How do I normalize wavs using a CUE file before burning to CDR?

November 8, 2004 12:02 PM

I've got a bunch of wavs. I've got a CUE file that references said wavs. Is there a program that will take that CUE sheet and normalize the volume across all tracks before I burn them to a cdr? Nero can supposedly do it as part of the burn process, but I'd rather not waste the disc if I don't like the results. I could use a rewriteable disc I suppose, but I'm curious about finding a better way.
posted by PinkStainlessTail to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Nero can write to an image file, then you could use daemon-tools to mount the image and play it.
posted by holloway at 12:22 PM on November 8, 2004

Response by poster: Ooo, I like. Thanks!
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:28 PM on November 8, 2004

Software normalizing only really works when all the tracks are part of the same album to begin with. It can only adjust tracks so the peaks are at 100%. That doesn't make them the same volume, because what our ears hear as volume is the average loudness -- which is affected by how the recording is mastered (i.e. how much compression is applied). Best to adjust the levels of each track manually, or even add some compression to the recordings that have a wider dynamic range.
posted by kindall at 12:40 PM on November 8, 2004

Small point: you don't need Daemon-Tools to use holloway's method, as newer versions of Nero include an image-mounting utility.
posted by rxrfrx at 2:27 PM on November 8, 2004

AFAIK, you can only mount a data disk that has an actual filesystem, not an audio-only disc. I could be talking out of my ass, though. As an aside, if one doesn't have Nero, Burrrn is a freeware app made especially for writing music CDs that has ReplayGain normalization built-in.
posted by zsazsa at 6:42 AM on November 9, 2004

BTW, kindall, ReplayGain is good for normalizing as it measures perceived loudness rather than just track peaks.
posted by zsazsa at 6:49 AM on November 9, 2004