Convert song volume to album volume

[Big_Berny (Guest)]

Hello together,
I just wrote a script, that changes the track-based volume-gain to an album-based volume gain.
The two main advantages are: Songs which are planed to be lowder stay lowder, because only the average of the album will change and songs which are splitted into more tracks have the same volume.

Example:

Album 1:
Song 1A: +2 dB
Song 1B: -3 dB
Song 1C: -5 dB

Album 2:
Song 2A: -1 dB
Song 2B: 0 dB
Song 2C: 1 dB

In this case all songs get a different volumegain. With this script all songs of a album get the same gain. So first the gain of the album has to be calculated. In this case the album1 gain is (2-3-5)/3 = -2dB. And the gain of album 2 is -1+0+1=0.
(Well, this example is a bit simplified, because in the script also the lenght of the tracks affect the albumgain.)

So after running this script, Album1 and Album2 have the same volume but louder songs are still louder than others.

Result:
Album 1:
Song 1A: -2 dB
Song 1B: -2 dB
Song 1C: -2 dB

Album 2:
Song 2A: 0 dB
Song 2B: 0 dB
Song 2C: 0 dB

Summary: This script corrects the volume of a whole album and doesn't affect the volume differences of different tracks of the same album.

I hope that you understand what I'm trying to describe. (It's not as easy as you think! )

And here the script (parts of it ware based on the script on the script of this threat: http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5385, so thanks to Sarkos and onkel_enno)

Code: Select all

Updated

Would be great if someone could test it. Here it works!

It also has a function to reset/delete the gain-value so that MediaMonkey can recalculate it. To do that you need to click on "Cancel" in the first windows and on "Ok" in the second.

Greets
Big_Berny

[Big_Berny (Guest)]

Oh, I forgot to add: Use it at your own risk!

And here is an English version of the script.

Code: Select all

Updated

[trixmoto]

Does this actually update the volume levelling field, or does it populate a custom field with the album level?

[Big_Berny]

It updates the volume levelling field! Because MediaMonkey can only use this field AFAIK. But perhaps I could backup the original value in to a custom field... Would that be useful?

Big_Berny

[trixmoto]

Yes, I would use this script if it backed up my values. In fact, a script that allowed you to swap between the two sets might be useful. Or at least an option to revert to the original values. Looks like excellent work otherwise!

[Big_Berny (Guest)]

Ok, here is a new version with backup-function!
ATTENTION: It overwrites Custom1-field!
To restore the original values, click first on Cancel, and then on Ok.
I hope you like it!



Nevertheless: Use it at your own risk!

Code: Select all

Updated

[trixmoto]

Still analysing all my songs (7000 to go) but I will test this script once they have been completed. Looks like good work.

You might want to remove your earlier code otherwise people might install the old version. Just a suggestion.

[rovingcowboy]

i don't understand it yet?

why is it needed if the level is all done for every song then it will play every song at the same level?

so why need album level?

can you please explain it to me and use simple none techy explainations please

[trixmoto]

If an album has on it a quiet song and a loud song, when you listen to the album with volume levelling switched on, they will be played at the same level. Using an album levelling, the quiet song will be quiet, and the loud song will be loud. Each album should (on average) also be the same volume now. This script is useful for people who listen to whole albums (like me!) instead of individual tracks in their own playlists.

[rovingcowboy]

Ah!!!

i see thanks.

i use my own playlists and put the songs from the albums in random order.

i never do like to listen to ablums they way they were pressed in the factory. i like to make my own order or pick them at random.

so the low volume would be driving me nuts turning up and down the volume on the speakers.

so i will have to pass on this script. thanks for making it thought i am sure there are lots that will use it.

[Big_Berny]

The idea of volume levelling is to correct the different volume of different albums. There are albums which are mastered a lot louder than others.

Gain-per-Track (which MediaMonkey uses) corercts this by levelling each track seperately. But this leveling-algorithm has the disadvantage that all musikfiles have the same volume also if the artist intented to make a song louder than the other. Another disadvantage is that on classicalbums symphonies are someties splitted into different tracks. So if one track has lowder passages (=parts) than the other track, MediaMonkey sets a different volume-correction. So you hear a volume difference when the next track begins.

Gain-per-Album doesn't have this problems. This algorithm detects the overall-volume (average-volume) of an album and uses the same volume-correction for each track. So songs which are intended to be lowder stay lowder and songs which are inteded to be less lowder stay less lowder.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. If not we need someone who speaks a better English!

Big_Berny

[Big_Berny]

@trixmoto: Unfortunately I was a guest, so I can't modify my older posts... But I have a queston: How I get Inno Setup to compile an installer? It always gives me an error 'Unknown identifier: csFinished'....

