The idea here is to maintain the dynamic range of the material without introducing clipping. Since most music broadcast today on radio is digital, either the source material is set to a standard level or the console does this as the file is played. While there are standards out there that audio masters are "supposed" to follow, many engineers/producers stray from them to allow for dynamic range and other considerations.
I am aware that compression is applied to a lot of broadcasts to flatten the sound to produce a uniform sound. Back when I worked top 40 radio (mid 70's), the levels were monitored when the carts were recorded and then you had the op watching the levels during playback. Thanks to studio compressors and other technologies, it's easier to maintain a constant level.
I just thought of this; since the source material of most downloaded music is from CDs and they have a dynamic range and levels which are constrained by the digitizing process, would upsampling the files allow for more room to normalize them? I know that any manipulation of the file data will introduce abnormalities, but would it be noticeable to the point where it would be detrimental? It may be that I don't have a good enough grasp of digital music reproduction that this may be laughable, but would it work?
Thanks to those who have responded. I may be on the wrong track, but I like to hear why or why not stuff is possible. The only way to find out is to ask...
Wayne
