Normalizing a square wave, which is a waveform with abrupt transitions between high and low levels, can be done to adjust its overall level without significantly altering its shape. However, it's important to note that normalizing a square wave might not yield the desired results due to the nature of the waveform. Let me explain why:
Normalization is a process that adjusts the amplitude of a waveform to maximize its peak level without introducing distortion or clipping. It scales the entire waveform by the same factor so that the highest peak reaches the maximum allowed level (e.g., 0 dB).
For most waveforms, including audio signals with varying amplitudes, normalizing is an effective way to increase the overall volume while preserving the relative dynamics. However, square waves have a unique characteristic that makes normalizing less effective. The square wave's shape consists of abrupt transitions between the high and low levels, resulting in an almost instantaneous change.
When a square wave is normalized, the overall level is increased, but the shape of the waveform remains the same. The abrupt transitions are not affected by normalization, meaning the waveform's squareness is retained. As a result, the normalized square wave will still exhibit the same steep and sudden transitions between high and low levels, regardless of the scaling applied.
In practical terms, normalizing a square wave may make it louder, but it won't change its essential characteristics. If you're looking to modify the shape of a square wave, such as smoothing out the transitions or altering the duty cycle, other signal processing techniques would be more appropriate, such as filtering, modulation, or waveform synthesis methods.
It's worth noting that the specific audio editing software or digital audio workstation (DAW) you are using may have additional tools or plugins designed to manipulate square waves or other waveforms in various ways. Exploring these options within your chosen software may provide more advanced waveform manipulation capabilities beyond simple normalization.