Can I normalize MP3 files (make them play at a standard volume)?
Unfortunately you can’t really normalize the data in the file in MP3 format. You can normalize the *playback* – for example, by using a Winamp plugin such as Audiostocker (available under Plugins – Effects from the Plugins section at www.winamp.com). Or you can decode the file to WAV, normalize the WAV, then re-encode it (but do any editing you want all in one go, or better yet, if you still have the CD, rip it again, since re-encoding will cause some loss of quality). Some wave editing programs, such as Sound Forge and Cool Edit 2000, now have MP3 plugins to allow you to read in and write out MP3 files… but make no mistake, you’re still decoding and re-encoding when you do this, and you will lose some quality each time to re-save a changed file in MP3 format, and hence re-encode it.
