A couple of questions.

[fackatos]

Lets say I merge 20 mp3 files into 1.

And lets say that their sound "quality" between them varies.

Is there a way for audio to equally spread out the sound "quality" throught out that one file?

Second question.

How do I remove "external/background" noises if I am recording my music and my self via the microphone?

Third and last.

When I am recording my self live and the music is playing, is there a way to mute the microphone "live"?

Thank you for your time.

[kozikowski]

<<<Is there a way for audio to equally spread out the sound "quality" throught out that one file?>>>

I think we can make them all equally bad...more or less. If you figure out a way to make them all equally good, you will be hailed as a minor god and may never have to work again.

<<<How do I remove "external/background" noises if I am recording my music and my self via the microphone?>>>

It depends a great deal on the background noise. The noise reduction in Audacity 1.3 is quite good given that it's the right kind of noise. If you have low air conditioning rumble or background hiss through the whole show, I think we can get rid of that. The MetroBus and the dog barking are now permanent performers.

<<<When I am recording my self live and the music is playing, is there a way to mute the microphone "live"?>>>

Yes, but I always get a number of little pops, clicks, or gritty sounds when I do that. Not suitable for production. Go into the Windows Control Panels and see if it will let you deselect the microphone during operation. Some machines will let you do that.

Audacity may not like that very much.

Koz

[steve]

Is there a way for audio to equally spread out the sound "quality" throught out that one file?

When you import MP3s into Audacity, Audacity will uncompress the files. You can do what you like with the audio in the track, but you cannot undo the damage done by MP3 compression.

When I am recording my self live and the music is playing, is there a way to mute the microphone "live"?

And the music is playing where? on another Audacity track?
If you open your sound card mixer (loudspeaker icon near the clock) and find the record settings, you should be able to adjust the microphone record level on the fly.