Sound Volume in Missions

[ex81]

I have recorded some phrases I want to use in selfbuild missions.

The problem is:

How can I adjust the volume, so that my sounds are equal to those which are original DCS sounds ?

Any advice is welcome.

[feefifofum]

Hi ex81; what audio editor are you using?

[ex81]

First >FromTextToSpeech< and then Audacity.

[baltic_dragon]

In Audacity use Amplify function to 0 and then increase the volime with the skider to the left to 10-15 dB, should be good!

[feefifofum]

You may also want to consider using compression to reduce the variance in volume if necessary, a high pass filter around 800KHz, and a low pass filter around 2500KHz to make it sound more like a radio transmission.

 

Running the file through the leveler plugin repeatedly can produce a distortion similar to what you'd hear on a radio transmission as well. Here's a handy article with pictures, just skip the guitar.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.instructables.com/id/DistortionOverdrive-Effect-in-Audacity/%3Famp_page%3Dtrue

[ex81]

Thank you for another advice. I`ll check it out.

[Mistermann]

I have been making DCS missions for years and never figured out how to properly set the volume for voiceovers.  None of my creations ever see the community light of day, but I enjoy tinkering and flying in immersive missions with appropriate voiceovers.  

Today, I was testing my latest mission and the volume is all over the place.  I fully recognize its because there's no rhyme or reason to how I establish the volume in Audacity.  I finally decided to look for an answer here in the DCS forums.  I was so pleased to see advice from one of the mission master's himself, @baltic_dragon

On 6/15/2017 at 2:26 PM, baltic_dragon said:

In Audacity use Amplify function to 0 and then increase the volime with the skider to the left to 10-15 dB, should be good!

However, when I tried following the advice, the resulting voiceover was extremely loud.

For instance.  My starting audio track that's too quiet is this:

When I go to Effect/Amplify, this window appears:

If I try and set the top box to "0" and press "OK", nothing happens to the track.

If I try and set the New Peak Amplitude (dB) to 10, I get this

I am absolutely certain that I am being "thick in the head" here.  When I run the mission that plays this audio, its quite loud.  How do I take an existing track and have Audacity change it so the output is in the 10-15dB range?

Any direction from the community would be most appreciated!  

Update

I found this video that talks about using compression and amplify to establish dB levels.  Not sure how to relate it back to the comment above on setting dB to 10-15, but early testing seems to be positive.  I will continue to tinker and update with findings.  Again, any expert advice is appreciated as I feel like I'm just fumbling around with trial and error.

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Mistermann
Added video