Harmonizing Your Media Playback: Expert Guide to Adjusting Decibels in VLC

How To Normalize Volume in VLC

How to normalize volume, why should we do it, and what is it after all? – these are the questions when it comes to editing our audio files, as well as the video clips we tend to change the sound of. So, first of all, the volume normalization is pretty much explained as follows: The process when a constant amount of gain is applied to the audio recording, bringing the amplitude to a desirable level, which is “the norm” for the project. If it is a little bit difficult to understand, we have to highlight that when this tool is applied to our volume, the whole recording has the same amount of gain across it, every piece affected the same way. Accordingly, when we normalize volume, the relative dynamics are not changed.

But, why bother at all and why not leave it the way it is? Well, the answer to this is almost the same as on why editing exists in general, right? Things are not perfect! This is the fact that prompts us to make our video clips and audio better, improve it at least on the level which can get us the right amount of viewers and listeners. Everyone have had some pain listening to several podcasts, when the volume was too high or too low, or there were so much background noise that the whole recording was hurting the ears of a person! People will not convert to being loyal subscribers, viewers and listeners if their user experience is not favored. So, it is in our best interest to serve their best interest, with a little bit of editing.

When it comes to normalizing audio, there are two reasons we refer to this tool. First is when we feel we need to get the maximum volume, and the second is when we need to match different volumes.

In the first case, you might have somewhat quite voice recording, and would like to make it better without changing its dynamic range, while making it as loud as possible. And when it comes to matching volumes, it is logical that you need to manipulate your editing this way in case you have a group of audio files, each or some of them are at different volumes, so, understandably, if not necessarily, you would like to make them come closer to the same volume.

So, until we give you the step-by step guide on how to normalize your volume in VLC player, we also need to inform you about audio normalization types. Here, generally, we come across three of them: a so-called peak normalization, helping adjust the recording based on the highest signal level present in the recording; another is called loudness normalization and it adjusts the recording based on perceived loudness. Last but not least, RMS (Root-Mean-Square), changes the value of all the samples, where their average electrical volume overall is a specified level.

Using any of this, making it better to listen to your voice, without people being annoyed and their ears becoming exhausting with what you have to offer, you will be making it enjoyable for them and easy to come back to your content, as they will not be obliged to change the volume on their own audio players. Instead, their experience with you will be calm and effortless, which you are aiming to achieve.

So, not, what about VLC? – this is a very popular media player, favorite for a lot of people all around the world, so you should already be quite familiar with what it is, at least by having streamed videos and movies there. Speaking more of what it represents, it is a free-to-use, robust, and feature-packed software that plays a wide range of audio, image, and video files. It is worth noting that it can also play multimedia files directly from extractable devices or the PC and additionally, the program can stream from popular websites such as Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and so on.

As if it was not enough, you can do simple video and audio editing in VLC Media Player, which a lot of people are unaware of! For example, you can easily trim and cut videos. So, as it happens, we can also normalize volume in VLC Media Player. It is a very handy feature and it works on Windows as well as on Mac. Sooo… How to do that? Because, actually, it is so simple that you might be surprised you didn’t know about this earlier. To learn how to normalize volume in VLC, follow this simple guideline:

First, of course, as every time working with any software, you need to have VLC Media Player installed on your device. Once you have it installed, open VLC. Go to the Tools and Preferences and there, you will need to check the single box which is next to Normalize volume in Effects. Now, set the level to the one that works best for you. Then, when you are happy with the result, you can Save.

This is not something perfect, because it’s so simple to do and actually what it does is just help adjust the general volume, so it leaves the specifics alone.

But, it might be the case that you are not so satisfied with the simple editing and want a little more to get from the editing process on VLC. So, you can do more with the Audio Effects menu there. And the steps are as follows:

First, on your VLC player, find Tools and then, in the menu, go to Preferences. The window will open, and there you need to select All in Show settings – actually it is a little bit hard to find because this is in the bottom left corner of the window. From there, you will need to navigate to Audio, and then, a little below, click on Filters and highlight it. The checkbox next to the Dynamic range compressor will probably be unchecked – so, check in it.

Next, see where Compressor is in the left panel? Select it. And now, you are free to make the changes to the levels as you see fit.

