I've heard it's good from trusted sources. Will buy it soon!

I really don't get why you would want to 'Improve Your Audio Files' when you buy high quality digital music from known sources as Beatport or Juno. Even if you rip them yourself right from CD to a lost-less medium like flac or wav.

This music is all mastered by professionals and sounds like the artist wanted it to sound.

Why, besides corrections in the volume of the track, would you want to change it??

I would only use it as a auto gain feature

For just gain this program does have a pretty good reputation: mp3gain.sourceforge.net

Platinum Notes is king bro I swear by it. It works well. Your files will have a nice clean sound.

You can use Audacity to that which is free. :-|

Yea but try doing a whole library with Audacity PN plug play and goto sleep

I will stand by PN. Had it for years and never play track if it wasn't processed with PN first.

PN is ok for making your library play at the same levels across the board. It's much easier to do large batches unattended as people have mentioned. The one thing I've never got a clean answer is about transcoding, is this thing converting a 320K mp3 to WAV, tweaking, then back to 320K?

I mean setting auto gain flags on a file is one thing but lossy transcoding has me scratching my head.

For processing sake you would want to do this at 32 bit if possible to avoid clipping (32 bit allows for values higher than 0dB) than eventually normalize to 0dB and save it back to the original encoding.

Yes, it's great and i love it.

This is old but good article about it...

www.digitaldjtips.com

DJ-ing is all about slightly changing some dimensions of a music!
Why channging gain, EQ? Why changing bpm and tempo at the end when professionals did it the best way??? Why applying FX?
Well, because you intend to mix different tracks, styles, and sometimes you need to change something to make more similar dimensions to make mixing smoother.
Not everyone buys music from Beatport. Not everyone plays electronic music. Some of us are playing oldschool tracks, production was different few decades ago. We should fix that. And it souns better. That's why! Relax and enjoy the music.

Im interested in knowing what it would do to some old disco tracks

I definitely agree on that part, well both the oldschool and enjoying part :P

Yes... so it is, in essence, making an MP3 of an MP3 - totally counter to the idea of 'making it sound better'. It's like making a photo-copy of a photo-copy. One is only degrading the quality further.

If someone has a very poor sounding MP3, then they need to re-rip their vinyl/CD and make any pertinent changes to the lossless file (Wav, Aiff, Flac, etc.) before converting to a lossy format (like an MP3). If a bad sounding MP3 was purchased, then seek out an alternate source or find a lossless version.

Users recommending this for MP3s are doing the other members of this forum a great disservice.

Caveat emptor!

Actually, you are right!
But...
It's not a photocopy of a photocopy because THE MOST of the non-audible info is removed when converted to mp3 the first time. Then you convert back to wav and make improvements and second time when returning to mp3 you will lose SOME info again, but most of non-audible info is already lost and you can not lose it again ;) So yes, second mp3 is worse than the first one, but not that much as photocopy of a photocopy... This is my opinion.

At the end, DJs should be aware which "generation" of mp3 they actually own and you can not be sure if you donwload from soulseek, you never know the history of the file, maybe some stupid reconverted it from 128 to 320, you never know. But, you can listen and as long as you like what you hear, you're on a good way.

Quick Question: Is PN basically auto gain adjustments? Meaning I don't have to adjust the gain for different tracks, they would all be in the same range? Surprisingly, even tracks from record pools clip easily. If this means I load up the next track and not have to worry about it being to low or high I would strongly consider.

Nothing is worse then doing all the hard work, beat/phrase matching, then you slam on the next track expecting a dope reaction only to see energy level dissipate because the incoming track is either to low or is over powered.

Auto gain is one part.. but according to their pages it's not just an across the board type thing. It's supposed to intelligently bring up stuff that is too quiet while tempering stuff that might be compressed and too loud. I mean honestly, if you're doing it to WAV and it works for you I say great since the source material isn't being recompressed, but to convert mp3 to some intermediate format (AIFF, WAV, whatever) tweak the dynamics of it, then recompress is where I would be too anal about bothering.

How about this buy PN for yourself and see if it works for you. There is gonna be so much yay and nay in here and it's pure non-sense. At the end of the day you can get in and hop on the yay or nay bandwagon and give your own input

I own PN 4.0 and can say YES and NO.

