Whats the difference between normalization and dynamic range compression?
Normalization applies gain to all the audio, essentially multiplying everything by a common factor in order to max out the use of the 16 bits you have in most wav files. Normalization preserves the dynamics of the original recording, meaning that the relationship between loud and soft stays the same, except that everything is now louder by the same factor. Dynamic range compression basically amplifies softer parts more than louder parts, to bring soft and loud closer together and lessen the contrast between, say, explosions and background music.
