RMS is the key to your audio success - audiobook narration series - part 5

Audiobook Narration Series

Author

Master Editor
October 27, 2024

Recently, I posted a quiz about RMS to my ​​YouTube community​​.

 Unfortunately, most people gave the wrong answer. RMS is a technical concept, and it can be challenging to understand.

However, if you don't know what RMS does to your audio, you won’t be able to effectively control your audio’s volume.

There’s an essential distinction between peak loudness and average loudness. Average loudness, also referred to as overall loudness, is represented by RMS. 

Increasing the RMS of your audio will make it sound louder overall, while peak loudness only represents the single loudest point in the audio. 

Using effects like Normalize to increase the peak will also increase the RMS. However, true mastery in audio editing involves raising the RMS without raising the peak level.

For example, let’s look at the ACX standards for peak and RMS levels. 

The peak should stay below -3 dB, while the RMS should fall between -23 and -18 dB. 

Imagine you normalize your audio to -3 dB, meeting the peak level requirement, but the RMS remains at -26 dB, below the required range. 

Since the peak is already at -3 dB, you can't increase it further. So, how do you bring the RMS within the -23 to -18 dB range?

This can be achieved using the “Compression Sandwich” method, a term I coined for easy recall (so you won’t find it on Google). 

This technique involves applying effects in this specific order: Normalize → Compress → Normalize. 

When done correctly, this sequence lets you reach your desired loudness level while also revealing any issues in your audio, such as hissing, mouth clicks, breathing noises, or harsh sound reflections.

Identifying these issues after applying the Compression Sandwich allows you to address them effectively. 

Without mastering this method, you won’t be able to determine if your audio meets the desired quality standards.

The free resource to learn the technique would be to watch any sound-better videos on my channel.

I show the method of the different software.