VLC Equalizer

[dlwmacgregor]

Hello.
I have a Prime Video membership and I downloaded the Rings of Power.
The voice audio seems a little muffled on my PC so I am trying to boost the "voice" frequencies and save it with the boosted frequencies using VLC.
In other words, I want to create a new copy with the boosted frequencies.
How do I do that?
Thanks.

 

[alpha1]

You can use ffmpeg program with command line utility to achieve the same. Let me fish out the code, otherwise there are codes on internet.
What I did was to limit the SPL using compressor and then boosting the 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz freuquencies to improve the legibility. (Consonants)

 

[alpha1]

FFmpeg Filters Documentation

www.ffmpeg.org

Use center frequency of 2800Hz and Q=2 and gain of +6dB, to start with and see the effect. Otherwise increase the gain if speech is still not legible.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thank you but I was looking for the procedure to do it with VLC.
I have set my default equalizer settings to 20 dB boost at the 600 and 1k bands.
If I do a Convert/Save (with the proper Codec of course) will the Saved copy use those default equalizer settings?
I used OBS Studio to capture it.

 

[alpha1]

Thank you but I was looking for the procedure to do it with VLC.
I have set my default equalizer settings to 20 dB boost at the 600 and 1k bands.
If I do a Convert/Save (with the proper Codec of course) will the Saved copy use those default equalizer settings?
I used OBS Studio to capture it.

Of course sound is subjective, and your choice to EQ; however if it is speech legibility that you are aiming to improve - those are not the best frequencies to target. <1000 Hz is mostly vowel frequencies.
However it is the lack of energy in consonants that leads to speech unintelligibility.
https://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-university/facts-about-speech-intelligibility

reproducing the most important take-away from there:

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thanks for that.
So if I'm reading you right, I should apply the biggest boost at the 2k level and to a lesser degree at the 1k level and 4k levels?

 

[k-pad]

Thanks for that.
So if I'm reading you right, I should apply the biggest boost at the 2k level and to a lesser degree at the 1k level and 4k levels?

Correct.
And I think @alpha1 has nailed it here, though in my personal experience, keeping 1K and 4K equal, while leaving 2K as the highest helps...
I then keep 2K, 8K and 16K on an incremental straight line.
This has given me the best dialogue intelligibility without sacrificing on the other sounds of the movie.
Let us know how it goes.
All the best

 

[alpha1]

If I do a Convert/Save (with the proper Codec of course) will the Saved copy use those default equalizer settings?
I used OBS Studio to capture it.

Sorry mate, never tried it on vlc.

Thanks for that.
So if I'm reading you right, I should apply the biggest boost at the 2k level and to a lesser degree at the 1k level and 4k levels?

I would keep the peak between 2.5 and 3.2 kHz. That's why I recommended 2.8 kHz. In fact if you see the graph, the distribution is not symmetric, hence 2 kHz may not be the best peak.

In my own experience (playing with movies, music, and overdriven guitars):

• 2.5 Khz to 3.2 kHz is the hardest / harshest sound
• 3.2 to 4 kHz is the ear's most sensitive zone
• consonants cover 2-4 kHz spectrum (actually fricatives, sibilants and other un-interrupted sounds lies even higher 4-8 kHz, but may not be as essential for intelligibility)

Therefore, you will need to play a bit in the range to see how it feels.
If you can - then experiment with software based equalizer on your PC - that will allow you to test what works best for you.
In fact I also prefer reducing the 200-1200 spectrum slightly in order to remove the boomy-ness, resonance and shouty-ness - especially in male voices. Not so much in todays recordings but mostly 1990s and before.

Correct.
And I think @alpha1 has nailed it here, though in my personal experience, keeping 1K and 4K equal, while leaving 2K as the highest helps...
I then keep 2K, 8K and 16K on an incremental straight line.
This has given me the best dialogue intelligibility without sacrificing on the other sounds of the movie.
Let us know how it goes.
All the best

Yes, boosting the higher frequencies will definitely lead to greater clarity, however in my subjective experience it often leads to very harsh sibilance (shhh and sss sounds that annoys me). As I said, all this is quite subjective and based on preferences.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thank you all!