# Making quiet music louder and loud music quieter

**URL:** <https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/making-quiet-music-louder-and-loud-music-quieter/43548>\
**Category:** macOS\
**Created:** [September 18, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/making-quiet-music-louder-and-loud-music-quieter/43548 "2016-09-18T21:20:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![Trebor](https://forum.audacityteam.org/user_avatar/forum.audacityteam.org/trebor/32/45854_2.png) [@Trebor](https://forum.audacityteam.org/u/Trebor)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/making-quiet-music-louder-and-loud-music-quieter/43548/2 "2016-09-18T22:25:44Z")

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> [@Bob Stromberg](#):
>
> … Is a Compressor what I should use? I’ve also tried Leveler and Envelope. But Leveler seems to distort the sound and Envelope does not allow a big enough adjustment.

You’re right with compressor, you just need to adjust the parameters , [Audacity’s native Leveller effect always distorts].

[Steve](http://forum.audacityteam.org/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile) made a plugin for Audacity called [levelspeech](http://forum.audacityteam.org/download/file.php?id=9658) , it wasn’t designed for music , but may do the job you require.  
It’s simpler to operate than a compressor : it only has one control …

![](http://forum.audacityteam.org/download/file.php?id=9669)

> [@Improved "leveling" for speech](https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/improved-leveling-for-speech/33258/1):
>
> According to my sources, the main use of the Leveler effect ([http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/leveler.html](http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/leveler.html)) is to “level” out variations in amplitude (reduce dynamic range), particularly for speech recordings. The manual describes the effect: Leveler is a simple, combined compressor and limiter effect for reducing the dynamic range of audio. It reduces the difference between loud and soft, making the audio easier to hear in noisy environments or on small loudspeakers. It is best suited t…

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