Separate playback settings from file problems
First compare the same exported file in another player with the device volume unchanged. Check whether a volume slider, accessibility setting or playback enhancement is reducing it. If the file sounds quiet everywhere, inspect the recording.
Check channels before adding gain
Speech recorded on one side can sound wrong in headphones. Opposite-phase channels may cancel when a phone speaker or editor sums them. The channel inspector reports silence, level differences and correlation.
- Listen with headphones to both sides.
- Check channel RMS and peak readings.
- Keep the speech channel when the other side is silent.
- Measure the resulting file before normalization.
Fix uneven speakers before final loudness
One speaker may be much quieter than another. Whole-file normalization changes the overall level and may not solve the difference between them. Adjust separate microphone tracks or use appropriate dynamics processing, then normalize the final mix.
If increasing gain causes clipping, the recording needs peak control or manual edits rather than another global volume increase. Always audition the result.