Here, if you are a little bit overwhelmed with the wide range of options to work on, you can just concentrate the most on Makeup gain, Threshold, and Ratio. The first one is by which you adjust in quiet sequences to raise the volume, the second will help you reduce louder sequences to even things out, and ratio is the maximum level of all audio within a movie, let’s say.

Don’t underestimate Attack time and release time, either. They graduate the changes to ramp them up at first, then down again, rather than initiating them immediately. So, if you set them to your liking as well, this will ensure that you have a more fluid transition in and out of the scene and there are less sudden, sometimes scary volume changes.

Therefore, you are now equipped with the most information you will need to normalize volume in VLC Player – so free to give it a go, play around with the different settings and carry out the best result imaginable for you!

How to normalize audio in Wondershare Filmora?

Now, even though we already know how to normalize audio in VLC in the simplest, as well as in the more advanced way, it might be even better if we know some more about normalizing audios in different programs. Something worth discussing is a software called Wondershare Filmora , which carries out the same task wonderfully. Although, unlike VLC Media Player, it is a real video editor , but don’t panic if you have never laid your hand on editing – it is one of the easiest to use ini the word, operating also both on Mac and Windows, and its interface is utterly understandable for beginners right away. And, actually, it is a qhile that Wondershare Filmora X introduced the feature to normalize the audio for the first time. What to say more - you might want to stop now and download the latest version of Filmora because now we are about to learn how to normalize audio from the video there – so, tune in!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

When it is done installing, open the software. Now, click and drag the video of which the audio you want to normalize. Now you can select the clip you have chosen – if there are multiple, select all of them, then right-click and choose Detach Audio.

Now if you have this kind of graphic before your eyes, you can be pretty sure without even listening, that the noises are really, really different from each other, which highlights once again how useful audio normalization can be:

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

Soon, all audio will be normalized, and you will already be able to see on the graphics that the volumes are almost on the same level and when you listen to it, you will make sure that there is no longer apparent difference between how they sound. And from there on, you can save the file you just normalized!

So, in this article, we learned a lot about normalizing volumes, why and how it is done, and, more specifically, how to get this task completed in VLC Media Player as well as in Wondershare Filmora X. you can proceed to putting this new information into a good use and come back to learn more about video and audio editing here!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Select these files, right-click and choose Adjust Audio. New panel will be opened on left top and there, you will see Audio Normalization – check the box there.

After you have clicked on it, wait until the normalization completes.

The Premier Selection of Podcast Audio-to-Text Transcribers (Free/Paid)

Top 10 Podcasting Audio to Text Transcription Software

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Currently, there are over 29 million podcast episodes in over a hundred languages on the Internet, which shows how much competition you will be facing once you start a new podcast. That is why it is so important to optimize each new episode of your podcast for Google’s ever-changing algorithm. Adding tags, metadata, or writing a description of the podcast are just a few ways to improve the visibility of the content you share online.

Transcribing podcasts on your own becomes increasingly difficult as their duration increases. Instead of wasting hours going through the material and trying to figure out what your guests said, it is much easier to utilize podcasting transcription software that enables you to go through this process automatically. We have selected the 10 best podcasting audio to text transcription software products that are going to help you reach a larger number of listeners.

Top 10 Best Podcasting Audio to Text Transcription Software Products

Running a podcast involves much more than justrecording the materials and uploading them to the hosting platform . Podcasting audio to text transcription software products improves the searchability of the episodes of your show and makes it easier for your listeners to find them.

Let’s take a look at some of the best options you will have if you want to turn Podcasting audio into text automatically.

1. Sonix

Price: Pricing plans start as $10 per hour

Image Credit: sonix

The Sonix media player is designed to help podcasters widen their audience by improving the SEO optimization for search engines like Google or Bing. Moreover, this media player assists the search engines in crawling through and indexing the content you transcribe, which makes your podcasts easier to discover. Sonix also reduces the amount of time you’ll have to spend with the sound engineer by allowing you to keep all of the work materials at the same location. The app’s AudioText Editor lets you edit audio quickly by making the adjustments to the transcribed text. Sonix integrates with Adobe Audition and enables you to edit your audio files just moments after you transcribed them.

