Nondestructive level normalization

WaveLab
1

I am looking for a way to nondestructively level normalize to a digital peak an entire montage in WL10. I know I can just go to the audio edit panel and level normalize to whatever I wish (such as -.3dB), but it alters the original file which I don’t wish to do as this is destructive. This is a massive reel to reel digitization project and for historical reasons I wish to keep the audio unaltered as it came off the machine.

I have looked at the Meta Normalizer in the Montage Process section, but I am not looking to alter loudness to a certain level, just raise the entire montage so that the peak is -.3dB.

Just looking for a more elegant solution than doing math for over 500 montages.

Thank you

2

Normally, loudness has to be normalized, not the peaks, that don’t reflect the perceived loudness.
What is the reason you wish to normalize peaks?

3

Normalizing is always changing the level, if that is destructive enough you can’t normalize…
The level normalizing is just a change in level. Not more involved.

and to keep the original files is easy with a batch process…

4

This is true, but Loudness normalizing can be too “just a change in level”, as far as no clipping occurs. This is one thing the meta-normalizer can do/control.

This also means, through the Montage meta-normalizer, you can indirectly normalize to peaks, by choosing a high loudness target, while activating the peak limiting in the same time.
No compression algorithm happens.

6

Thank you as this is exactly what I was looking for. I don’t want to compress/maximize anything, just raise the levels.