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Best MP3Gain Setting

post #1 of 25
5/17/04 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 
I currently have MP3Gain set to 89.0 but all the songs are too soft, and I have to turn the volume at about 80% on my ipod. I only use trackgain, btw. Anyways, I was wondering what's a louder, or the loudest setting I can set MP3Gain at, and still have minimal distortion.
Thanks.

Btw, I'm using Sennheiser MX500 and occasionally Koss PortaPros so I don't think the iPod'll have problems driving them.
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post #2 of 25
5/17/04 at 5:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squibbles
I currently have MP3Gain set to 89.0 but all the songs are too soft, and I have to turn the volume at about 80% on my ipod. I only use trackgain, btw. Anyways, I was wondering what's a louder, or the loudest setting I can set MP3Gain at, and still have minimal distortion.
Thanks.

Btw, I'm using Sennheiser MX500 and occasionally Koss PortaPros so I don't think the iPod'll have problems driving them.
I agree, 89.0db is very soft for listening. Unfortuantely, there is no loudest setting you can apply across the board. Some mp3 files will clip at 90.0db while other can be increased up to 98.0db without clipping. I usually like to use somewhere between 95.0 to 98.0db, but it might not work for every mp3.

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post #3 of 25
5/17/04 at 5:50pm
I find that 95 is a good target. I'd say 85%+ of the tracks that I have normalized have been without clipping at 95. When 95 won't do it, I start going down 1.5 db (the lowest amount) at a time. I don't think I've had to take anything down past 91, and that was only one or two songs.
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post #4 of 25
5/17/04 at 6:04pm
Why working hard?, you have an "Apply Max No-clip Gain" option.
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post #5 of 25
5/17/04 at 8:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Megaman
Why working hard?, you have an "Apply Max No-clip Gain" option.
Because I like having all my songs remain at a constant volume. Applying Max Gain causes them to be at different volumes, which forces me to fumble with the volume dial after each song.
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post #6 of 25
5/17/04 at 9:26pm
you could also try turning on the "advanced features" , which allows you to scan each track for its max no-clip gain and set it accordingly. usually it produces a tolerable range of volume across tracks such that you won't have to fiddle with the volume knob, while eliminating clipping from tracks.
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post #7 of 25
5/18/04 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squibbles
Because I like having all my songs remain at a constant volume. Applying Max Gain causes them to be at different volumes, which forces me to fumble with the volume dial after each song.
Then use "Apply max no-clip gain for album"
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post #8 of 25
1/3/08 at 11:27am
A very old topic but actual to me. What do the audiophiles think nowadays about using the 'Apply max no-clip gain for album'. Does it affect the mp3s quality in a bad way?
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post #9 of 25
1/3/08 at 1:12pm
I still use 89db. helps me keep my listening levels down to a more sensible level, thereby (somewhat) protecting my hearing a little. and secondly keeps all the albums the same, which means at work, no changing the volume every few minutes.

I dont feel it affects the quality to a noticable level. If it's too quiet i turn it up with the Go Vibe amp.
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post #10 of 25
1/3/08 at 1:31pm
track analyze all

find the ones that clip at the lowest setting / max no clip gain that one track

gain all to that setting

with my loud clip, actually wish it went below 75 db, but hopefully they will add more volume settings. other than that, 89db is definitely fine for my harder to drive phones.. i mean unless you're using not very good isolating phones in a noisey environment (which you shouldn't), or not using an amp when it is required, it should be fine
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post #11 of 25
1/3/08 at 5:52pm
I find that I can go 91 and see only the rarest examples of clipping. This works well for my current setup (ZVM and E500) as it provides very clean source material (ready to be fed to the custom EQ if desired) while still having enough reserve to achieve louder-than-safe volume levels. Using a 90-ish range MP3Gain setting does sometimes require either fairly sensitive IEMs or a powerful DAP and/or amp though, and may cause problems if you are marginal to start out with.
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post #12 of 25
1/3/08 at 7:08pm
91 is also my target. I can almost always achieve it without clipping, except on rare albums. In general, I use album gain, rather than track gain, to preserve the original album flow.

It's interesting that some albums, mostly fairly recent ones, have default gains that are WAY into clipping, and need to be toned down by 3 or even 6 dB to avoid it. Is this just sloppy production, or is it done on purpose just to make the album play extra loud (perhaps seen as desirable by some) by default?
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post #13 of 25
1/3/08 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Is this just sloppy production, or is it done on purpose just to make the album play extra loud (perhaps seen as desirable by some) by default?
Unfortunately mostly the latter these days as pumped-up loudness is somehow seen as desirable lately, especially with pop music. There have been several past threads on this lamentable topic.
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post #14 of 25
1/3/08 at 11:44pm
I have 85dB as my target. It's not a problem with my Atrio M5.
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post #15 of 25
1/4/08 at 2:36pm
I was aiming for replies that specifically mention the quality of the mp3 before and after the use of MP3gain. Hope I am more clear now. In some time I will rip some cds and compare the quality myself. I wonder if they are more noisy, not as clear or whatever. I just want the best quality as possible for my mp3s and not further degrade by using some tool.
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