Normalizing in Audacity

Hi. I need some help normalizing in Audacity. I have a VBR MP3 that I extracted as a WAV using VdubMOD from an AVI. I opened it in Audacity and used the Normalize filter. Then I selected "Export as WAV". However, when I play the new WAV file, the sound is just as faint. :( Why can't I save anything?

Try using MP3Gain or a similar utility - you can normalize an MP3 losslessly. See the MP3 FAQ for more information.

I don't understand it. I applied a track gain to it and now says the volume is 89.4 and the track again is 0.0. It's louder but it is still very faint. Then, I used a Constant Gain and moved it all the way up, 12. Now, I think it's too loud. :o Actually, I'm not really sure. Is there a fixed setting for normalizing? I know in Audacity, the normalizing has a fixed setting and when I preview, it's loud and just right. Only problem was it didn't and cannot save. How do I achieve the same level in MP3Gain?

well, audacity has many audio formats and percisions. maybe it uses floating point instead of 16bit 'normal' wav? just a guess though.

In the preferences, the default sample format is set at 32-bit float. Should I change it to 16-bit?

well, i haven't played with audacity in a while now, but make sure what u change only affects export and not internal calculations (internals will have a speed/quality tradeoff).

It worked. It's louder now! :) However after I burned it to DVD, the audio is about 1 second behind the video more or less. The original audio source was a VBR MP3. So I used VdubMOD to extract it as a WAV. Then I normalized in Audacity and then used BeSweet to convert that WAV to AC3. The out-of-syncness usually is more noticeable in the fast scenes. You see the character running and then you hear glass shattering about half a second before you actually see the glass shattering scene. :rolleyes: Is there a solution?