thanks,
Shanked

Hi Jerry,
To respond to your info request: my "settings" indicate my Editing Timebase is 23.98.
Moreover...
Editing Timebase: 23.98
1920x1080 HDTV 1080i 16:9
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square
XDCAM EX 1080p24 VBR 35Mb/s
Quality: 100%
Audio: 48khz
Audio Depth: 16bit
Indeed, to achieve a film look I undertook the following steps in production and post...
shot 24p
shot with a Letus Adapter and Zeiss lenses
created an appealing depth of field where possible
avoided various "videofying" shots, like fast pans and so forth
crushed the blacks in color correction
used Nattress and adjusted the S curves in certain areas
I'm just wondering if I missed a step somewhere when it came down to designating the frame rate in Apple Compressor. When I saw the 29.97 frame rate designation in DVD Studio Pro, it surprised me. And then watching my movie on DVD (which is always a slightly difficult experience) I was really feeling like I was seeing an undesirable crisp video-ish feel that I hadn't seen before outputing to DVD.
obliged for the help,
Shanked

Low audio when going from Xpress Pro to DVD SP

When I output from Avid Xpress Pro to DVD SP I get low audio on the final DVD.
I export my Xpress Pro sequences as QT References with the audio as an AIFF file. I was able to improve the audio a bit by going into APack and converting the AIFF to an AC3 file. Even after boosting all the audio in the sequence (back in Xpress Pro) 10DB it's still not great. Any ideas?

Mix your audio as hot as you can in the Avid...if you are using the -27 Dialogue Normalization setting, you are going to get the levles cut considerably. Use -31 (IIRC) instead...

AC3/DTS audio on non-AC3/DTS system...

Hello.
I'm running ATV OS 3.0.1 and recently I've been ripping my DVD/BR collection into iTunes. When I rip my DVD/BR discs, I include AC3/DTS audio. Right now I don't have a AC3/DTS speaker system, but since I plan to in the future, I figured it would be best to rip that way. I'm just using the analog stereo cables (right/left) from the ATV to my TV and assume there's some downconverting built into the ATV to handle this?
Anyway, the problem I'm having is that the voices when people speak are usually really hard to hear, while the rest of the sound (music, FX, etc.) is way loud. So, we end up cranking the volume when we can't hear people talking, then the next scene is some action scene and the volume is crazy loud.
Does anyone know what might be wrong/a possible solution?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
k.

kristin. wrote:
Sorry, let me clarify, for the sake of these boards. These are home movies I'm ripping, not commercial. Since I assume I'm dealing with AAC stereo (since I'm getting sound and I don't have a system capable of AC-3) we can ignore DTS and maybe WC will go away.
i'm sure you will want sir winston on board, as he is very knowledgeable when it comes to TV matters
So — back to the issue, which I'll now consider a stereo issue. I'm using handbrake to rip my home movies, using one of the ATV presets. When I'm speaking in my home movies, my voice is low in the mix (it's not this way when I watch my home movie from the DVD I burned myself at home).
Any idea's why this would be?
i have similar experiences when playing movies through my TV alone (via HDMI). however, once audio goes via optical to my surround receiver, the output is just as it's supposed to be.
my guess is is you won't know until you get that speaker system. AFAIK, the TV is able to pass whatever audio it is receiving through via optical.
please correct me if i'm wrong !

Best way from FCP using Compressor (too long render - 3 days?)

Hi
What's best quality, most efficient way to get our 85 min documentary out of FCP 6 to an SD DVD master?
Using 2008 model Mac Pro 3.0, 8GB RAM, I'm going from FCP to Compressor, via QT movie (current settings Pro Res) of Timeline, bring it into Compressor = NTSC, 16x9, 2 pass VBR best, 6.5 to 7.6 bit rate, GOP = IBBP closed, size 15, Frame Controls ON, resize filter = BEST, De-interlace = fast, Rate Conversion = Good...
I did a 2 minute test and it took an hour! And that was for a web-friendly 480 x 270 size. What's it going to be at 720 x 405 (the 16 x 9 version) - 3 days? What to do? Should I print the timeline to tape and bring it to a post house and they can do better or what? I know if I turn frame controls to OFF it'll speed up significantly, but then the FONTS/Text especially when over Black BG look horrible after compressed to 720 x 405.
Suggestions?
K

