Setting the Correct LUFS Level For Your Podcast

The Audacity Channel

Setting the correct loudness level (LUFS) for your podcast is an important step in post-production that shouldn't be overlooked. Leveling your audio helps ensure consistent loudness from beginning to end and gives the listener a better listening experience because they don't have to constantly adjust the volume of your podcast as it plays. Doing loudness leveling minimizes the loudness fluctuations that can otherwise occur, things like audio trailing off at the end of a sentence or loudness differences between multiple hosts or guests.
The LUFS level for a stereo podcast is -16dB LUFS. For a mono podcast, it's -19dB LUFS. In this episode I suggest a few different tools that are available to help you hit your LUFS target level for the kind of podcast you're doing, either stereo or mono.
Resources for LUFS leveling I mention in this podcast:
In addition to Audacity's built-in loudness leveler, I talk about...

• Waves WLM Plus Loudness Meter - https://www.waves.com/plugins/wlm-loudness-meter
• The Auphonic website and desktop leveler - https://auphonic.com/

Here's a look at where we've been and where we're going in this season of The Audacity Channel podcast:

• Episode 1: Recording Room Preparation
• Episode 2: Microphone Types
• Episode 3: Microphone Placement
• Episode 4: Microphone Technique
• Episode 5: My Recording Hardware Chain
• Episode 6: Audio Quality: Hitting the Mark with Sample Rate, Bit Depth, and Bit Rate
• Episode 7: Editing Multi-Track Projects in Audacity
• Episode 8: Adding Realtime Effects in Audacity
• Episode 9: Bonus Episode - Audacity 3.3.0 Released
• Episode 10: Setting The Correct LUFS Level For Your Podcast (This Episode)
• Episode 11: Exporting Our Audacity Project as an MP3

Other Places You'll Find Me:

1. The Audacity Bootcamp online school for podcasters and ACX audiobook narrators. The school consists of the following online courses:
   • Audacity Step-by-Step: Beginner to Advanced
   • ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity
   • Audacity Version Updates
2. The Learn Audacity YouTube Channel
3. The Learn Audacity Homepage
4. The Audacity Channel on YouTube
5. Facebook

• Contact Me

Capitole

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. The Importance of LUFS Leveling (00:00:13)

3. What is LUFS? (00:00:51)

4. LUFS Standards for Podcasts (00:01:13)

5. Compression and LUFS Leveling (00:01:52)

6. Tools for Setting LUFS Levels (00:04:33)

7. LUFS Leveling Using Auphonic (00:07:11)

8. Recap of LUFS Target Levels (00:08:47)

9. The Audacity Bootcamp Online School for Podcasters and Audiobook Narrators (00:09:19)