Exporting and the importing mp3 is much expanded file

[Talos1975]

Since the most recent update, when I export a file as mp3 and then import it later to continue work on it, the peaks and troughs now fill the screen. When I save, it looks normal and when I import again, it looks like the picture. I have pretty limited knowledge and have been unable in the manuals to identify if I’ve just got something wrong in the settings but any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Graham

[DVDdoug]

How “much more”? (1)

1 or 2dB (or less) is normal with MP3.

It’s a lossy format… Imperfect, and it changes the wave shape and often some peaks get higher and some lower. It also adds a few milliseconds of silence to the beginning and end.

If you imported an MP3, you are making a new MP3 when you export and some “damage” accumulates and the new MP3 may have even-higher peaks.

(1) There’s an easy way to check the peaks - Run the Amplify effect and it will default to whatever up-or-down change that’s needed for normalized 0dB peaks.

i.e If it defaults to +1dB of Amplification your peaks are currently -1dB. If it defaults to -1dB (attenuation) your peaks are currently +1dB.

You can cancel the effect if you just want to check.

[Talos1975]

Thank you for your help. This was the file that I exported, and when I imported the saved mp3 of this, it opened as the first picture. The forum would only allow me to attach one photo to the previous post. I seem to have made it work OK by making the two mono tracks into a stereo track. Not sure why they were separated, that’s never happened before but combining them seems to have helped.