Skip to main content

How to normalize a highly distorted signal


 

Signal normalization is a common practice in signal processing, especially after a signal has undergone filtering. For example, when using an FIR low-pass filter during the demodulation process of a modulated signal—such as AM or DSB-SC demodulation—you may observe that the first few samples of the demodulated signal exhibit significant transients due to the filtering effect. This occurs because the filter requires approximately N past input samples to produce a steady-state or valid output. To correct for amplitude attenuation, the filtered signal can be normalized to a standard range, such as -1 to 1

 

MATLAB Script

% Parameters for the sine wave
fs = 1000; % Sampling frequency
t = 0:1/fs:1; % Time vector
f = 15; % Frequency of the sine wave

% Example signal: Noisy sine wave
filtered_signal = 0.03*sin(2 * pi * f * t) + 0.05*sin(2 * pi * f * t);
% Step 2: Normalize the filterd signal to the range [-1, +1]
normalized_signal = (filtered_signal - min(filtered_signal)) / (max(filtered_signal) - min(filtered_signal));
normalized_signal = normalized_signal * 2 - 1; % Scale to [-1, +1]


% Original Signal
figure();
plot(t, filtered_signal, 'b', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
title('Filtered Signal');
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
ylim([-0.1 0.1]);
grid on;

% Normalized Signal
figure();
plot(t, normalized_signal, 'g', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
title('Normalized Signal [-1, +1]');
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
grid on;

Output








 

 

Copy the MATLAB Code from here 

 


 

Normalize a Highly distorted filtered signal

When normalizing a filtered signal, you may observe that the initial data points are often highly distorted, while the remainder of the signal appears stable. Therefore, it's recommended to discard the first N points (where N is the filter order) before performing normalization.

 

MATLAB script for normalizing a highly distorted filtered signal, where the first few samples are highly transient due to filtering effects

 
 % Parameters for the sine wave
fs = 1000; % Sampling frequency
t = 0:1/fs:1; % Time vector
t1 = N/fs:1/fs:1;
f = 15; % Frequency of the sine wave

% Example signal: Noisy sine wave
filtered_signal = 0.03*sin(2 * pi * f * t) + 0.05*sin(2 * pi * f * t);

N = 10; % N = Filter order
signal1 = filtered_signal(1:N) * 15;
signal2 = filtered_signal(N+1:end);

filtered_signal = [signal1 signal2];


% Normalize the filterd signal to the range [-1, +1] without discarding
% first N-points (N = order of filter)
normalized_signal = (filtered_signal - min(filtered_signal)) / (max(filtered_signal) ...
- min(filtered_signal));
normalized_signal = normalized_signal * 2 - 1; % Scale to [-1, +1]

% Normalize the filterd signal to the range [-1, +1]
normalized_signal1 = (filtered_signal(N+1:end) - min(filtered_signal(N+1:end))) / (max(filtered_signal(N+1:end)) ...
- min(filtered_signal(N+1:end)));
normalized_signal1 = normalized_signal1 * 2 - 1; % Scale to [-1, +1]


% Original Signal
figure();
plot(t, filtered_signal, 'b', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
title('Highly Distorted Filtered Signal');
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
ylim([-1 1]);
grid on;

% Normalized Signal
figure();
plot(t, normalized_signal, 'g', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
title('Normalized Signal [-1, +1] without discarding first N-points');
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
grid on;

% Normalized Signal
figure();
plot(t1, normalized_signal1, 'g', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
title('Normalized Signal [-1, +1]');
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
grid on;

Output 

 
















 Suppose we are using a filter of order N (e.g., 200), which uses N+1 taps (for FIR). The filter requires approximately N past input samples to produce a steady-state or valid output. Therefore, the first N or so samples are based on incomplete data, leading to startup transients. Discarding the first N samples is thus a conservative and practical way to avoid these artifacts.

Further Reading

People are good at skipping over material they already know!

View Related Topics to







Contact Us

Name

Email *

Message *

Popular Posts

BER vs SNR for M-ary QAM, M-ary PSK, QPSK, BPSK, ...(MATLAB Code + Simulator)

Bit Error Rate (BER) & SNR Guide Analyze communication system performance with our interactive simulators and MATLAB tools. ๐Ÿ“˜ Theory ๐Ÿงฎ Simulators ๐Ÿ’ป MATLAB Code ๐Ÿ“š Resources BER Definition SNR Formula BER Calculator MATLAB Comparison ๐Ÿ“‚ Explore M-ary QAM, PSK, and QPSK Topics ▼ ๐Ÿงฎ Constellation Simulator: M-ary QAM ๐Ÿงฎ Constellation Simulator: M-ary PSK ๐Ÿงฎ BER calculation for ASK, FSK, and PSK ๐Ÿงฎ Approaches to BER vs SNR What is Bit Error Rate (BER)? The BER indicates how many corrupted bits are received compared to the total number of bits sent. It is the primary figure of merit for a...

Online Simulator for ASK, FSK, and PSK

Try our new Digital Signal Processing Simulator!   •   Interactive ASK, FSK, and BPSK tools updated for 2025. Start Now Interactive Modulation Simulators Visualize binary modulation techniques (ASK, FSK, BPSK) in real-time with adjustable carrier and sampling parameters. ๐Ÿ“ก ASK Simulator ๐Ÿ“ถ FSK Simulator ๐ŸŽš️ BPSK Simulator ๐Ÿ“š More Topics ASK Modulator FSK Modulator BPSK Modulator More Topics Simulator for Binary ASK Modulation Digital Message Bits Carrier Freq (Hz) Sampling Rate (...

