Software to modify the average volume of an audio file

[Goaty Bill 2]

Ideally free to use or very cheap to purchase as I have limited requirement for it.

I have a couple of family video files where the volume range makes them almost un-viewable.

If turned to a volume to hear ordinary conversation, loud interjections in the conversation make the speakers rattle and if turned to a volume to keep that within tolerable limits, average conversation can be lost completely.

I am able to manage the audio separate from the video and restitch them after audio modifications.

As the interjections can be adult male, female or child I don't think an equaliser will quite do the job.

Thanks for any suggestions

[slatermethuen]

Audacity can probably do this.

[jimothyc]

Yep Audacity is the tool for this, in particular the compressor should solve your issues.

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/compressor.htm...

[Goaty Bill 2]

Thanks for that.

It looks to have potential.
It may take a while to get this to work as none of the audio file types I can extract seem to satisfy Audacity and while it suggests installing ffmpeg, it's already installed and refuses to find it.

I will report back when I have fought through this step but as I have a process currently using ffmpeg that's been running for 20 hours and is about to complete, I'm not going to risk anything for a bit.

[Turtle Shed]

Free trial of Adobe Premiere Pro is an option.

[Goaty Bill 2]

Turtle Shed said:

Free trial of Adobe Premiere Pro is an option.

Thanks.
Likely a good option but the trial period is a bit too short for my current needs.
There isn't much to do but it will take more than a week given other pressures.
It may be time to consider a licensed version soon...

[Goaty Bill 2]

Installed ffmpeg for Audacity.
It allowed me to open the necessary file types.
It's a bit complicated for a novice but I soon discovered that Legacy Limiter will produce a favourable result.
As best as I can determine is that it 'simply', but cleverly reduces peak db which allows me to set a higher volume thus giving the overall effect I was looking for.
I found that the Compressor, both new and Legacy, created an enormous amount of distortion; worst case scenario across the entire audio file when imported into the final production software (just VSDC at this point).

I will continue to experiment.

Thanks again.

[Goaty Bill 2]

I discovered while creating a few files that the volume control on the playback object/display actually adjusts the volume of the resulting file.
I find this a bit odd as there is no other playback volume control that I could find.
Adjusting this to I could hear the post-change playback is what was causing the terrible high volume and distortion when using compression.

An odd 'feature' but there you go...

In the end I have found that applying Legacy Compression followed by Legacy Limiter produces superior and sufficient results.
Normal conversation is heard and louder interjections don't rattle the windows.