Pros

Provides automated translation services for a multitude of languages
Detects different speakers effortlessly
Great selection of export file formats
Allow users to edit video and audio by editing text

Cons

Automated translation is not available in the Standard package
The quality of customer support could be better

2. Trint

Price: Pricing plans start at $44 per month

Image Credit: Trint

Transcribing audio files with Trint is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few simple steps. Simply upload a video or an audio file and this web-based software is going to transcribe them so that you can edit the text the AI has generated. You can use Trint to highlight specific segments of your files and export them as TXT, DOC, or SRT files. All of your data is protected by the app’s data management that is certified to ISO 27001, which means that all the information you process with Trint can only be accessed by you.

Pros

Lighting fast transcription process
Trint Editor is equipped with a versatile set of text editing tools
Transcriptions services are available in 27 languages
Trint can be integrated with hundreds of applications through Zapier

Cons

More expensive than similar online audio to text software products
Short trial period

3. GoTranscript

Price: The transcription fees start at under $1 per minute

Image Credit: GoTranscript

With more than 10, 000 users, GoTranscript is one of the largest podcasting audio to text service platforms on the Internet. This web-based platform employs highly skilled professionals who transcribe both audio and video files and convert all of your radio, webcast or video podcasts to text. GoTranscript’s teams ensure that the voices of different speakers are transcribed separately, which makes this platform a perfect choice if you are looking for a way to transcribe interviews or any other type of show that includes more than just one speaker. All texts are proofread in order to ensure that each segment of the text is accurate.

Pros

The efficient 4-step transcription process
Audio files are transcribed with 99% accuracy
Equally efficient when utilized for education and marketing purposes
Translation services are available

Cons

Transcription process can take several days
Editing text on GoTranscript isn’t an option

4. Happy Scribe

Price: $30 for 3 hours of subscription per month

Image Credit: Happyscribe

Podcasters who are looking for a simple and quick way to transcribe their audio recordings should consider using Happy Scribe. This web-based software detects more than a hundred languages and it can transcribe both video and audio files.

You just have to upload a file you want to transcribe and then use the Happy Scribe’s Interactive Editor to make corrections to the text before exporting it as a Export in Word, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT, STL, XML, Premiere or AVID file. Happy Scribe’s Proofreading Helper enables you to detect segments of the text where the algorithm wasn’t accurate so that you can correct all of the mistakes before sharing the document you created.

Pros

Features the Embed Player that can be added to any website
Supports API integrations
Creating and managing teams with Happy Scribe is easy
Available in more than a hundred languages

Cons

The algorithm’s accuracy depends on the quality of the audio or video recording
Poor price to performance ratio

5. Simon Says

Price: Pricing options start at $15 per hour

The platform’s advanced AI speech recognition system is designed to transcribe both audio and video files accurately. Simon Says is available in over ninety languages, which enables you to transcribe video and audio files regardless of the language that is used in the podcast. In addition, the software can be used as an extension for FCPX and allows you to create subtitles for interviews, video podcasts, documentaries and all other projects you create with this video editing app. The transcription process lasts for just a few minutes, and once it is completed you can export your transcripts to Adobe Premiere Pro, FCPX, Excel, Word or any other software you’re using to create your podcasts.

Pros

Equipped with a powerful AI speech recognition system
Accurate transcriptions of audio and video files
Allows podcasters to add bookmarks and highlight quotes from their footage
Supports a variety of export file formats

Cons

The quality of customer support depends on the subscription model you purchase
Supports a limited number of audio and video file formats

6. InqScribe

Price: Free, $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Unlike the previous podcasting audio to text software products we featured in this article, InqSribe can only be used on Mac and PC computers. Even though anyone can install and use this software for free, you must purchase the license if you want to print, save or export transcripts from InqScribe.

This digital media transcription software makes adding time codes to your transcripts easy, while you can also utilize custom snippets to insert frequently used text to a particular segment of the transcript. Each audio file you transcribe with InqScribe can be exported in file formats that are compatible with a broad range of video editing, subtitling or word processing software products.

Pros

Affordable solution for podcasters who want to create transcripts of their audio and video files
Provides support for nearly all audio and video file formats
Accurate transcriptions of multi-lingual documents
Excellent subtitling options

Cons

Saving or exporting transcripts is not possible with the free version of the software
No auto transcription options

7. Audext

Price: 30 free-trial minutes available

Media, podcast or education professionals can benefit from using Audext’s services since this platform can transcribe audio to text in just a few moments. You just have to upload an audio file you would like to transcribe and Audext will generate and DOC or TXT file for you. Optionally, you can use the platform’s text editor to correct any mistakes that occurred during the automatic transcription process. Audext identifies different speakers, which makes it an excellent option for podcasters who host new guests on each new episode of their podcast. The platform lets you export your transcripts to TXT or DOC file formats.

