Compressor/Limiter for laptop output?

[Sonny Keyes]

At the ad agency where I work, they often make client presentations using a Mac laptop, and these incorporate video and audio clips of wildly differing output levels. Of course, during the presentation, they wind up lunging for the volume control when a clip comes up that's too loud or too soft.

The presentations are assembled too close to zero-hour for me to help them out by mastering everything to the same perceived level, so I'm wondering if it would make sense to recommend a compressor/limiter of some kind to go between the laptop output and the power amp? I know that will likely create as many problems as it solves, but they've asked me for suggestions, and that's all I can think of. Has anyone else found a suitable solution for this problem? What would you guys recommend?

[EarHole]

sounds like your agency needs to hire someone to spend a few minutes to adjust the various levels to a consistent level.

[mr.armadillo]

Get them a batch loudness processor.
This:http://www.nugenaudio.com/LMB_Loudne..._processor.php

[nucelar]

Something like this perhaps as a hardware solution at playback:
http://www.rdlnet.com/product.php?page=114

[Sonny Keyes]

Thanks for your responses, especially nucelar - that looks like exactly what they're asking for, and I had no idea such a unit existed.

I would love to make the adjustments myself, EarHole, but as I said, they put these things together literally ten minutes before they have to play them in presentation, so there's no time.

[minister]

Originally Posted by Sonny Keyes

Thanks for your responses, especially nucelar - that looks like exactly what they're asking for, and I had no idea such a unit existed.

I would love to make the adjustments myself, EarHole, but as I said, they put these things together literally ten minutes before they have to play them in presentation, so there's no time.

I understand the situation. Did you try setting up a template that has a limiter and a "Loudness" Meter on it? Then you could try to hit the same LUFS # every time. These are 30-60 second pieces, right? Should be doable even in a fast-paced Ad environment. Heck, you could even put a trim before the limiter. This one 6 dB too loud compared to the last? Bring the trim down as opposed to each item.

To me that is a better solution.