[Big_Berny]

Between I think this script is also useful for people who don't hear complete albums, because there are songs which are intended to be lowder and songs which are inteded to be more quiet than other. So the volume of the songs should be a bit dynamic, I think.
But if you got some files of differen sources that Gain-per-track is definetly the correct choice.

Big_Berny

[trixmoto]

The Inno Setup compiler is great. I love that thing. Check this out: http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4040

[Big_Berny]

Hiho,
et voilà: Here is the final version of Album Volume Leveler.



It has a new "GUI" and 4 functions:
-Level Album Volume (and backup the original value into Custom1)
-Restore the original MediaMonkey volume value
-Reset(/delete) the volume informations (then MediaMonkey can scan it again)
-Close the windows

Download:
Album Volume Leveler 1.1 Installer
Album Volume Leveler 1.1 VB-Script (zipped)

I hope you like it!
Big_Berny

And for those who are interested:

Code: Select all

Option Explicit 
'1. Create a file AlbumVolumeLeveler.vbs in MediaMonkey\Scripts and paste these lines 
'2. Add this Section to Scripts.ini 

'[AlbumVolumeLeveler] 
'FileName=AlbumVolumeLeveler.vbs 
'ProcName=AlbumVolumeLeveler
'Order=1
'DisplayName=Album Volume Leveler
'Description=Album Volume Leveler 
'Language=VBScript 
'ScriptType=0 

'3. restart MediaMonkey 
'4. you'll find "Album Volume Leveler" in Tools\Scripts

sub AlbumVolumeLeveler
	dim list 
	dim song 
	dim result 
	dim i 
	dim albumVolume 
	dim albumId
	dim albumLength
	dim level
	dim length
	dim form
	dim btn1
	dim btn2
	dim btn3
	dim btn4

Set list = SDB.CurrentSongList
Set albumVolume = CreateObject( "Scripting.Dictionary" )
Set albumLength = CreateObject( "Scripting.Dictionary" )

if list.Count = 0 then 
	set list = SDB.AllVisibleSongList 
	if list.Count = 0 then 
		SDB.MessageBox "No songs selected", mtError, Array(mbOK) 
		exit sub 
	end if 
end if

Set Form = SDB.UI.NewForm 
Form.Common.SetRect 100, 100, 400, 170
Form.BorderStyle  = 3
Form.FormPosition = 4
Form.Caption = "Album Volume Leveler" 

Set Btn1 = SDB.UI.NewButton(Form) 
Btn1.Caption = "Analyze album volume and modify the MediaMonkey leveling field" 
Btn1.Common.SetRect 10, 10, 370, 25
Btn1.ModalResult = 1 
Btn1.Default = True

Set Btn2 = SDB.UI.NewButton(Form) 
Btn2.Caption = "Restore the original MediaMonkey leveling field" 
Btn2.Common.SetRect 10, 40, 370, 25
Btn2.ModalResult = 4

Set Btn3 = SDB.UI.NewButton(Form) 
Btn3.Caption = "Reset the MediaMonkey leveling field" 
Btn3.Common.SetRect 10, 70, 370, 25
Btn3.ModalResult = 3 

Set Btn4 = SDB.UI.NewButton(Form) 
Btn4.Caption = "Close without any modification" 
Btn4.Common.SetRect 10, 100, 370, 25
Btn4.ModalResult = 2
Btn4.Cancel = true

result = Form.showModal

if result = 1 then 
	for i = 0 to list.Count - 1 
		set song = list.Item(i) 
		albumId = song.Album.ID 
		level = song.Leveling
		length = song.SongLength
		if level <> -999999 and albumId > 0 then
			if albumVolume.exists( albumId ) then 
				albumVolume.Item( albumId ) = albumVolume.Item( albumId ) + level*length 
				albumLength.Item( albumId ) = albumLength.Item( albumId ) + length
			else
				albumVolume.add albumId, level*length
				albumLength.add albumId, length
			end if      
		end if
	next
	
	for i = 0 to list.Count - 1 
		set song = list.Item(i) 
		albumId = song.Album.ID 
		if albumId > 0 and albumVolume.exists( albumId ) then 
			song.Custom1 = song.Leveling
			song.Leveling = albumVolume.Item(albumId)/albumLength.Item(albumId)
			song.UpdateDB 
		end if 
	next
	SDB.MessageBox "Volume level has been modified.", mtInformation, Array(mbOK)
end if

if result = 4 then
	for i = 0 to list.Count - 1 
		set song = list.Item(i)
		song.Leveling = song.Custom1
		song.UpdateDB
	next
	SDB.MessageBox "Volume level has been restored.", mtInformation, Array(mbOK)
end if

if result = 3 then
	for i = 0 to list.Count - 1 
		set song = list.Item(i)
		song.Leveling = -999999
		song.UpdateDB
	next
	SDB.MessageBox "Volume level has been reseted.", mtInformation, Array(mbOK)
end if

if result = 2 then
	exit sub
end if

end sub