Question for an audiophile...what exactly IS normalization?

Maybe someone here can end my years of ignorance on this topic.
Audio normalization is often described as the process of applying constant gain to a recording to bring the highest peak to a target level. (This is often defined in opposition to compression, which narrows the dynamic range of a recording).
So how is normalization any different than just turning the volume up or down? I know I'm missing something.
Thanks,
Zap

I believe Cory is saying there are 2 different ways audio could be normalized, but only one of them is used in STP. . .the Peak (volume knob) normalization.
The RMS version he describes isn't very practical because you would essentially be normalizing all the audio to the same level. Imagine if the background noise (normally at -20db) and people talking during an interview (normally at -6db) were all normalized using the RMS method. They would all end up being pretty close to the same volume, the background and voices would be so close that they could at times be indistinguishable, or they simply wouldn't sound normal since that is not how "normal" sounding audio works.
You were right that normalization is essentially the same as raising the master volume level slider, but with normalization the computer finds the peak audio and raises it the appropriate level, then raises the surrounding audio the same amount. Using the volume level slider YOU would have to find the peak audio point in a file to make sure that you didn't raise the peak point past the highest level you desire. Essentially the same result, but with normalization the computer does the work of finding the peak point.
As for the compression filter, I haven't delved into that yet so I couldn't speak to it. Not to pass the buck, but maybe Cory knows the inner workings of the compression filter.

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