PlayIt Software Support

PlayIt Live default settings for Track Fading and Silence analysis will provide consistant Segues IF the MP3 or Wave file is saved at it's optimum level. One of the problems with when playing MP3 or Wave Files from different sources is varying audio amplitude. Quieter tracks lead to early transitions and seemingly makes some tracks seem overly loud. Yes, you could use a Compressor/Limiter to control this, but post processing will not change how PlayIt Live responds when in the Playout process.

My experience tells me that you must begin with consistant levels before adding tracks to PlayIt live.

If I hear or see a track is quiet, it's opened in an audio editor, such as Audacity, where the levels are Normalized to peak at -1db. Let me point out that most audio editing software sees the odd peak as the maximum amplitude of the track. The trick to this is to bring these individual peaks down to the overall average. Then Normalise the entire track to -1 dB. To compare, import another audio track that you find acceptable and compare the loudness of the two tracks.

It's not likely that a louder track is actually peaking over -0- db. But if it is, use the idea above to reduce the overall amplitude of the “Hot” track.

Remember: -3db is Half as loud. +3db is double the volume.

Over the years I have known people who use Programs, such as Audacity, to create Chains. Whereas all the titles in a folder are processed to cut silence, Normalize to -1dB and Saved to a separate file that is added to PlayIt Live.

By doing so they feel they have a more consistent sound requiring less Post processing.

I maintain that Original recording have the best fidelity but differ in amplitude. I suggest, if any processing with EQ or compression should happen post digital when being being played as audio, so all tracks are consistently processed at the same settings.

Perhaps these ideas will help you achieve consistent audio levels and great Segues with PlayIt Live.

Stephen,

It would be possible to reduce the quality of the MP3 file by setting a level that produces clipping but yes it changes the overall gain setting.

The key thing to avoid with MP3 and similar is multiple decode - encode cycles and MP3Gain doesn't decode and re-encode.

Normalise isn't a word I would use for MP3Gain as that implies setting peak levels, MP3Gain is about subjective loudness not peak level.

If you want to know more on that subject try:- https://tech.ebu.ch/groups/ploud

You can preview transitions and set the gain profile for each mix but that is lots of work. Setting out points and a quick fade might help. Use MP3 gain to get all files to a similar subjective loudness. There are limits to what can be done automatically.

Hi Gents,

It was great reading your comments. You both have an incredibly wealth of knowledge and it is great that you are both willing to share your practiced skills. You're invaluable to forums like this.  

I can't quite recall the settings I used but I liked the concept. It has to be more than 10 years since I used it (I'll explain why) so I don't have it to hand. As I remember it, I had a folder of some hundreds of MP3 files taken from "various artists" CDs, some of which dated back to the early days of CDs. I did a trial run and found a setting which didn't clip much (if at all) and used that as the target "volume". That seemed to work well enough and let me burn some MP3 CDs for my "cutting edge (!)" Philips MP3 capable portable CD player. The iPod was relatively new then and I had been less than impressed with my Rio 500 which I won in a competition and only held about 6 tracks so I went down the MP3 CD route. A few years later I bought an iPod and now iTunes will adjust for subjective loudness (I guess using a scaling factor at replay, determined at ingest) so I'm less bothered by subjective loudness issues. Also, modern CDs are generally mastered much louder (little or nothing kept for headroom) so loudness variation on newer MP3 seems less apparent. With Mixxx (or similar) there is a channel faded for each of the 2 players (I also have a basic hardware panel - the Numark) so a quick gain tweak is easy. My Mixxx "line up" is to keep about 6 or 8 dB back, and that allows manual fixing of low levels or quiet intros. As my Netbook has become my DJing machine, I may well use MP3 gain on that library (or put a smaller library - perhaps my iPod library which is less than 1000 tracks on it and loudness level that) then experiment further with PlayIt. Mixxx can support a channel per player but that isn't how my hardware panel is intended to work so I use one soundcard channel for mix and the other for cue/prehear.

I missed one Android auto mangle. It should have read "there is a channel fader"......

I appreciate that you both know this, but for the benefit of others reading this thread, if you need to "re-master" audio to reduce the dynamic range it is best to start with a WAV (or similar) file rather than MP3 (or similar).

I've had occasion to fix intros which are "too quiet".

Showing my age somewhat, the song that most illustrates this problem for me is "Roxy Music" - "Virginia Plain".

Hearing that on AM radio, the intro is a bit quiet but when I got it on record I was very surprised at the difference as the intro was extremely quiet.

To this day, I don't know if they issued a "radio mix" of the song, the engineer rode the fader, or if the compressor just always worked hard.

For those too young to remember https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8DJP6XYGDQ

and it's got a "drop dead" end as well....