Evening out track volume on an audio CD in Burn by Zaweba
The normalise option in Burn by Zaweba makes the tracks on an audio CD play at similar volume, so a mixed CD doesn't need constant volume changes.
Put together a CD from music bought over twenty years and you soon hear the problem. One track whispers, the next one shouts, and you spend the drive reaching for the volume knob. The normalise option on the Audio CD page of Burn by Zaweba is there to fix that, by making the tracks play at similar volume.
It is a single option, and it can make a big difference to how a mixed CD feels.
Why tracks differ so much
Music files come from all sorts of places. Older recordings were often mastered quieter than newer ones, and files you have converted, downloaded or ripped over the years carry whatever level they started with. On a CD by one artist from one album, that rarely matters, because the album was made to sit together. On a CD of favourites from many sources, the jumps can be jarring.
Where the option lives
Build your audio CD as usual: add your music files, put the tracks in order, choose gaps or gapless and type in any CD-Text titles. On the same page, turn on the option to normalise the tracks. When the CD is made, the tracks are evened out so they play at similar volume.
The option belongs to the Audio CD page, so it applies to discs that play in ordinary CD players. It isn't part of the MP3 data disc, which keeps music as files.
Discs that benefit
Mixed CDs are the obvious case. A CD for the car with tracks from many albums, a party CD, a CD of songs for a class to sing along to, or a compilation for an older stereo all benefit, because the listener can set the volume once and leave it.
Spoken material gathered from different sources is another good fit, such as recordings made at different times that you want to play one after another.
Albums best left alone
If you are copying the tracks of a single album, consider leaving the option off. The quiet and loud moments of an album are often deliberate, and the album will already sit together well.
The same goes for music where dynamics matter, such as classical pieces or live recordings where the quiet passages are part of the point. Gapless live albums are usually best left as they are.
Tips for a good mixed CD
Listen to the order as well as the level. Normalising evens out the volume, but a slow, quiet song next to a loud one will still feel like a jump. Dragging the tracks into an order that flows helps as much as the option itself.
Check the running time. The Audio CD page shows the running time against the disc, so you can see how many tracks fit before you commit.
Use CD-Text for titles. Players and car stereos that support it will show the album, artist and track names, which makes a mixed CD far easier to find your way around.
Normalising and the other Audio CD choices
Normalising is one part of the Audio CD tools in Burn by Zaweba, alongside track order, gaps or gapless, and CD-Text. If you build playlists in Play by Zaweba, sending one to Burn opens the Audio CD page with the tracks ready, and normalising is then one more choice before you burn.
