Measuring average volume of a section (all tracks or individual)

[BillW]

I may not be asking the question clearly - but I'll try to explain.

Is there a tool / plug in that can measure (I guess is decibels) the average for a section of a song (all tracks) or a given track (by soloing it)?

I have a song where it's obvious to my ears that some sections are louder than I want - but how much is not always clear. nor is it obvious to my ears which track or tracks contribute

Now I realize that sounds doubtful and I agree I COULD figure it out by careful listening etc. And what I do try to do is "gain stage" rather than use the sliders etc. In fact I rarely if even use the sliders. Volume automation where a section / track needs to be a bit stronger (or weaker).

But I've noticed at times when I'm done, I find a section appears too loud overall. Or the opposite. So I go back and adjust only to find I overdid it compared to other sections.

<Side question - is there such a thing as "target volume"? It seems on an album every song pretty much is the same overall volume - I never have to turn up or down the volume song to song>

Final note - I realize one key rule is to "mix with your ears, not your eyes" and getting a numerical reading of track volumes or song volumes might be considered contrary to that.

so maybe I'm off base even considering this. But I do wonder if it could be a time saver.

[cactus-head]

Hi,

Try putting Voxengo SPAN Spectrum Analyzer on your Master Track FXs. Solo and mute your other tracks according to what you want to play back. Make sure that you click the Show button so that it is visible. I suggest the master track so you can see everything that's coming through the mix as a whole. You could of course put an instance on each track.

there are a few presets that should give you a visual indicator of the data you are looking for. For a more detailed understanding of how to use the analyzer and what it displays, check out:

https://www.voxengo.com/files/userguide ... e%20en.pdf

and

https://www.voxengo.com/files/userguide ... e%20en.pdf

There's also nothing like a good old fashioned VU meter to give you an eyeball indicator of what's going on. You could use TB Ferox Tape Emulator that comes with Mixcraft, but you may end up affecting your sound. I like to use mvMeter2

https://www.tbproaudio.de/products/mvmeter2

And there is such a thing as a target volume. You can have a plugin or equipment help get you there using compressors, limiters and/or maximizers. But that's going to depend on a final medium, audience or platform.

[TrevsAudio]

Just wanted to add, for your overall 'Loudness' from song to song, I use the LOUDNESS PENALTY: ANALYZER website here.

https://www.loudnesspenalty.com/

Mix down your completed track (MP3, WAV or whatever) and drag it into this free facility. It will give an indication of how the levels will be adjusted on various platforms.

[BillW]

Thanks much, Trevor and Cactus!