The short answer on podcast loudness LUFS targets: spoken-word podcasts are generally aimed at around -16 LUFS integrated for stereo files, with mono files often targeted a couple of LUFS lower. This is the widely accepted range that keeps your show playing back at a comfortable, consistent volume next to every other podcast in the app.
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Below, what LUFS actually means, why the target differs from music, and how to hit it.
What LUFS measures
LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale. Unlike a peak meter, which shows the single loudest instant, LUFS measures perceived loudness over time — how loud something actually sounds to a human ear. That’s exactly what you want for podcasts, because the goal is for the whole episode to feel evenly loud, not just to avoid clipping. If the concept is new to you, our LUFS explainer breaks it down from scratch.
It helps to know there are three different LUFS measurements, because tools report all of them and they answer different questions. Integrated loudness is the average across the entire episode and is the figure your target refers to. Short-term loudness is measured over a rolling three-second window and is useful for spotting passages that drift loud or quiet as you edit. Momentary loudness uses a much shorter window and reacts almost instantly, so it is handy for checking a single line or a sudden sound effect. When someone says “aim for -16 LUFS,” they always mean the integrated value.
The recommended podcast loudness target
For podcasts, the commonly cited target is around -16 LUFS integrated (measured across the whole episode) for stereo. Because most podcasts are spoken word and many are effectively mono, a mono file is often aimed a little lower — frequently cited around -19 LUFS — to account for the loudness difference between mono and stereo at the same setting. You don’t need to hit a number to the decimal; landing within a couple of LUFS of the target is fine.
You’ll also see two other figures alongside the integrated value:
- True peak, which should stay below 0 dB (typically capped around -1 dBTP) so the file never clips.
- Loudness range (LRA), which describes how much your loudness varies — speech usually wants a fairly controlled range so quiet moments stay audible.
Why podcasts differ from music
Music masters are usually pushed louder. Podcasts sit at a more conservative level for two reasons: speech needs to stay intelligible without fatiguing the listener, and many platforms apply their own loudness normalization that turns very loud uploads down. If you master a podcast as hot as a modern music track, the platform may simply reduce it — and over-compressed speech sounds harsh and tiring. Aiming for the spoken-word target keeps you in the comfortable zone the platforms expect.
How to measure and hit your target
You need a loudness meter, which most editing tools include or support:
- Audacity and Reaper can measure and normalize to a LUFS target.
- Hindenburg and Descript are built for spoken word and can target the right loudness more or less automatically.
The workflow is simple: finish your edit, run a loudness normalization to your target LUFS, then check the true peak and apply a limiter if needed. This is the final stage of mastering — our full walkthrough on how to master a podcast shows where loudness fits in the chain alongside EQ and compression. And before you master, a clean recording helps; our tips on sounding better on a podcast microphone reduce the work the meter has to do.
A step-by-step loudness workflow
If you want a repeatable routine rather than a one-off fix, work through it in this order. The point is to get the level and dynamics under control before you normalize, so the final loudness pass is doing very little.
- Edit and clean up first. Cut the silences, remove obvious clicks and breaths, and balance your speakers relative to each other. Loudness normalization measures the whole file, so a single very loud or very quiet section will skew the result.
- Tame the dynamics with gentle compression. Speech naturally swings between loud emphasis and quiet asides. A light compression pass evens that out so the integrated loudness sits closer to your target without quiet words disappearing.
- Normalize to your integrated target. Set the tool to -16 LUFS for stereo (or your chosen mono target) and let it adjust the overall gain.
- Limit the true peak last. Place a limiter with a ceiling around -1 dBTP at the end of the chain so nothing clips after normalization, especially when files get re-encoded by the host.
- Re-measure and listen. Confirm the integrated value, then play a couple of sections at normal volume to make sure nothing sounds squashed or fatiguing.
Common loudness mistakes to avoid
Most podcast loudness problems come from a handful of repeated errors rather than anything technical going wrong:
- Normalizing to peak instead of LUFS. Peak normalization makes the loudest moment hit a ceiling but ignores how loud the episode actually feels, so two episodes can peak identically yet sound very different in volume.
- Chasing the number to the decimal. A reading of -15.4 or -16.7 LUFS is fine. Obsessing over hitting -16.0 exactly wastes time and tempts you to over-process.
- Over-compressing to force loudness. Crushing the dynamics to push the average up makes speech sound flat and tiring. Let the normalization stage set the level instead.
- Mixing mono and stereo episodes without adjusting the target. If you switch formats between episodes, your show’s perceived volume will jump unless you adjust the target accordingly.
- Ignoring true peak. Hitting the right LUFS but leaving peaks above 0 dB invites clipping and distortion once the file is encoded for delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should my podcast be?
Aim for roughly -16 LUFS integrated for stereo spoken word, with mono files often targeted a couple of LUFS lower. Keep true peaks below 0 dB. Being within a couple of LUFS of the target is perfectly acceptable.
Will platforms change my loudness anyway?
Many do apply normalization, turning loud uploads down toward a standard level. Mastering to the recommended spoken-word target means your show already sits where platforms expect, so it plays back consistently with other podcasts.
Does it matter if my podcast is mono or stereo?
It affects the target. For the same perceived loudness, a mono file is usually aimed a couple of LUFS lower than a stereo file. Pick one format, measure it with a loudness meter, and normalize to the appropriate target for that format.
What is the difference between LUFS and dB?
A decibel reading on a peak meter shows the level of the loudest single sample, while LUFS measures perceived loudness averaged over time and weighted to match how the ear hears. Two files can share the same peak dB yet have very different LUFS, which is why loudness, not peak, is the figure that matters for consistent playback.