Pros

The quick and efficient audio transcription process
Powerful text editor
Multi-speaker recognition features
Customizable audio playback speed

Cons

No video transcription options
Transcriptions are not always accurate

8. Temi

Price: $0,10 per minute

This is a simple audio transcription tool that can generate text files you can use to create blogs or improve the searchability of your podcasts. Temi’s proprietary algorithm was created by speech recognition experts and it can easily detect multiple speakers. Furthermore, the platform lets you add timestamps wherever you want and it grants you access to the tools you can use to polish the automatically generated transcripts. You can download all the transcriptions you create with Temi to your computer and choose if you want to save them as Word, PDF or SRT files.

Pros

The straightforward audio transcription process
Excellent speaker identification features
No subscriptions required
Inexpensive audio transcription option

Cons

The quality of the transcription depends on the quality of the audio file
Transcription of long audio recordings can take a while

9. Castos

Price: Pay as you go, $0,10 per minute

Castos is a podcast hosting platform that is equipped with a powerful voice to text technology which transcribes all episodes of your podcasts accurately. This tool improves the visibility and the reach of the content you upload to your account on Castos, and makes it easier for you to optimize it for search engines. So, in order to start using this option, you will have to activate it from the Integrations section on the dashboard. Once you enabled the platform’s transcription features, all new episodes you upload to Castos are going to be transcribed automatically. What’s more, you will also be able to transcribe episodes you uploaded before activating this feature.

Pros

Automatic transcription process
Castos lets its users transcribe all podcast episodes regardless of when they were uploaded
Compatible with YouTube Republishing feature
Generates PDF transcription files listeners can download

Cons

Limited transcription editing capabilities
All audio transcription services are added to the monthly bill

10. Descript

Price: Free, pricing options start at $10 per month

Compatibility: web-based, macOS, Windows

In case you are looking for software you can use to record, edit and transcribe your podcasts, then you shouldn’t look much further than Descript. This cross-platform tool can be used to edit both audio and video files, while the Lyrebird AI enables you to correct any mistakes by simply typing what you really want to say. Descript automatically transcribes your videos with 96% accuracy and it detects multiple speakers effortlessly. It takes only three minutes to transcribe an hour-long podcast, but the software also allows you to use the human transcription services, although you will have to pay $1,25 for each minute of the transcription.

Pros

Available on both Mac and PC computers
Equipped with the Lyrebird AI
Offers both audio and video editing tools
Quick transcription turnaround

Cons

No file sharing options
The free version of Descript doesn’t offer transcription services

How to Make the Process of Transcribing Podcasts Quicker for Free

You don’t have to spend money on subscriptions to voice-to-text software products every month since Google Docs offers a simple and free solution. You can enable the Voice Typing feature from the Tools menu and then just proceed to record your podcasts.

This tool will transcribe everything you say, although its accuracy depends on the quality of the audio recording. In addition, the Voice Typing feature can be used to transcribe the podcasts you already recorded, but you have to repeat exactly what is being said in the episode you are transcribing.

You shouldn’t expect a high level of accuracy, since the Voice Typing tool is still being improved, and you should keep in mind that proofreading a transcript can help you eliminate all mistakes that occurred during the automatic transcription process.

Utilizing YouTube to Transcribe Podcast

One of the easiest ways to create captions for YouTube videos is to utilize the platform’s Transcribe feature. Every time you upload a new podcast to your YouTube channel, you’ll be able to generate captions for that video file automatically.

However, the voice to text technology the platform is using doesn’t always create accurate transcriptions, which is the reason why you must go through the entire transcription and make sure that the text matches its source.

Moreover, YouTube recently made the automatic captioning feature available during live streams, which enables you to generate transcriptions of your podcasts even while the recording session is in progress.

Conclusion

Extending the reach of your audience is an essential step towards creating a loyal base of subscribers who follow your work. Transcribing each episode of the podcast you are running can help you improve your SEO strategy and draw more attention to your work. Which podcasting audio to text transcription software are you using to transcribe audio and video files? Leave a comment and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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