How to normalize your MP3s

While they're not quite as unique as snowflakes, each MP3 has its own characteristics. People use different encoders on music from all kinds of sources, resulting in wildly varying volumes from song to song. If you want a smooth listening experience that will let you hear an entire playlist without adjusting your volume knob, you should normalize your MP3s. Normalize is a pro audio term meaning just what it sounds like. Normalizing software looks at an audio waveform and juices it up to eliminate volume discrepancies. But you don't need to be a recording engineer to normalize your MP3s; in fact, it's quite easy, whether you want to do so as you create a new file or work on a previously encoded file.

This tutorial is split into two parts. Follow the first part, "Encode normalized MP3s," to create normalized MP3s from CD tracks; if you've already created the MP3s that you would like to normalize, use part two, "Normalize existing MP3s." A word of warning before you start: Normalization of existing MP3 files oftentimes reencodes your file, so you may lose a little audio quality; for most people, the loss is insignificant. However, MP3Gain makes a point of not reencoding existing audio files, which is why we recommend it here.

Required attention span: 10 minutes per album Ingredients
Before you start, you'll need to gather these elements:



Follow these simple steps

Part 1: Encode normalized MP3s










Part 2: Normalize existing MP3s










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