This ain't going to help much, sorry. Give us a few more hours, maybe a day or two, one or more of the DVDSP wonks will stop by and offer better advice.
What's best quality, most efficient way to get our 85 min documentary out of FCP 6 to an SD DVD master? < </div>
The DVD will be MPEG2. Working in anything higher quality than that has questionable benefits, the ratio of increased processing time to improved results is completely one-sided, a waste of time.
Compression is a disappointing series of compromises unless you totally understand the process. You can spend a few hours researching articles by Jan Ozer to help you decide what your workflow should be. Me, I would export a self-contained movie out of FCP to a codec that would hold a reasonable amount of spatial rez before going to Compressor.
Exporting self-contained creates a new media file that requires no further handling or rendering which is probably holding you up now. Every frame is being recreated before it can be compressed.But I never use Compressor to create the MPEG2, I let DVDSP do that for me. This shortcut produces every bit of quality I need for my projects.
Your situation, apparently, is different. And there is no real shortcut for you except to research it and try to find a recipe that suits your expectations. But whatever you do, MPEG2 is going to be a real bummer, especailly if you are shrinking or scaling your large format image to letterbox or anamorphic.
bogiesan

Ac3 dts audio not working in my iphone but it works in my friends samsung mobile?pls help me.

Iam using o player... Ac3 dts audio not working msg showing

Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
Contact the carrier.

Low audio levels on itunes purchased music video's

Can anyone tell me how to boost the audio levels on purchased itunes music video's ?
I have purchased a few videos lately from the itunes music store and occasionally I find the odd one which has very low audio levels. I assume that itunes has not monitored some video/audio files closely enough when importing them into the in tunes system itself and the audio levels have fallen a little low on certain tracks. Have a look at some of the Eurythmics songs - 'Angel', 'Missionary Man', or 'Best of You' by the Foo Fighters for example.I have boosted these tracks by 100% within the in itunes track options, but its still a very low level compared to some of the other tracks I have downloaded.
I tried to import one of these video files to Mpeg Stream Clip to see if I could use the audio boost function within that program but it didn't like the video file ? I presume because it was an itunes purchased video, therefore a protected file.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this or what setting I should be using, doing with Mpeg Streamclip to fix this problame if this program can fix this issue ?
Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP

yes i have exactly same problem. Was all working fine till I upgraded to iTunes v8.1.
TV shows, everything works fine... its just music videos dont show the video, no matter which setting I choose?
Help please!!!

FCP 7 Compressor has Error every time I summit

Hello,
Can anyone help me figure out why all of a sudden Compressor (3.5) for my Final Cut Pro 7 stopped working (Exporting).
I was exporting videos earlier today perfectly with no problem.
All of a sudden when I summit to project the Batch Monitor pops up and has immediate error!
What in the world is going on. I open a new sequence and try export from a new sequence and I still doesn't work.
All Bin Clip are on line. Nothing is Off Line.
Thanks,
Jeff

Have you tried trashing your FCP and Compressor Preferences? This is a common first step when you get unexpected performance from Final Cut Studio components.
You can download Preference Manager from Digital Rebellion (free) and it will do it for you:
http://www.digitalrebellion.com/prefman/
Your preferences will be reset to default settings the nest time you launch the applications.
MtD

IDT High Definition Audio CODEC v. 6.10.6395.0 Upon installation I have very low audio output

IDT High Definition Audio CODEC v. 6.10.6395.0. 5/21/ 2012
Upon installation I have very low audio output! Screen Shot Screen Shot 2
I have tried:
un-installing and reinstalling the drivers.
Installed the original drivers via HP's website sp53222 for my particular model. HP Pavilion HPE h8-1070t
Any suggestions? would be greatly appreciated. It would appear IDT who I also emailed and they never responded is responsible for a codec pack that is not fully functional with this motherboard.
was wir lieben meistens nicht kriegen

