the files i am writing are representations of 16 bit integers but packed as 8 bit unsigned values so the files can be written and read as text files. i don't remember why i decided to do it this way but the packing and uppacking are worked out and it all works fine from the microcontroller. i plan to leave it this way because it works.
i am not concerned with absolute precision in the data. dithering of +- 1 out of 32k is not of any concern other than in testing where it seemed to indicate some sort of error. i need a visual editor that displays the whole file and that allows easy editing with simple tools to change amplitude frequency of variation in variations etc. the idea is to make it easy to make rather crude edits without concern for editing each sample individually. it is just the overall trends that need to be modified. just as in an audio file, i want to edit in a general sense, not sample by sample but do want to reserve that option in case it is necessary. this is why Audacity is perfect for my needs. the only problem is testing because i was not aware of the strange little modifications to the file that Audacity made. they are not significant but just confused the testing.
i wrote replies to myself only because i do not know how to update a previous posting.
the problem is solved with the help of those who helped me to see that there were no problems with the Perl code.