use of dB unit without suffix in Normalization preferences is confusing
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mixxx |
New
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Undecided
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Unassigned |
Bug Description
Under the "Target loudness" slider in the normalization preferences, the position of the slider is noted in terms of LUFS, with "(adjust by X dB)" after the LUFS. It seems that the dB measurement is in reference to -18 LUFS, but for a long time I have been confused in thinking that it was in reference to digital full scale and that ReplayGain would adjust my tracks by that many dB relative to how they are recorded. I did not understand that ReplayGain was making my tracks substantially quieter until I played with toggling ReplayGain on and off and realized I had to put the Target loudness slider to +6 dB (-12 LUFS) for tracks to reach the same levels on the level meters without ReplayGain applied. The use of "dB" in this unusual way is confusing. I'm not certain what the best way to make this less confusing would be. Perhaps simply removing the "(adjust by X dB)" text would help to make it clear that the Target loudness slider is only dealing with LUFS, not dBFS.
The pending ReplayGain 2.0 PR solves the issue with having to turn the slider up to -12 LUFS, but the confusing use of "dB" remains.