podcast loudness standard

How loud do podcasts need to be?

Here are two audio samples you can download and try yourself (right-click to save/download the WAV audio files): So, the loudness standard for podcasts is -16 LUFS for stereo and -19 LUFS for mono. In addition to that standard, there are some ideal targets for true peak and loudness range.

What is loudness normalization in podcasts?

Across episodes—ensuring that all episodes of one podcast are the same loudness as each other. Across podcasts—ensuring that podcasts from separate creators are all the same loudness. Loudness normalization solves that by conforming all pieces of audio to the same standard.

Is there a loudness target for podcasts?

The radio standard doesn’t address a loudness target for podcasts … and it’s not likely to. Those of us involved in making that standard were primarily concerned with passing content amongst the distribution points in the public radio system. Podcasts are addressed in a recommendation by the Audio Engineering Society.

What is the best volume for podcasting?

So, the loudness standard for podcasts is -16 LUFS for stereo and -19 LUFS for mono. In addition to that standard, there are some ideal targets for true peak and loudness range. I recommend the true peak not be any higher than -1.5 dB.

How loud should your podcast be?

Generally, a peak level of -1.0 dB is good for podcasts, as this level will ensure your audio sounds good when it's converted to a lossy format like MP3 or AAC.

What should I normalize podcast audio to?

This means you shouldn't master too much louder or quieter than this figure. Apple normalizes the loudness of it's content to -16 LUFS. If you want to have your podcast on both Spotify and Apple Music, mastering your dialogue under -16 LUFS will work well. Tidal: Tidal also normalizes audio to -16 LUFS.

What is the LUFS standard?

What are LUFS? LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale and is still the latest and most accurate technology available for measuring perceived audio loudness. Today LUFS are used to set audio level standards in film, broadcast television, radio, and on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

How many dB is LUFS?

roughly 1 DBDecibels and LUFS both measure sound, so how do you know which measurement to use? On paper, LUFS and decibels seem to be the same phenomenon. After all, both decibels and LUFS are more or less equal as 1 LUF is roughly 1 DB. Both are used to characterize volume.

What dB should I normalize to?

So you can use normalization to reduce your loudest peak by setting the target to just under -3 dB, like say -2.99 dB.

Does normalizing audio affect quality?

Proper normalizing does not affect the dynamic range of the audio; it simply adds or subtracts gain from the audio to make it louder or quieter, respectively.

How many LUFS is too loud?

Their target for LUFS is -14. That doesn't mean your master has to be that level of loudness. Most established producers will still make tracks louder than -14 LUFTS. The general guide is to not go any louder than -9 LUFTS.

How loud should my LUFS master be?

How loud should your master be? Shoot for about -23 LUFS for a mix, or -6db on an analog meter. For mastering, -14 LUFS is the best level for streaming, as it will fit the loudness targets for the majority of streaming sources, but it's okay to go louder (-7 to -10) so that your music stacks up well on other mediums.

Should I master above LUFS?

Remember, you shouldn't just master your music to meet a specific LUFS value. You should instead master your songs to make them sound their best. If you're mastering the loudest parts of the songs to hit -10 LUFS short-term, the integrated loudness may well be above -14 LUFS. But that's OK!

What dB should my master be?

I recommend 1dB of headroom, so your master should peak at -1dBFS before you convert it to an mp3 or AAC file. The simplest way to ensure 1dB of peak headroom is to use a maximizer or mastering limiter in which you can set your output ceiling to -1dB. All good maximizers and limiters provide this function.

What LUFS does Spotify use?

around -14 LUFSSpotify and Youtube stream audio at around -14 LUFS. If a track has a loudness level of -9.5 LUFS (like AC DC Back In Black) both streaming platforms will decrease the volume of that track to around -14 LUFS.

What does 16 LUFS mean?

Short version for podcast producers, editors, and/or mixers Use LUFS over decibels when adjusting audio loudness and for podcasts set your loudness to -16 LUFS. LUFS > decibels.

How loud should I master for Spotify?

-14dBTarget the loudness level of your master at -14dB integrated LUFS and keep it below -1dB TP (True Peak) max. This is best for lossy formats (Ogg/Vorbis and AAC) and makes sure no extra distortion's introduced in the transcoding process.

What are LUFS in audio?

LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale. It's a standardized measurement of audio loudness that factors human perception and electrical signal intensity together. LUFS are used to set targets for audio normalization in broadcast systems for cinema, TV, radio and music streaming.

How do I make my podcast louder?

1:417:44How to Set Your Podcast to the Right Audio Level - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTo hear everything and not have to turn their volume up and down as new podcast episodes start. WellMoreTo hear everything and not have to turn their volume up and down as new podcast episodes start. Well first of all what I would do is I would select everything that you've recorded and normalize.

What is loudness normalization in audacity?