Did you access the Catalyst Control Center in programs and look at the latest updates for your graphics card and make sure you didn't download the audio drivers they self install and are checked automatically each time you attempt an update for the card.
Did you right click on the speaker in the system tray and go into recodring devices make sure everything is setup propper there sometimes they too can change.
I'm familiar with cakewalk but never used it on Win7 its been many years since I played around with that. If you are using the onboard audio card and it has worked before and not now if I were in your situtation I would attempt to reisntall the dirvers via device manager they do sometimes become corrupt especially if you picked up any malware that was removed by your antivirus software due to the drivers and malware both reside inwindows\system32.
After the reisntall of the drivers if the issue is not resolved I would upgrade the audio card with a PCIe x1 component such as:
Creative Labs SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-SB1040-Express-Blaster/dp/B000W7PNZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357...
After I paid for a real soundcard with Recording: 24-bit/96kHz and Sound Output Mode - 7.1 and bypassed my onboard audiocard I never had any issues again. My onbaord worked too in the begining for certain things than stopped mysteryously and the reinstallation became ineffective after a while so I decided the money for the tower was invested mainly in the CPU i7 the RAM and HDD.
*** Note if you did install the audio drivers for the graphics card you will have to change the onboard audio in the BIOS from automattic to enabled. Otherwise you will have no sound at all. So never take the audio drivers for the graphics card unless you need them for DVR recording or something. The PCIe audio cards are never effected by this however only the onboard audio. Another reason onboard is a cheap way to go and HP bundles it as cheap as it can my friend.
Good Luck again!
was wir lieben meistens nicht kriegen

Fcp wont load cause of audio plugins

Hi. I work on Fcp studio and Logic pro. I have a lot of audio plugins for Logic espescially waves. But now fcp wont load cause it crashes when it gets to a certain plugin. I don't want to use audio plugins in fcp as I do my audio in logic.
Why has fcp seen my logic plugins and how can I stop this, I can't run fcp. I've tried dragging the components folder out but no luck. There must be a resolution to this, it's driving me nuts.
Many thanks
Antony.

I've had the same problem.
FCS maintenance pack is not really an option - it disables the plugins globally, so Logic wont load them. It's also expensive (for what it does) - $169.
The easiest workaround I found is to shift the plugins (located in the /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ folder) to - for example - another folder (not called 'components') on the desktop, before launching FCP. Then you can move them back before launching Logic. A pain, yes, but until Apple fixes their problem...waiting.
None of the plugins in this folder are core to FCP (if you're like me they'll be all Logic plugins), so there are no consequences to FCP. You could probably keep some in the folder, as I think the problem has got to do with the number of plugins (a different plugin crashes FCP every time for me).
Cheers,
Dan

Still low audio on DAC-100

Hello,
I am still having the problem of extremely low when importing any VHS video using the DAC-100, from my VCR, into Final Cut Pro. As I stated earlier, audio only comes in on one track in Final Cut, and it's very low at that. I cut the track that doesn't have any audio on it, then copy the track that does, but, that doesn't help much, & is too much add'l work.
I used the suggestion here and selected the two audio tracks in the timeline after capture, and chose Modify/Make Stereo Pair. It didn’t work, as the result was that the audio meter read that sound was only coming from one side, whereas when I played it before making into a Stereo Pair, it looked like it was coming out of both, even though only one audio track had any sound waves on it. And it was still low audio.
I checked all of my connections, they are all tight. I have a miniDV camera and can go from the camera to the VCR, but NOT the other way around. I have contacted the DAC-100 co. but apparently there is only one technician for the whole co. and he has not gotten back to me. I am at a loss, as I need to transfer several VHS tapes, and at the moment, have no way of doing that. Ok, thanks so much!
Kristina

"is the audio at a lower level compared to the original audio straight out of the VHS player?"
Yes, the audio does come in much lower than compared to straight out of the VHS player.
"Is the converter box is faulty, test by using another box?"
I don't have another box...
"Is there output level settings DIP switches somewhere you could change?"
Hmm, I could try changing DIP switches, but was advised to keep on the factory settings. Besides, they've always been that way, and they USED to work...but, could perhaps try...
"If the original audio level is at the same level feed the output from the VHS machine into a sound mixer and wind up the gain, then feed that into the converter."
No sound mixer...only tv/vcr; dac-100; MAC...

FCP/DVDSP/Compressor .ac3 Low Audio

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