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.

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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:
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So, your level should be exactly what it was before the compression/conversion. Why it isn't is a mystery, still.

Audio levels after encoding

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In the Audio Mixer Panel, what are the average Levels of your individual Tracks? While I mix to the actual Audio, and only use Levels to point out problems, you might gain a clue there.
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I have had a problem keep arising and now has affected business.
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First, confirm that your audio is mixed and you levels are set properly in FCP. (and force render an "audio mixdown" before exporting just to make sure the audio is "finalized...")
If it this is the case, then take the resulting PCM/AIFF audio file (from the compression of your FCP movie) and turn it into an AC3 audio file.
I still use the old APACK utility Apple gave with the older DVDSP. It works just fine. (use any app you prefer for this...)
Here's the settings I use:
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Inside the Preprocessing (tab)
change the Compression Preset to NONE so it doesn't recompress the file.
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I normally watch DVDs on different sound system than the TV, however, from your answer I gather you're setting the master level -18 to -20db. If it is so, are you setting the individual tracks below that, and in my case where the audio levels of the original music fluctuate from high to low, would you set them all on the same level or adjust to hear them out the same?

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The best place to increase / adjust audio levels assuming the source video footage has something to work with is in the video editing app. Have you tried posting this question to the iMovie forum?
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I can't hear the audio in my movie
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Make sure the audio checkbox is selected for the track you want to hear. The audio checkbox is to the right of each track in the timeline viewer.
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Message was edited by: SDMacuser

Creating AC3 Files

I am authoring DVD's and am working with Final Cut 4.5 (which comes with Compressor 1.2) and DVD Studio Pro 3. So this means I do not have the new AC3 converter that comes bundled with FCP Studio and Compressor 2.0. I have been using A.Pack and it barely works, I heard that they don't even make it anymore and its been replaced by the Compressor AC3 functionality.
So, short of buying a PC, does this mean I HAVE to buy Final Cut Studio if I want to be able to encode AC3 files?? Are there any other programs out there that do it?
I would greatly appreciate any tips!

o this means I do not have the new AC3 converter that comes bundled with FCP Studio and Compressor 2.0. I have been using A.Pack and it barely works, I heard that they don't even make it anymore and its been replaced by the Compressor AC3 functionality.< </div>
The AC3 convertor in DVDSP3 works fine, it's just not very intuitive. All the control you need is available, if you can figure it out, and the results are excellent; good size, great fidelity.
What specifically are you having trouble with?
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Encoding AC3 produces low audio in CS3

Hi All!
I'm trying to encode a .wav file to ac3 with the surcode plugin that I have purchased, and the resulting ac3 file is quieter than the original .wav. I know this is normal, but I need it to match the original as close as possible. I've read that if you set the Dialog Normalization to -31, and the Dynamic Compression Preset to 'None', the resulting file should match more closely. The thing is, I swear I've done that in the past, and it worked, but now, it doesn't.
I'm producing a stereo track, with Complete Main selected, and can't think of anything else!
Any help/thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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Totally agree Steve - the BBC have said the same to me in the past
Dialogue Normalization is a funny old setting - it actually refers to the amount of attenuation applied to the audio source with -31db meaning no attenuation, which should mean that the volume of the audio is preserved throughout the compression process.
There's a lot more to this, of course, have a look here for some plain explanations:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume72/feature-article-dialog-normalization-6-2000.html

A PACK encoding - reduction of audio level

Hi all,
I always use the Apack Apple utility to encode all my audio mixes. I'm a professional sound designer and during the mix, i use a properly calibrated equipment.
All files are properly calibrated AND in phase.
Sometime i've find this following problem on my encoded stuff.
When i finish an audio encoding process i recheck the audiovideo playback through my dvdstudiopro 3.0 simulator and in some point in the video i can hear a strange "automatic" reduction of audio level, randomly, not in the part where the audio is hight. This happens also on the mastered file on dvd.
I would like to inform that my mix was controlled before goes to encoding session.
This is not a frequntly finded problem, just in rare case.
This is my setting for apack
Kbs 192 (stereo) 448 (DD)
compression none
Dialog norm -31 db
No low pass
No Rf over modulation
thanks to all
Mark

All those settings look correct for A.Pack. One thing to check, however, is that your files are REALLY set to -31db for DNV. Open them back up in A.Pack and check (there's some option for File Info or somethingorother to display an AC3 file's settings). A.Pack has a very annoying bug where, if you type -31 in the field but you don't press Enter, the change does not happen and your files end up back at -27 (with the resulting "pumping" of audio).

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

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The audio Levels on the video when played back on the Camcorder ((Canon XH A1) seem just fine with plenty of volume. But after I import the video into iMovie 09 (PowerMac G5 dual 2.5GHz Processors and 8 GB RAM) the audio is so low it is almost unusable.
Any ideas?

First, confirm that your audio is mixed and you levels are set properly in FCP. (and force render an "audio mixdown" before exporting just to make sure the audio is "finalized...")
If it this is the case, then take the resulting PCM/AIFF audio file (from the compression of your FCP movie) and turn it into an AC3 audio file.
I still use the old APACK utility Apple gave with the older DVDSP. It works just fine. (use any app you prefer for this...)
Here's the settings I use:
Target System: DVD video
Audio Encoding 2/0 (L,R)
Data Rate: 192 kbps
Dialoge Normalization -31dBFS (this is important because it matches your FCP settings)
Inside the Preprocessing (tab)
change the Compression Preset to NONE so it doesn't recompress the file.
The audio levels of the resulting AC3 file will exactly match those of your original FCP timeline. Should work for you just fine when you import it into DVDSP
regards

What is the default level of ac3 files?

I am a long time Logic user, but new to Compressor. I was asked to supply an ac3 file to a dvd authoring company. I "successfully" converted from aif using Compressor, but the resulting file was at -20db, no matter what parameters I tweaked.
Is this "normal"? Why would adjusting parameters such as dialogue normalisation, soften over... and master gain have no effect on the outcome?
Each time I adjusted a parameter, I would save the settings, and then import them into the batch manager window, but I always ended up with an ac3 file at -20db.
Huh?

See if this helps.
a) Click your audio setting and have a look at the Encoder tab in the Inspector window.
b) Under the Audio tab, change the Dialog Normalization from -27 to -31 to disable it.
c) Click the Preprocessing tab and set the Compression Preset to None.
d) Deselect the Low-Pass Filter and DC Filter
*Compressor User Manual -> Creating Dolby Digital Professional Output Files*
Important: It is critical that you set the Dialog Normalization setting correctly if you intend to use any of the Compression Preset settings. The Compression Preset settings assume that the audio, after the dialogue has been normalized, is at the normal listening level of 31 dBFS. Levels that are consistently louder than that result in distorted sound and erratic levels.
If you do not know the sound level of the source file or for some other reason want to ensure the Dolby Digital Professional encoder does not affect your sound levels, enter –31 for the Dialog Normalization and choose None in the Compression Preset pop-up menu (located in the Preprocessing tab).

Low audio level in encoded ac3 file

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