Maximum values for “-” - 1, “+” - 0.5. Is it possible or necessary to equalize? If you choose waveform (db) the picture somewhat dislikes.
I don’t understand your question, but… The 1st waveform is linear on a 0-1 scale (you can think of it as 0-100%) and the 2nd waveform is logarithmic on a dB scale where 0dBFS (zero decibels full scale) is referenced to 100%. (Our ears are approximately logarithmic, so 50% signal doesn’t sound “half as loud”.)
The Amplify effect will scan the file and it will default to whatever gain that’s needed to maximize/normalize* the file with 0dB peaks.
The peak level doesn’t correlate well with perceived loudness. Loudness is more related to the average level and the frequency content.
If you want to match the loudness of two files (or a few files) it’s best to normalize/maximize all of the files (set the peaks to 0dB with the Amplify effect). Then since all of the files are now “as loud as they can go”, if they don’t now sound equally loud, choose the quietest-sounding file as your reference and reduce the other files down (by ear) to match.
If you want to match the loudness of hundreds of files, look into ReplayGain (or MP3Gain, etc.).
\
- Audacity can go over 0dB internally/temporarily, but normal WAV files, analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, etc. are all limited to 0dB and they will clip (distort) if you try to go over 0dB. So, 0dBFS is considered the “digital maximum”.
Many announcer/presenters have an uneven voice. There is one radio show where the bumpers are announced by a person with an aggressively uneven voice. I can pick out the commercials from across the room just by looking for their off-center blue waves.
Unless there is something broken, that’s completely normal. You may damage the voice quality if you try to fix it.
Koz
I bear in mind for this track (song) the assymetry of the darker blue part, upper section (above 0) looks smaller, then the section below 0, usually they are symmetrcal.
If silence (a flat line) is above or below the zero-line that’s “DC offset”. It’s usually a hardware/soundcard problem. There is a DC Offset Removal effect. As far as I can tell, you don’t have an offset problem.
Or, certain musical instruments do create asymmetrical sound waves, and that can be normal. A high-pass filter set to around 20Hz will usually make the waveform look better without affecting the sound.
Thank you!
Remembering that if you do correct for it once, you should do that every time and you have to keep track of it. Most people try to simplify production bookkeeping.
Koz