How to use it
- Open the quiet file.
- Check the peak reading. If it is well below 0 dB, press "Normalize" first: it is free loudness with no distortion.
- Need more? Set a boost in dB and press "Boost volume". Listen for crunch on the loudest parts.
- Download.
Normalize vs boost
Digital audio cannot go above 0 dBFS. Normalizing finds the single loudest sample and scales everything so that sample lands at −1 dBFS, which is the most gain you can add without any clipping.
Boosting beyond that means the loudest peaks have nowhere to go. VocalForge rounds them off with a soft-clip curve instead of chopping them flat, which sounds far less harsh. For speech, +3 to +6 dB past normalization is usually fine. For a quieter but more even result, try the Audio Compressor.
Questions
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is decoded, processed and encoded by your own browser using the Web Audio API. Nothing is sent to a server, which is also why it works on large files without a queue.
How many dB louder is twice as loud?
Each +6 dB doubles the signal amplitude. Perceived loudness roughly doubles at about +10 dB, so a +6 dB boost sounds noticeably louder but not "twice as loud".
Why does my boosted file sound distorted?
The peaks were pushed past full scale and had to be clipped. Lower the boost, or compress first so the peaks come down before you add gain.