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Compressor Dialog Normalization setting
In one of Larry Jordan’s newsletters is the following advice: “I wanted to add one thing regarding audio levels. If you are using Compressor to make MPEG-2’s for your DVD’s, make sure and set the “Dialog Normalization” to minus 31. Failing to do so will result in a final audio level lower than expected.”
Two questions: is this really important? and, could someone advise me the optimal way to do that?
Here is what I think; please tell me where I’m going wrong:
You select from Apple/DVD the most appropriate setting (e.g., Best Quality 90 Minutes/Dolby Digital Professional 2.0) and duplicate it. It lands in the Custom folder. You change the Dialog Normalization to minus 31.
I placed this altered audio setting, along with a copy of its video “mate,” into a folder within “Custom.” I couldn’t seem to rename the folder, so it just says “Untitled.” (How do I rename it?)
Is this the only way to use an audio compression setting of minus 31? Is this a completely unnecessary waste of time, or have I been botching all my DVD encodes up to now?
Bob C
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7 Replies
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It is very important, I always do this. -31 turns this off so there is no effect on your audio. I also always set the Compression Preset to NONE, this is in PreProcessing tab.
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Dolby encoding sets metadata so that the Dolby chip sets output level and other things like dynamic compression. Basically it is hopeless at both tasks so this advice lets you bypass any processing of levels and dynamics that the Dolby chip does in the amp or DVD player.
Better still is to use PCM audio but many panic about file sizes.
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Thanks.
What about the procedure question? Compressor’s presets are so nicely arranged, but when I customize them I can’t seem to label the folders, etc. It’s already a huge mess of unlabelled folders and it will get worse if I modify every preset.
Bob C
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What I did was select the Dolby preset in one of the Apple DVD presets, click on the Duplicate Selected Setting at the top left of the Settings window (3rd button from the left), and changed the Normalization there. That Audio Preset can be named whatever you like, and can be used with any of the DVD video presets, or your own custom preset.
Ed -
Click on the new folder in the Settings List, if will show up in the Inspector, there is a Name: box, double click on Untitled and rename it to whatever you like.
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I appreciate the insights and the advice. It’ll be my first order of business Tues a.m.
Bob
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Thanks for the tip on the audio settings. that explains why I could never retain the original audio levels after outputting to DVD. I’ve also been trying to change settings under the GOP as IP for the GOP Structure and GOP Size as 6 so the pattern shows as IPPPPP. These were recommended settings for the video compression I found out about which seems to help in retaining quality and sharpness (at least to my eyes) But anytime I save it, and then apply the setting to the video by dropping it on it, when I double click on the video to bring the Inspector back up, it seems that the settings are not saved, keeps defaulting to a different GOP setting configuration. Am I missing something?
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