A Practical Guide to the Podcast Loudness Standard

Standard podcast loudness is one of those aspects of podcasting that listeners only notice when it’s done poorly. Because of this, new podcasters often overlook the importance of standard loudness.

If this is you, you may be asking, “why does loudness matter?” There are a few reasons, but they all boil down to a more pleasant experience for the listener. A well-mixed episode makes it easier for listeners to enjoy your podcast for a long period of time, and a podcast loudness standard between podcasts allows the listeners to change podcasts without changing the volume.

Podcast loudness (like many aspects of audio editing) can get super technical, but don’t worry! For this article, we’re going to stick to practical information about standard podcast loudness.

Once you’ve set your podcast loudness, be sure to claim your podcast on Podchaser Claiming your podcast allows you to customize your podcast page, respond to listener reviews, and promote your show.  Claim your podcast today.

What is the Podcast Loudness Standard?

The standard loudness for podcasts is -16 LUFS, but it’s okay if your podcast is anywhere between -14 LUFS and -18 LUFS as each podcast listening app has its own preferences. To provide two examples, Apple Podcast asks for -16 LUFS and Spotify requests -14 LUFS.

LUFS stands for Loudness Unit relative to Full Scale, which is complicated technical speak for the perceived loudness of the podcast. 

As a heads up – you sometimes come across the acronym LKFS (Loudness, K-weighted, relative to Full Scale) instead of LUFS. LKFS is the same thing as LUFS, but is used only by the American broadcast industry.

How Do I Get my Podcast to -16 LUFS?

It’s likely that your current audio editing software allows you to set your podcast’s loudness normalization. 

Changing Your Podcast’s Loudness in Audacity

Every software editor has its own method for loudness normalization, so we’re unable to explain each in detail here. That being said, here’s the official manual for how to adjust your LUFS using the popular audio editor, Audacity.  

If your software doesn’t have loudness normalization, or you’re looking for a new audio editor with loudness normalization, we recommend Hindenburg Journalist Pro, Adobe Audition, or Auphonic.

There are also some companies like Resonate Recordings that will handle all of the final mixing for you.

After exporting your audio file, you can always double-check your loudness normalization by uploading your file to https://loudness.info/.

Claim Your Podcast on Podchaser

Setting your standard podcast loudness is just one small step in your journey to becoming a successful podcaster. 

To continue your journey, claim your podcast on Podchaser. Doing so gives you tools to grow your podcast, respond to reviews, and even sell merchandise.

Claim your podcast for free