Ampifiy vrs Normalize

Hello

Im recording classical guitar with a Shure SM-58 through an Allen and Heath Zedi 8 channel mixer which is really 4 channels with dual inputs..the computer is custom built with Windows 10 64 bit..lots of memory..Ive been doing this a while and I pretty much know what Im doing at this point but I have one question. This has probably been done to death but is there really any difference between amplify and normalize recording 1 mono track ? I often dont use either but sometimes increase the level very slightly…Ive read as much about it as I can digest and I think I know the answer I just want to be 100% sure..I cant really tell the difference .

Thanks

PS I`ve probably asked this before and am just being redundant…I sometimes use between 1 and 3 dbs of amplification when I need it .

They are doing the same thing except Amplify allows you to amplify by certain amount, and Normalize has a couple of extra features/options.

If you accept the default, Amplify is normalizing for 0dB peaks. This is the usual definition of “normalize”, but the Audacity Normalize effect defaults to -1dB peaks.

Under the hood… Both effects work by multiplication… If you multiply all of the samples by 2, that’s a volume increase of 6dB. If you multiply by 0.5 that’s 6dB of attenuation.

OK…I think I got it…I only record in mono and I seldom use more than a small amount of gain…the point being I try to get the performance right and the equalization and level good with as little editing as possible…Ill just keep doing what Im doing…thanks