From Audacity Development Manual. Use the Loudness Normalization to change the level of the audio (normally reduce it to recommended limits). It is based on EBU R 128 recommendations on limiting the loudness of audio signals. See Perceived Loudness for the technical details about it.

What are loudness standards for public radio distribution?

The loudness standards for public radio distribution are welcome in that they allow us to define a single target for moving content around the various public radio systems, regardless of its production style.

How many LUFS should a podcast have?

It’s long and technical (I know because I helped write it!) so I’ll spare you the details: it recommends that podcasts target somewhere between -20 LUFS and -16 LUFS depending on the style of content.

Why is radio spec important?

The possibility for a wider dynamic range in the radio spec works well for radio because every station includes processing before the signal is broadcast over the air. Processing like compressors, limiters, companders — equipment that squashes down some of the peaks, brings up the lower levels, and reduces the dynamic range. This processing helps the signal survive over-the-air transmission, helps it be more audible in environments like the car or the kitchen, and shapes the sound of the station. Each station wants to tailor its sound based on its own tastes and content, and they do that by processing their signal differently than the other stations in their market. One station may prefer a more natural sound (often the choice most public radio stations make), while another station may prefer a more compressed and aggressive sound (typical of Top 40 or commercial talk radio).

What is the loudest level for podcasts?

The podcast industry has mostly standardised on -16 LUFS. This is the loudness level that Apple Podcasts ask for. Most podcasts use use -16 LUFS in our tests. So, most of them will sound as loud as one another: and, importantly, will work alongside the audio alerts on your phone. Broadcast radio and television uses -24 LUFS in the US, ...

Why do podcasts sound loud?

For podcasting, we use loudness to make sure that if you play five podcasts one after another, they all sound as loud as one another - and you shouldn’t need to touch the volume control. It also means sounds much the same as the voice on your smart-speaker, satnav, or the “you’ve got a new text” sound.

What is a LUFS?

LUFS describes a measurement of loudness over a period of time. It’s not dynamic compression, which alters the sound of the audio to be consistently the same volume. It’s also not normalisation, which typically increases the loudest bit of the audio in a clip to be as loud as it can possibly be. LUFS is a perceptive measurement: “how loud does this ...

Why don't you use LUFS?

You don’t; because LU FS is a measure of something rather different. LUFS is a measure of average loudness - “how loud is this audio overall” - and a perceptive feeling of that loudness. Other forms of metering are concerned with “how loud is this bit right now,” which is not the same thing.

Is LUFS quieter than -16?

Tip: LUFS is expressed in negative numbers, so -26 LUFS is quieter than -16 LUFS. Tip: Spotify and YouTube ask for -14 LUFS;

Is mono audio louder than stereo?

Mono audio is essentially taking two stereo tracks and adding them together, so mono audio can sound louder than stereo. So, mono files need to be made a bit quieter than stereo files to compensate. To achieve -16 LUFS stereo, your editing program should output -16 LUFS stereo… or -19 LUFS mono. A mono file at -19 LUFS should sound just as loud as ...

What is the loudness standard for podcasts?

The loudness standard for podcasts. Broadcast radio and television generally have a loudness standard of -23 LUFS (gated so it excludes measurement of audio below a reasonable threshold). But podcasts are Internet media and not broadcast radio or television.

How is loudness measured?

How loudness is measured. Perceived loudness is now commonly indicated by “loudness units relative to full scale,” or “LUFS” (pronounced “luhfs”) for short. In the past, it was also called “loudness, K-weighted, relative to full scale” (LKFS), and there used to be some technical differences between LKFS and LUFS.

What affects loudness normalization?

Loudness range (LRA) is affected either by vocal technique consistency and adjustable with compression, or it's affected by mismatched loudness from different tracks and adjustable with independent normalization.

Does Auphonic reduce background noise?

You can set the target loudness, enable the adaptive leveler to reduce LRA, and it has an automatic true-peak limiter. Auphonic can also reduce background noise. Adobe Audition 's included “Match Volume” (paid, Windows and macOS): loudness normalization built right into my preferred digital audio workstation (DAW).

Is mono louder than stereo?

That's why the standard for mono is 3 dB lower than for stereo. Although it will measure lower with most tools (but some tools actually measure mono and stereo to the same perceptual loudness), most apps and devices will play the -19 LUFS mono audio at the same loudness of a -16 LUFS stereo audio.

Recommended iTunes Podcast Audio Standards For Compression

The first part of Apple's recommendations is easy. For many years, my buddy Cliff has recommended 128 kbps CBR stereo for podcasts, which meets the standard precisely. He also recommends that you avoid use of the LAME MP3 encoder, which is lossy.

Recommend Podcast Audio Standards for Loudness

Cliff taught me proper level setup the way real old-school audio engineers do it. This is awesome and complies with the intent of the Apple podcast audio standard recommendations and is almost certainly perfect.