YouTube Volume Vs System Volume

[CheeseQueen452]

The volume on YouTube tends to be too low. Sometimes, I can barely hear it despite the YT volume control being all the way up! However, my system volume is fine. Is there anything I can do about this?

[djohnston]

Set the volume by using the slider in the lower left corner of the video window.

[CheeseQueen452]

It's already all the way up, just as I said above.

Set the volume by using the slider in the lower left corner of the video window.

[djohnston]

What system mixer are you using? Have you looked at all the volume levels there? Do you have an example of a YouTube video that isn't loud enough?

[CheeseQueen452]

I'm using kmix.

Castle 4x15 sneak peek #4. (Season 4 Episode 15)

What system mixer are you using? Have you looked at all the volume levels there? Do you have an example of a YouTube video that isn't loud enough?

[djohnston]

It's not your system, it's the sound level in that video. I have to turn my main volume up to about 75% just to hear that video at normal levels. There's not much you can do about poor sound quality in the source.

[CheeseQueen452]

My main volume is at 75% as well, but I'm also using a laptop. I guess you're right, there's nothing I can do.

It's not your system, it's the sound level in that video. I have to turn my main volume up to about 75% just to hear that video at normal levels. There's not much you can do about poor sound quality in the source.

[djohnston]

Videos posted to the web tend to have varying sound quality, as well as video quality. I tend to try all available versions of a song on YouTube before posting one to the forum because the sound levels are so drastically different for some.

[Bald Brick]

I have the same problem when watching television on my computer: most programs and most films created for television sound all right, but newer movies produced for theatre distribution don't. The maximum sound level is ridiculously low.

Now, I have a guess as to why. For a real explanation we'd need a sound engeneer, but my theory is that it all depends on the original sound system of the clip or film.

In many multichannel audio systems (5.1, 7.1) most of the dialogue is mainly heard through the center channel, while music and background come throught the other channels. If you simply remove the center channel (together with the rear channels) you'll get quite decent stereo from the normal two front channels. But for dialogue the level will be too low. For the dialogue to be heard without your turning up the volume radically you need the center channel -- and that doesn't mean a center speaker: the center channel must be encoded into the clip.

But, of course, my theory may be entirely wrong.

[The Chief]

Might be entirely wrong, but certainly sounds plausible...  Laziness and/or incompetence on the part of whoever is doing the encoding.

[pags]

Might be entirely wrong, but certainly sounds plausible...  Laziness and/or incompetence on the part of whoever is doing the encoding.

Might be laziness, but not the encoder...I find that some movies, even through the surround-sound system, have quiet dialogue and over powering effects and incidental music...I don't know why, I find the same at the theatre, sometimes.

Maybe the sound editors and the studios need to re-assess what they're doing...

[smileeb]

I wish no matter what it is, TV, Movie I could tune the background music out that is covering
the dialog which I think is the major point of the movie or show and not the music. I want to
hear what they are saying. Most of the time it is the high light of the show and you miss the
point.

[Hootiegibbon]

Which sound sytem is in use? Alsa, OSS or PulseAudio?

Try using "alsamixer" in a Konsole, this will normally show all available channels and whether any are muted by default, should any be muted, un-mute them by pressinf the letter "m" when its highlighted

Jase

 

[The Chief]

Might be entirely wrong, but certainly sounds plausible...  Laziness and/or incompetence on the part of whoever is doing the encoding.

Might be laziness, but not the encoder...I find that some movies, even through the surround-sound system, have quiet dialogue and over powering effects and incidental music...I don't know why, I find the same at the theatre, sometimes.

Maybe the sound editors and the studios need to re-assess what they're doing...

I think the problem may be Dynamic Range.  For home/consumer use, we are used to having the Dynamic Range (difference between soft sounds and loud sounds) compressed to work with the smaller, less capable speakers in the typical consumer equipment.  Theatrical releases don't have that compression, and the encoding adjusts for (limits?) the max volume, without compressing, therefore leaving most of the sound too soft.

[Bald Brick]

Which sound sytem is in use? Alsa, OSS or PulseAudio?

Try using "alsamixer" in a Konsole, this will normally show all available channels and whether any are muted by default, should any be muted, un-mute them by pressinf the letter "m" when its highlighted

Jase

 

Here the decisive word is 'available'. If my theory is correct, the center channel would have been removed from the clip and so wouldn't be available. But of course my guess was pure speculation.