VLC - audio outputs too loud

2006-04-11 17:45:53

Surely a lot of people are using Video Lan Client (VLC) here.

So I want to ask a question: Is it just me who feels that if I set the volume to 100 in VLC, that it actually doesn't play at original volume, but twice as loud !?

It's because foobar2000 is a LOT quiter with volume pulled up to -0dB. And it seems to be for every format, be it mp2,mp3,ac3,...

And what does it do if my assumption is correct? Just clip away what would go above 0dB after volume scaling 

I really hope someone can help me, I need to find out what level is 1:1 (-0dB in other words) in VLC.

Using version 0.8.4 for windows.

Thanks in advance,
gasmann

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #1 – 2006-04-11 17:56:17

do you play the same files in vlc as in foobar2000?
are the files replaygained?

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #2 – 2006-04-11 17:59:29

Yes, I play the same files. But it's not related to replaygain, as I use mp3gained mp3's to test and some mp2's without replaygain info at all.

I mean, it's generally too loud for me, it doesn't matter what I play with it. Winamp and WMP are quiter, too and they don't support replaygain as well as VLC.

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #3 – 2006-04-11 18:11:32

you're right, i just checked it. if i reduce the audio-volume to 100 in the preference menu
it seems to play at normal loudness.

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #4 – 2006-04-11 18:28:38

So why do they do this? If I set it to 100 in options, it indeed seems to be correct -0dB then, thanks. But it displays 50 in the gui volume slider, making me always want to rise it to 100. Is there a way to "limit" volume to 50? I mean that in the gui 50 is the max. then...

I wonder what the developers of vlc were thinking when they messed it up like this. It's really a shame because everyone who is not so experienced will just pull it up to 100 thinking this is -0dB and not +whatever dB and get clipped output without knowing why.

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #5 – 2006-04-11 20:55:07

Twice as LOUD? 10dB more intense?

Or do you mean "twice as intense" and about 1.22 times as loud?

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #6 – 2006-04-11 21:10:53

I don't know exactly, sorry. But if I use "File Audio Output" as output module with format float32, I get an output file with the peak = 2x peak of input file, so if it was let's say about 0.9, it's 1.8 in the output file. I am not sure whether it is "twice as intense" or "twice as loud", but I think because the peak is twice as high that it is twice as loud actually.

edit: VLC has a really weird volume setup. I mean, if you set the default volume in options to 256, the volume bar in the gui sets itself to 50. So, 256 seems to be the -0dB setting and it seems you should just not mess with this gui control! Just set it to 256 in options and leave that stupid control as it is, at 50. This way I finally get what I want.
Now that I know the "workaround" is not to use the gui control but setting the volume to <=256 in options page instead, I'm really happy with that. It's pretty easily accessible, too (just use Ctrl-S then you already see the volume slider  ) so I'll use this to set the volume from now on.

Thanks for all your help. Maybe we should talk about that 'problem' with vlc developers?

VLC - audio outputs too loud

Reply #7 – 2006-04-12 05:52:34

Just FYI, something similar happens with the Mac OS X version, as well:  100% on VLC's volume slider (approx. 1/4 of the way up the slider) = perceptually the exact same volume as iTunes at full volume.  400% in VLC (maximum volume on the slider) = much louder than any other audio source...distorted, but not horribly clipped, i.e. it sounds almost like analog limiting...it's weird.