The problem is that with most of my mp3's I'm never quite able to normalize them so that the maximum volume is used.
For example, I'm trying it with this random track of Duck Ellington:
http://sharesend.com/rqu9jprm
When opened you'll the the waveform. Though analysis says the maximum peak is around -0,5 db, the waveform doesn't quite seem to read that. If fact, while playing and looking at the playback controller, it's loudest moments reach about -3 db. Only if I use the Find Maximum option I can see the waveform reach about -1 db.
But anyway, I want the entire track to have that average volume of about -1db. So first I use the Dynamic Processor effect with a preset of Hard to equal things out. That seems to straighten things out, but decreases the volume considerably. The peak maximum becomes -9,5 db, the average RMS power -23 db.
But the overall volume seems to look equal. So now I use Normalize. To a setting of -1db of the maximum sample value. The volume increases, but now seems to be lower in volume than the original was. The peak maximum now reaches -1db (so far so good), but the waveform now looks more like the maximum is about -6 db. Which seems about right when I play it and look at the playback controller which seems to go not higher than about -6 db.
What I want to do is give my track from start to finish about the same volume and then normalize it so that the volume becomes on average about -1 db and not peaking above that.
The only files I seem to get this to work is like mp3s of perfect music notes like a mp3 of a A-note which has a perfect sine waveform. But with all my music mp3s, using the dynamic processor to straighten things out and then normalizing them only seems to make them lower in volume.
What am I doing wrong and how can I achieve what I want to do? Can you try it yourself with above music file perhaps?