It is perfect to refresh old tracks. As wedding DJ I have often the challenge to switch between tracks where are 30 years or more in between. Here PN is just awesom. Never had a tool that made it so easy to adjust dynamic and volume differences!

As well for some purchased tracks from beatport or amazon it does a good job. A lot of them are just terrible clipping.

BUT, as always in life there is a BUT.

If the track is good mastered I noticed that processing in PN does change the sound quality in a strange way.
Let´s just say: the original sounds much better. (noticed to sharp highs or eliminated bass or too much bass...all the stuff in random depending on the track)

So my rule is pretty simple:
20 years and older -> send blind to PN. outcome is better as the original.
(for DJing purposes! carefull with 90´s rock or heavy metal. I believe the tool is not total made for this...sometimes improves, sometimes destroys)

All house tracks I make a benchmark. Original vs. PN.
If PN sounds "strange" (see above) I just take the original into my collection and process this with Mp3Gain (freeware) to have at least a "close to" volume level.

I would say in my collection:
90% PN is just brilliant and is added value
10% is "strange tracks" what are total killed by PN as the result is a sound mess.

But under the line:
one out of ten I have to take action. rest is just better and improved.

So a fine tool!

Heltino totally agree with above. As far as MP3Gain, is it gaining the original or creating a new copy with increased gain.

MO3Gain does not create a new file.
It modifies the volume tag inside of the MP3 that is read out by mostly players or software.
So non destructive, no new copy and reversible.

Only minus of the MP3Gain methode is a technical limitation.
1,5db plus/m inus is the smallest value.

So if for example a output volume of 93,5db (what I use) is set:
MP3Gain will get as close to this as possible...but only in 1,5db steps.

BUT you can set "no clipping on set gain" inside of the tool so that whatever output you have set a track is NEVER inside of clipping.
If a track clips at 91db...the tool will not put him over, even if 93,5db is set.

Gotcha. Thanks for the breakdown man.

No problem.

Question: When PN recreates a new MP3 file, does it delete copy over any ID3 tag info from your 'comment' and 'grouping' along with 'genre' or does it erase all of that?

That is gonna be a killer for me if it erases everything and will make my use of it more difficult. I put a lot of info in my comment and grouping sections and would not like to recreate all the work I've done.

My experience is varied. Some files came out good while others just sounded steange. And it moved every single beat grid and que points a bit. So I stopped using it.

tags including cover art will be copied 1:1, so here you are secured.
what happens is the following: due to the fact that PN creates a new file, your grids in SDJ are often no longer correct. you have to analyze the files after processing eith PN again.

my way is as following:
I process files with PN, erite keys with keyfinder...before I import them to SDJ.
If you do so....no issues at all.

what to add:
PN gives me the most added value for older tracks. brand new tracks I just normalite with MP3Gain as, mentioned in this thread before, PN does not always improve the quality of newer tracks as expected. for older tracks there is no question: PN rocks here!

^Same here. I've using PN for awhile now. And MP3Gain is great as well.

using pn for a while now too. especially for 80ies and 90ies masters, that are often way too low leveled. i only use the gain/expand Feature, no add warmth.
but i have one big Problem with pn since my Music is nearly complete lossless and in many ways higher than 44,1/16 for example i often Play masters on 48/24 or 44,1/24 - pn always convert this material to 44,1/16 that's a no go for me :-(
mentioned this issue on their Forum and hope they Keep the source Resolution in next Version, can't be that hard to implement.

I use a free program called Keyfinder for scanning newly bought mp3s - it just writes the key into the metadata, which is exactly what i would use PN for. I don't see any big improvement from using PN myself.

Well, if that's the case, I'm buying it!

So when ya'll say modern tracks are not so great, would you say 90's stuff (Reggae, Hip Hop, R&B) as well as 80's and 70's are a definite go with using PN?

can't reply on this in general. it depends on the track.
sometimes improvement, sometimes nothing hearable, sometimes bass is a little strange after PN (talking here about brandnew tracks house/trance/electro)

Please notice as well: there are plenty of adjustments within PN, so you can as well adapt to your personal taste. (bad part is that there is no user instruction or help file at all available. Little hard to believ for a 99$ software, but true. but their forum is supporting pretty good!)

If you like send me a PN and I would process some of your tracks so that you can make your own opinion. But the Mixed in Key guys offer as well a refund in vase you don't like the tool. (they have no demo)

you are talking about Mixed in Key, we are talking about Platinum Notes.
A total different tool.

