Is there a way to open a Dolby Digital AC-3 file in order to increase the volume level? All ways I know convert the AC-3 file into wav, but it loses its 6-channel properties.
You could try AC3 Normalizer. You will have to demux and remux keeping note on the audio delay. http://www.videohelp.com/tools/AC3_Normalizer
Matter of fact this question is more ample than I thought at first. Some avi files I get are still AC3 6-channel, or at least they say they are. So how do I keep the AC3/6 channels? In my case I never view the avi files directly on my TV, as I prefer to make full-DVD files out of them. So I go through programs like Procoder to convert the files, but in separating the video & audio files I convert the AC3 files onto wav, which are not 6 channel anymore. To adjust levels I use Soundforge, which doesn't accept AC3 files. So it would be great to preserve the AC3 quality. In some cases, as the one that originated this thread, the level is low and I prefer to increase it. In this particular case I had to level-up more than 30dBs, which you don't really solve by increasing the amp volume.
Demux with PgcDemux. Click on Check A/V Delay. Write that number down and use that delay when you remux. I missed the part where you state that these files are avi. Demux your video with VirtualDubMod.
Now I'm working on a different file, though same problem: an AC3 5.1 file with level a bit low. I need to increase it, but I don't quite know how. With AC3 Normalizer there are some issues I am not quite sure how to fill in. Bitrate goes up to 384Kbps on the Normalizer, when my file is 448Kbps, and Normalizer asks for a Dynamic Range Compression setting which I don't know which is it. But you can't see how the file will be corrected. How will Normalizer adjust the levels? The file I am using now is PAL and I converted onto NTSC with TMPGEnc 4.0 Express, which supposedly accepts AC3 files and does have a limited level correction capability. But it converts it onto AC3 2-channel, and I want to preserve the 5.1. So I'm still stuck on how to increase levels on an AC3 file.
I'm becoming aware of something. If Normalize works like an AGC, which increases all lower levels, getting them closer to the higher ones, then that's not what I'm looking for. What I want is to preserve the relative levels inside the file and just go higher on them all. From what I could see with Foobar2000, the peaks are around -23dB and the dialogues around -35dB. So I would need to correct at least 18dB on all files to get what I want, going to -5dB on the peaks and -17dB on the dialogues. So again: how can I do that keeping the relative levels as they are?
If that's not working out for you the way you want it, you could try BeLight (freeware). http://www.videohelp.com/tools/BeLight In the advanced settings you can set the normalization.
OK. Now we seem getting there. What I did, instead of normalize, was increasing the gain in 18dB. But I think I will now try 15dB. After the test I used Foobar2000 to check the levels and everything seems to be where I wanted it to. It's not too clear what to do with the other settings, particularly the "Advanced" ones, or the Dynamic Control. Is there a guide anywhere to teach that?
Unfortunately there is none that I know of but you can ask the author. http://forum.videohelp.com/topic352203.html#1856212
