Audio (volume) editing

[inabox]

Hi guys,
Does anyone know how to edit sound volume of a file? Specifically, making the volume of an audio file less varied so make the quiet parts a little louder and the louder parts a little quieter. Preferably with software (preferably free).
A lot of videos I have downloaded recently have really quiet parts, so I turn up the volume so I can hear it but then a loud part happens and it's much too loud, so i turn the volume down, then it's too quiet.. etc etc...

 

[Judge]

I use freeware called "Audacity" for sound editing, although I've never applied the "envelope tool" which apparently allows selective increases or decreases of volume within a single track.

"In Audacity, every track has an "amplitude envelope" which is controlled with the Envelope Tool on the Tools Toolbar. An amplitude envelope just means that you can control a track's volume changes smoothly over time. People in the recording industry sometimes call this technique volume automation, because in a recording studio you would typically change the volume of tracks by moving volume sliders up and down, and fancy mixing boards had the ability to remember your movements and automate them from then on. Manipulating a track's amplitude envelope in Audacity is similar, except that Envelope Tool is used to create and manipulate "control points" at various points in the track. The control points then determine its volume changes over time."

Audacity®

 

[xDominiel]

I used to use Audacity too, good software, but when I got my latest laptop and installed it somehow it made my audio stop working completely (as in, no sound would work on that laptop, anywhere, neither from speakers or with headphones), nothing I tried could bring it back, I had to roll back to a backup point before I installed Audacity to get sound again. Still not sure how that happened but I haven't dared use it again after that, lol.

 

[Judge]

I used to use Audacity too, good software, but when I got my latest laptop and installed it somehow it made my audio stop working completely (as in, no sound would work on that laptop, anywhere, neither from speakers or with headphones), nothing I tried could bring it back, I had to roll back to a backup point before I installed Audacity to get sound again. Still not sure how that happened but I haven't dared use it again after that, lol.

Good point. There's no guarantee of compatibility between an application like that and your default sound drivers.

Though in my own case I've used two versions of Audacity on two versions of Windows without incident. Best to use the most recent version if you're running a 64-bit OS. Older versions of Audacity seem to be picky depending on the OS you're attempting to install it on.

 

[yosomono]

If the answers above don't get you what you need, do a search for "normalize mp3 volume" and you'll find a bunch of other utilities. There's one called MP3Gain for example that looks useful, and it's free and open source.

 

[FreeDiver]

Sounds like to me that you want to do is reduce the dynamic range of your sound file. Normalizing does not fix this problem. What you need to use is a filter called compressor/limiter. You'll find that in Audacity.

 

[umbrellabeach]

Audacity is good. I also use Sony Vegas Pro. I'd just cut the audio up, splitting it between loud and quiet, and modify each section as desired.

 

[inabox]

Thanks guys. It also helps to know some of the words (jargon) that are used for this subject, so thanks for those also.
I'll have a look at a few of those programs and let you know how it goes.

 

[Sylar]

I think VLC player has options to play with the sound in your video. If it is the sound in videos you're having trouble with then Audacity won't work for you unless you can rip the audio from the video and then play them both in sync.

 

[inabox]

I have VLC already which I use as a media player. But I didn't think to look at the tools it has. That's a very good idea. I will have a look at them