Dunno... I have some block in re-encoding already mastered track and mainly loosing all my grids and cues is the real pain. :-(
On the other hand, I know that I have some tracks which doesn't sound good (mainly some older dnb releases).
Still considering if this worth as its really expensive :-(

Please tell me how to use properly Mp3Gain, i have House,Deep house,Electro,Edm ...tracks,and i want them to be as close as possible the same volume,but without any loss of quality.Which options in Mp3Gain should i use ?

all my track are Mp3 s 320 kbps

+1 for MP3Gain. It's free and it doesn't reencode your MP3 files so there's no quality loss. All it does it append gain data to the ID3 tag which Serato then reads and auto adjusts the gain appropriately.

The fact of the matter is that any program that reencodes your mp3s will result in lower sound quality no matter what PlatinumNotes claims. That's just the nature of how mp3s work. Now if your entire music collection consists of lossless files like WAV and FLAC, then by all means feel free to use it. Otherwise stick to MP3Gain.

Hey folks. I have to ask why anyone would ever transcode an mp3? I think Platinum Notes does good stuff for old songs and vinyl rips but once it's done it's thing, I always have it set to export lossless and then keep the files lossless from then on. I even leave the little _pn in the name so I know that it may have started as an mp3 if it wasn't one of my vinyl rips.

That will always be the debate. Honestly, I think any purist would avoid using it.

Does anyone use other mastering tools as part of their workflow? For instance in iZotope Ozone you could set up a gain>compression>limiter preset and batch process the files in a similar way. This would give you way more control than letting a program like PN do it automatically under the hood.

I don't own Ozone but I have a lot of Waves mastering plugs that I'm interested in trying out for this very purpose.

(First of all, sorry for possible English mistakes)

I was an enthusiast of Platinum Notes for a long time, until I decided to make a careful comparison, with good headphones and good audio monitors. The test is very simple. Here are the steps:

PART I

1) Pick a WAV track.
2) Export to MP3 320 Kbps CBR using AUDACITY or SOUND FORGE.
3) Open Traktor or any other software.
4) Put the WAV track on deck A and the MP3 on deck B.
5) There will be no noticeable difference between them, because both AUDACITY and SOUND FORGE have excellent algorithms to make the conversion.

PART II

1) Pick a WAV track.
2) Export to MP3 320 Kbps CBR using PLATINUM NOTES.
3) Open Traktor or any other software.
4) Put the WAV track on deck A and the MP3 on deck B.
5) There will be an obvious difference between them. The MP3 will have a mud feeling, it will sound strange, not so clear as the original. It can be seen either by paying attention to the kick and bass, or even visually looking at the waveforms. Generally, the waveform of the converted MP3 will be a little darker then the original WAV, which means that something is missing on the high end.

PART III

1) Pick a WAV track.
2) Export to WAV (exactly! WAV to WAV!) using PLATINUM NOTES.
3) Open Traktor or any other software.
4) Put the WAV track on deck A and the PN WAV on deck B.
5) Even then the converted track will sound worse.

PS: Most of my tracks are of psychedelic trance, which means heavy, strong and clear kick and bass, both of them (kick and bass) losing clarity, definition, after conversion using PN.

I wouldnt mess with tracks that have already been mastered to contemporary standards, most dance genre releases over the past 15 years would fall into this category (more or less). I'm more curious about older classics (classic rock, R&B, Hiphop) that feel thin when mixed into their contemporary counterparts for an open-format set due to our current mastering standards of aggressive limiting.

Anyone have experience with using PN for mastering their mixes rather than individual tracks? Or do you find using another software works best for that?

I haven't tried it. If I remember correctly, it's not recommended. But if you do decide to try it, turn off pitch correction.

Great summary, exactly the information that I would consider.

Great information.
I had a friend that swore his music sounded better with Platinum Notes and could definitely hear a loud yet muddy sound.

Does Platinum Notes do something other than normalize the volume? I've listened to some before/after, and when I compensate the volume so that each has the same perceived loudness, I don't hear anything better about the PN version.

Are there some cases where PN will also EQ, or apply dynamic compression or expansion?

Snake oil. All it is doing is upping the gain on files (which Serato does) permanently, potentially removing what little headroom you have, and then also permanently EQing files.

Snake oil.