Levelator® FAQ

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Where's my output file?
When you drag and drop a WAV or AIFF audio file onto The Levelator®'s application window, The Levelator® will create a new file in the same directory with a name ending in output.wav or output.aiff, respectively.

Why won't it accept MP3 files?
MP3 is a final-release format. It is specifically designed to be encoded once (as the last stage in production) and decoded once (for playback). Specifically, you cannot decode/re-encode without a *substantial* loss in quality. Tests we have run show, for example, that a 64kbps MP3 decoded and re-encoded sounds approximately as good as one originally encoded at only 32kbps. The process produces "artifacts" (distortion) which vary with the type of program material and the specific encode used. One should never decode and re-encode an MP3. The only time we do that is when it's unavoidable--when the only way to record an original program is using something like an iRiver. And even then, we require that the originals be of high resolution, preferably 320kbps.

The whole point of The Levelator® (and everything we strive for here at The Conversations Network) is to make your show sound better. If The Levelator® processed MP3 input/output and you gave it an already-leveled file, The Levelator® would just make it sound worse, and you wouldn't be happy.

All professional audio tools work with uncompressed audio files: Sound Forge, Audacity, Audition, Bias Peak, Sound Track Pro, etc. While it may appear they accept MP3 files as input, they're actually decoding first with the associated loss of quality. Making the levels of your program more even at the cost of introducing artifacts is not, in our opinion, a good tradeoff.

How does it work?
Most of what you read about how The Levelator® works is wrong. Most people think it's some combination of a compressor, normalizer and limiter. Here's the real story about The Levelator® Loudness Algorithms.

Why can't I adjust it?
To understand why The Levelator® has no knobs and levers, it's best to listen to this podcast with creators Doug Kaye and Bruce Sharpe.

Log files
In case of problems, you can send us the log file. On Windows it's in C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Conversations Network\levelator.log (version 2.x) or C:\Documents and Settings\<USERNAME>\Local Settings\Temp (version 1.x). On OS X you'll find it in /Users/<USERNAME>/Library/Application Support/Conversations Network/levelator.log (version 2.*).

Why can't I run it from the command line?
It's a licensing issue. Bruce and Malcolm Sharpe (The Levelator®'s lead developers) put a tremendous amount of work in to The Levelator® and they hope to get some return on that investment by licensing it to software vendors, etc. The reason we can give The Levelator® away for free at all is because we can restrict it to drag-and-drop use only, thereby allowing Bruce and Malcolm to reserve certain rights that can be licensed to others. We decided it was worth restricting The Levelator®'s use in this manner rather than not releasing it at all. It was an extraordinary gift from Bruce and Malcolm to the broadcast/podcast community.

What audio filetypes does The Levelator® support
The Levelator® uses libsnd file to read and write audio files. The complete list of compatible file formats can be found here: http://www.mega-nerd.com/libsndfile/