[CLOSED] Feature Request: Track Gain

+1 for auto gain in rekordbox (i know there are a few threads open on this topic, but I'll +1 it every time!)

Yeah I realize that's what the gain is for on a mixer, but there's a faster and better way to do it and that is Auto Gain. That's like saying what's the purpose of hot cues, that's what the jog wheel is for, just scroll to that part of the song you want. It's about speed and ease of use.

And there's no distinguishable quality loss any time I've done it on serato or traktor, as long as you don't go too far and clip it obviously.

I'm not going to go into a DAW every time a track is too quiet and throw a limiter on it and then export it, that's ridiculous.

how does me wanting auto gain make me a "Hit Play & Sync" person? Also you're using a product that just released a sync button too so not sure what you're talking about.

Clearly you've never played hip-hop or any throwback music before because the volume difference between some of the songs is ridiculous (sometimes i have to put the gain knob all the way up)

Do you know a program that will auto gain my files, that I can do a batch process to and not have to save everyone individually and just let it run overnight? That would be pretty awesome.

Also with that argument, why does rekordbox detect bpm and key, there's plenty of other programs that do that too. Clearly their goal here is to make an all-in-one DJ tool and not force you to open 5 programs to work on a track.

Keep in mind: Rekordbox is developed to manage and analyze your audio files and surely not to alter or edit the content of your audio file. All analyse data (hot cues, cue points, beat grid, optional key) is stored in a separate file, just like Ableton, to maintain the integrity of your audio files.

The gain in serato/traktor/etc does not alter the file. It's simply a knob in the app that saves to the serato config file or whatever that says when you load up this song, it should play 2dB louder than normal. It's not a compressor or a limiter, it's simply a knob that allows you to add GAIN on a per track basis

The idea of auto-gaining is big no-no for me. Usually, such function will pump up all high dynamic range tracks and take an overcompressed track as the reference level. This overcompression results in tracks with minimal dynamic range which are tiring to listen to over a longer period. Just Google for "Loudness war" and you will understand what I mean.

Again, gain has nothing to do with compression or limiting, it doesn't change the dynamics of the track

The need to adjust your gains on a mixer from track to track is normal procedure as not all songs have the same dynamic range, but you still want them to sound equally loud. Hardware mixers (should) have enough headroom to handle this gaining/amplification process without clipping. Overcompressing the dynamic range is not the solution.

Yeah but people who do open format sets from every genre, not just house have to deal with these volume differences between tracks constantly. I can't really describe how annoying it is since the vast majority of people on here just play house and this isn't an issue in that genre because everything is relatively the same volume...I guess it would be akin to not knowing the bpm of a song or having to memorize what key a song is in. I literally spend more time adjusting levels while playing with rekodbox than doing anything else. It was just a nice feature in serato/traktor because it was one less thing I had to think about

Also to clarify, by "auto gain" i meant more that I wish there was a volume knob on a per track basis that you could raise/lower. I didn't want some type of thing that when analyzing your tracks, it automatically adds a certain amount of gain to get it as close to the 0 mark as possible

I belive that Pioneer have more to do with RB than add some features right now.

My suggestion is to google for "auto gain" or something.

I use Platinum Notes & Mixed In Key for analyze my own libary.

Again, gain has nothing to do with compression or limiting, it doesn't change the dynamics of the track

Yes, gain can lead to decreasing the dynamic range of your track.

Example: Track 1, genre "minimal" has a low average sound level of e.g.-12 dB, but still have peaks reaching near 0 dB. Then track_ 2, a highly compressed genre "dub-step" with an average sound level of -3 dB, with peaks clipping at 0 dB. Now, you want them both to sound equally loud. If you haven't analyzed track 1, you (or auto-gain) will simply turn up the gain in Serato, Traktor, etc... of that track by +9 dB, resulting in an average sound level of -3 dB, but with clipped, limited or compressed peaks and your dynamic range reduced by 9 dB._

A professional digital hardware mixer has a headroom of 20 dB (when the input signal reaches 0 dB) and can easily handle this gain: track 1 will be equally amplified by +9 dB without peaks being clipped and maintaining the dynamic range.

Yeah I understand what you're saying.

Again I don't know why I started saying auto gain but I don't want something that auto adjusts track gain for you I was thinking a gain knob that you can add volume to each track individually that would be recognized by the CDJs once you export the tracks to your storage device (not even sure if this is possible with the current hardware)

Just stating a feature request that every DJ I know uses to some extent in Serato/Traktor that could be a good addition to rekordbox to make it more competitive with these other programs. Thanks.

The reason why Traktor and Serato have that feature is because they are DJ mixing software, and they offer the ability to mix "in-the-box."  Yes, you can use an external mixer with them... but they are also designed to use controllers and mix within the software.  Therefore, they need to have a gain adjust for the tracks.

Rekordbox is not DJ mixing software.  It's simply a database manager for DJ music.  The mixing is always handled by using external hardware, and therefore the gain control should be located on that hardware.

No you can't do that with serato. There is no crossfader or channel faders. It's not in the box. Yet it has a per track gain knob. They have the feature because it's an easy way to make all of your library relatively the same volume and it's a useful tool.

Auto gain won't work properly due to the fact every track is mastered in a different way. Auto gain systems only check the waveform in order to set the levels.

Not interested in this feature.  If I have an irritating issue with the gain on a track, I will adjust it in software externally, otherwise I make minor adjustments using the channel gain on a mixer.  The actual gain used in performance depends highly on what and how I'm mixing.

-1 (definately!)

Rekordbox, nor CDJ's, have a built-in volume control function, so what you are suggesting is adding the feature to Rekordbox, to auto-level the amplitude of the samples in the audio file itself.

Keep in mind: Rekordbox is developed to manage and analyze your audio files and surely not to alter or edit the content of your audio file. All analyse data (hot cues, cue points, beat grid, optional key) is stored in a separate file, just like Ableton, to maintain the integrity of your audio files.

The idea of auto-gaining is big no-no for me. Usually, such function will pump up all high dynamic range tracks and take an overcompressed track as the reference level. This overcompression results in tracks with minimal dynamic range which are tiring to listen to over a longer period. Just Google for "Loudness war" and you will understand what I mean.

The need to adjust your gains on a mixer from track to track is normal procedure as not all songs have the same dynamic range, but you still want them to sound equally loud. Hardware mixers (should) have enough headroom to handle this gaining/amplification process without clipping. Overcompressing the dynamic range is not the solution.

About Serato and Traktor: I have no experience with them, so I don't know how volume control is performed there. But I fear they do it by compressing and limiting in the output stage to the sound card, as they have no headroom available like a hardware mixer.

I hope this makes all sense...

Okay, seems there are some who want and most who don't want this feature.

It has been noted and unlike wine, this thread isn't getting better with age.  Thanks for your input!

-1  from me.

DJ mixers all have channel gains.  That's what it is for, and it will do a better job than any software.

But if you insist on using software to set levels in your tracks, you'll be better served with a professional quality audio editor program.

-1

My opinion is, Use the gain or get a program (there are several programs on the market) that will autogain your files...

We are "Djs" and not  "Hit Play & Sync" people.

If you are,  use Serato or Traktor then.