Constellation Diagrams of ASK, PSK, and FSK (with MATLAB Code + Simulator)

Constellation Diagrams: ASK, FSK, and PSK Comprehensive guide to signal space representation, including interactive simulators and MATLAB implementations. ๐Ÿ“˜ Overview ๐Ÿงฎ Simulator ⚖️ Theory ๐Ÿ“š Resources Definitions Constellation Tool Key Points MATLAB Code ๐Ÿ“‚ Other Topics: M-ary PSK & QAM Diagrams ▼ ๐Ÿงฎ Simulator for M-ary PSK Constellation ๐Ÿงฎ Simulator for M-ary QAM Constellation BASK (Binary ASK) Modulation Transmits one of two signals: 0 or -√Eb, where Eb​ is the energy per bit. These signals represent binary 0 and 1. BFSK (Binary FSK) Modulation Transmits one ...

Online Simulator for Frequency Modulatiuon

Frequency Modulation Message Frequency (Hz): Generate Message Carrier Frequency (Hz): Generate Carrier Message Signal Amplitude: Carrier Signal Amplitude: Generate Modulated Signal Demodulate Further Reading  Amplitude Modulation Simulator Phase Modulation Simulator  Explore DSP Simulations   Online Signal Processing Simulations Home Page >

UGC NET Electronic Science Previous Year Question Papers

Home / Engineering & Other Exams / UGC NET 2022: Previous Year Question Papers ... UGC-NET (Electronics Science, Subject code: 88) UGC Net Electronic Science Answer Key Download Pdf [December 2025] UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper Download Pdf [June 2025] UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [December 2024]  UGC Net Paper 1 With Answer Key Download Pdf [Sep 2024] with full explanation UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [Aug 2024] with full explanation  UGC Net Paper 1 With Answer Key Download Pdf [June 2023] with full explanation UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [December 2023] with full explanation UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [June 2023] UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [December 2022] UGC Net Electronic Scie...

Sky Wave, Microwave Link Communication and Satellite Communication (SATCOM)

Overview Sky Wave, Microwave Link Communication, and Satellite Communication  (SATCOM) are the focus of this article. Sky Waves are essentially AM waves that the ionosphere reflects. For long-distance communication on Earth, we employ standard microwave link transmission. However, we all know that the earth is not flat, but rather oval in shape. As a result, the signal can only reach a few kilometers on a straight line of sight path (LOS). The signal is then reflected by the earth's surface. But we know that with that microwave link, we can communicate hundreds of kilometers distance. We'll look at how this happens in this article. Terrestrial satellite communication has now replaced microwave relay link communication. Figure: Ionosphere Reflection - suitable for AM band (Sky Wave) 1. Sky Wave You can see how the ionosphere bounces the radio signal and enables the ground station to communicate with the transmitter hundreds of kilometers away. This method is ideal for communica...

Comparisons among ASK, PSK, and FSK (with MATLAB + Simulator)

๐Ÿ“˜ Comparisons among ASK, FSK, and PSK ๐Ÿงฎ Online Simulator for calculating Bandwidth of ASK, FSK, and PSK ๐Ÿงฎ MATLAB Code for BER vs. SNR Analysis of ASK, FSK, and PSK ๐Ÿ“š Further Reading ๐Ÿ“‚ View Other Topics on Comparisons among ASK, PSK, and FSK ... ๐Ÿงฎ Comparisons of Noise Sensitivity, Bandwidth, Complexity, etc. ๐Ÿงฎ MATLAB Code for Constellation Diagrams of ASK, FSK, and PSK ๐Ÿงฎ Online Simulator for ASK, FSK, and PSK Generation ๐Ÿงฎ Online Simulator for ASK, FSK, and PSK Constellation ๐Ÿงฎ Some Questions and Answers Modulation ASK, FSK & PSK Constellation MATLAB Simulink MATLAB Code Comparisons among ASK, PSK, and FSK    Comparisons among ASK, PSK, and FSK Comparison among ASK, FSK, and PSK Parameters ASK FSK PSK Variable Characteristics Amplitude Frequency ...

Time / Frequency Separation for Orthogonality

๐Ÿ“˜ Theory ๐Ÿ“ Derivation ๐Ÿ“Š Examples ๐Ÿงฎ Simulator Try the Interactive BFSK / FM Simulator Visualize modulation and understand concepts faster. Launch BFSK Simulator Launch FM Simulator BFSK Orthogonality Simulator Derivation of Frequency Separation for Orthogonality Step 1: Define BFSK Signals Copy s₁(t) = √(2E b /T) cos(2ฯ€f₁t) Copy s₂(t) = √(2E b /T) cos(2ฯ€f₂t) Defined over: 0 ≤ t ≤ T For orthogonality: Copy ∫₀แต€ s₁(t)s₂(t) dt = 0 Step 2: Remove Constants Copy ∫₀แต€ cos(2ฯ€f₁t) cos(2ฯ€f₂t) dt = 0 Step 3: Use Trigonometric Identity Copy cos A cos B = ½ [ cos(A − B) + cos(A + B) ] Applying identity: Copy ½ ∫₀แต€ [ cos(2ฯ€(f₁ − f₂)t) + cos(2ฯ€(f₁ + f₂)t) ] dt Ste...