Normalize Vs Volume increase Options

[tinpanalley]

I'm having trouble figuring out which of the two is better for me to create a vinyl recording at the highest volume without clipping.

I capture a record via my preamp into Audacity, and I get what seem to be relatively low levels even though I make sure the levels are right when I record (Peak: -6.4db, RMS -24.6db). Am I doing something wrong? Or are those levels right? These recordings don't seem as loud as mastered CDs.

Anyway, to get the most accurate sound possible, should I use normalize or just increase the volume? If normalizing makes everything sound the same at a peak level, doesn't that completely screw with the dynamic range of the music?

Thanks!

[tinpanalley]

But doesn't normalizing in making all loudness equal, in essence, affect the intended range of volume from track to track? Because it makes the entire album "loud" by the same amount even if one song is intentionally meant to be quieter?

[tropicalfish]

But doesn't normalizing in making all loudness equal, in essence, affect the intended range of volume from track to track? Because it makes the entire album "loud" by the same amount even if one song is intentionally meant to be quieter?

If you amplify your entire recording (either all in one track, or separate tracks) by the same amount, then you will still get the intentional volume differences between each of the different songs.

[tinpanalley]

If you amplify your entire recording (either all in one track, or separate tracks) by the same amount, then you will still get the intentional volume differences between each of the different songs.

Perhaps this is a naive question, but why then after normalizing, does the waveform of the entire album side have consistently similar peaks and valleys through the whole side such that all the songs look like they are the same loudness and why, on the un-normalized version, can you clearly see which song has more loudness and which is softer?