Why doesn't Logic Pro 9 normalize my tracks when I "export all tracks as audio files"?

Like the OP I find it odd and counterintuitive that the Normalizing would be based on all tracks as one track - it does not make sense to me. I'd expect Normalize in this scenario to normalize every seperate audio file that is created. If it indeed does normalize "one big file" (I'll test it myself later) this should be changed, as it is rather pointless.

Jim, I just also tried the Export all tracks as audio files command with Normalize on, and it turns out that the separate audio files are treated as one big file as far as normalization is concerned: if the loudest file peaks at, say, -1.8 dB, all files will get 1.8 dB of gain added. They are not individually normalized, which is what the OP is after. While this "mix normalize" is handy to maintain the amplitudinal balance between the tracks (I first thought this was a bug, I now see this is probably by design), in the specific case of the OP this is not what he needs. Also the manual does not explain that this is what happens. Would have saved the OP some time if it had...

So, rbdavis, you can submit a feature request: a Normalize files individually checkbox in the Export all tracks... dialog.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/logicpro.html

The track with the highest peak will be normalized, and then all others will have their gain adjusted relative to that. So if there is a track with level that peaks pretty close to zero, somewhere, none of the other tracks will show much difference, anywhere.

Logic can normalize individual tracks when using the Export feature, but what seeren is saying, is that if anyone of those individual tracks has a peak ANYWHERE that hits 0dB, normalization won't, and can't occur, because there is nowhere to go,

And if you have peaks that are very close to 0dB (but don't go all the way there), normalization will occur, but the the gain will be minimal, and certainly not visually obvious.

Is that what could be happening here?

I use the export feature a lot, although I never normalize, but I wanted to see for myself, so I just exported a guitar track that was relatively low in recorded level, and I made sure normalize was initiated on the export.

The resulting audio file was quite visibly louder in amplitude, so the normalization function worked as expected.

So if this isn't happening on your end, we need to sus out WHY.

So my first question to you would be, does this happen on other Logic songs, or just this particular session?

Do you see a progress bar for normalization after the export?

That would be a good improvement. They should look at Pro Tools as a comparison, the normalize function there gives a choice of normalizing multiple files individually or in reference to each other.