I have a voice recording that is too loud at points so it sounds bad. When I click Normalize and preview, it is great! But when I say OK to apply that, it does the opposite: it makes it louder instead of giving me the great sound I got in the preview.
Please provide the information requested in the pink panel above.
I’m using windows 8.1, Audacity 2.0.5 . I think I got it from the .exe installer
The same thing happens if I use the compressor tool. Sounds great in preview but not when I press OK
It is not a known bug in Audacity 2.0.5, and 2.0.5 is old now (the current version is 2.0.6) so it is highly unlikely to be due to a bug.
Are you working with a single track project or a multi-track project?
How are you listening to the recording?
What are you doing different between previewing and playing?
I have a voice recording that is too loud at points…
Normalize will NOT help you with that. Normalize adjusts the whole file (or the whole selection) by the same amount. It’s just like turning the volume up (or down) before you play the file.
You can try using the Envelope Tool to “manually” adjust the volume up & down where needed, or you can try the Leveler or Compressor effects.
Are you working with a single track project or a multi-track project?
I’ve tried both. (Took the track that had a problem. Copied it into a new file. Same issue.)
How are you listening to the recording?
Through earphones and through the computer’s speakers. No difference
What are you doing different between previewing and playing?
Nothing. I use the preview button. It sounds good. I click OK. Then I see it increase the wave form (which it didn’t do in preview) and the sound gets worse.
Envelope tool & Leveller: Tried both. Neither helped with the sound problem. It made those parts quieter but I still got that bad sound at the peaks, which had disappeared in Preview mode using Normalize or using Compressor.
Check to see if the “Track Gain” and “Track Pan” sliders are at the centre positions.
Effects ignore those track controls, but they are active when you play the track (and when you export the track).
The Gain and Pan sliders are in the panel on the left end of the track (see: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/audio_tracks.html) They should both normally be at their centre position, but you may have accidentally knocked one of them.
No impact.
Oddly, now the Normalize and Compressor features aren’t making any difference in preview mode (but still going louder once effect applied). I wish I could figure out how to get back the good sound I was getting in preview!
What does that mean? Had the sliders been moved away from their centre positions?
Are you using Envelopes (Audacity Manual) in the project?