I have just tarted using MP3Gain an the one piece of information I can't seem to find here or elsewhere is What is the best target volume level? and how do you work it out?

This would seem to be a critical value and so far the default 89db appears to be much lower that the figures I am seeing for the files I have tried. So by adjusting the gain of the files so far they have all been attenuated down.

Is there anyway to work out the optimum target volume by analysing many files?

There is no 'best' value. If you put it too high, you'll get clipping. If you put it too low, you'll have to turn the volume way up.

Use the default, it's there because it's an excellent compromise. It's normal for most music to have way higher values, but this is no problem. (In fact, they tend to have higher values because they are mastered _too_ loud)

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GCP

Garf - Thanks for the reply. Tha's what I have noticed, that most tracks are clipped. This surprises me because using EAC with Lame --alt-preset standard I was not expecting to see clipping. Is the clipping occuring during the original mastering of the music?

As long as an album doesn't have tracks that lead into each other, typically I just use MP3Gain to fix the clipping on my MP3's and put them all at the maximum no-clip gain.

I usually use album gain on all albums and radio gain on all singles
I set the program to 92 instead of 89, but that is just me. 89 seemed to not have enough at max volume on one of my handheld players, hmm, not saying that 92 is much more, i dunno. Actually, its been so long since I set it to 92, that I might go back and try it at 89 again and see what I get.

Question:What is the audible change or difference in volume that 89 -> 92 would create. I know it would raise the maximum average level of the music, but I forget how many times louder that 92 is than 89. From what I understand, decibels do not work linear, but exponentially, correct?

3dB is double the voltage, 10dB is double the loudness

Have a 24/96 card with a tube (rather old but very nice) amp, mp3gain is set to 83 dB to sound 'nice' for me.

i say choose a value where (whenever possible) the peaks end up between -5 and -1 dBFS. this way you can achieve a fairly "comfortable" listening level and still make use of your 16 bits

"3dB is double the voltage, 10dB is double the loudness"

I don't think, that 3 db is doubling the voltage.

6 db doubles the voltage and the value / gain ( 0 ... 32767 without clipping) displayed by mp3gain...

dB = 20 log V2/V1

and so, doubling voltage is ~2.6dB, and I was just assuming 3dB in that post, which I guess was just rounded from 2.6blah. I just figured it was 3dB, and was a general rule of thumb, at least that's what I seem to recall hearing. The equation clearly shows it's 2.6something though. google voltage decibel

hmm, I knew that 6 db did not mean exactly doubling, let's forget ciphers after the dot.

But I remember very well, that 6 db is nearly doubling the value of gain (0 up to 32767 without clipping) in mp3gain. And i thought, that these values are proportional to voltage/current ?

BTW, I thought that gain is proportional to current, voltage is dependent on frequencies ?