Best way to build an mp3 library?

[ttown]

I'm slowly converting all my audio cd's to mp3's for what will eventually be a htpc-like system.

One thing that I find annoying, and difficult to deal with, is getting the volume "relatively" constant... so I can play songs from many cd's in random order without having to adjust the volume.

I currently use CDex or EAC to rip, and mp3gain to normalize. These apps come very close to what I want.
On any individual CD, they work fine -- but on a collection of CD's, they are not great.

The problem I seem to have is that the recorded audio level varies from source-cd to source-cd. I have some cd's -- when listened to normally -- need to have the volume adjust up, and some that need the volume adjusted down.

Right now, the only solution I can think of is to sort my cds first by recorded-audio-level -- and then run them through mp3gain to bump up/down the gain 'en mass' for each sorted group. It seems like a lot of work/time just to account for the variations in recorded sound levels.

Is there some other way?

tia

 

[HN]

I thought mp3gain set everything to a defined decibel? So if you set Target "Normal" Volume to say 95dB, all tracks below 95dB would be gained, and all tracks above 95dB would be reduced. This isn't the case?

 

[ttown]

Originally posted by: HN
I thought mp3gain set everything to a defined decibel? So if you set Target "Normal" Volume to say 95dB, all tracks below 95dB would be gained, and all tracks above 95dB would be reduced. This isn't the case?

It works that way for "per track" mode. There's also "album" mode which looks at the whole collection, and raises/lowers them as a whole -- to keep the "quiet" songs quiet, and the "rocking" songs rocking.

My specific issue is that my CD's have apparently been recorded at the studio at different levels. So I find that I have some CD's that I have to increase volume for, and some I have to decrease for -- as a whole.
For example: To llisten to CD1 at the volume "meant to be listened to", my volume is at 1/4th. To listen to CD2 at the volume IT was "meant to be listened to" -- my volume needs to be adjusted to 1/3.
When I put the CD's in a cd-changer on my home stereo system, and randomize the play, volume is all over the place and quite annoying.

 

[ttown]

bump for the night crowd

 

[ttown]

bump for a new day

There's got to be someone with an answer

 

[LiekOMG]

iTunes can scan the average volume of your entire library, and normalize the songs accordingly so that all songs have a similar volume when played, even between albums.