At ZenCast, we want your podcast to sound its best. This short guide will explain "overall loudness", why it matters, and how to set up your audio to meet industry standards.
Loudness is on the more technical side of podcast production, so if you're brand new and feeling a bit overwhelmed, and recording a small show from your spare bedroom, it's okay to mostly ignore this for now. You can always revisit this later, when you're ready to improve the overall quality of your show's sound.
However, if you're aiming to create something professional from day one, this is important to get right.
What Is Overall Loudness?
Overall loudness is a measure of how loud your episode feels to your listeners. Rather than only measuring the peaks at any particular moment in the audio, overall loudness accounts for the average volume your audience hears throughout your show.
LUFS vs. LKFS
Overall loudness is measured in either LUFS or LKFS.
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) and LKFS (Loudness, K-weighted relative to Full Scale) are basically two names for the same method of measuring perceived loudness.
In podcasting, LUFS is the more commonly used term.
Why Loudness Matters in Podcasting
Listener Comfort: This is one of the most important factors in podcasting. If you want people to stay relaxed and tuned in, your audience shouldn’t have to adjust their volume whenever a new episode starts.
Consistency makes your podcast feel professional: A steady loudness across episodes makes your show sound more polished.
Platform Standards: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others automatically adjust audio that’s too loud or too quiet. Hitting the right target means your show sounds exactly as you intended, without listening apps themselves making adjustments (or not too much of an adjustment) after you publish.
Key Loudness Settings for Podcasting
Generally, you'll want to aim for -16 LUFS if your episodes are in stereo, and -19 LUFS for mono recordings. This is the “sweet spot” most podcasters use.
Note that you might see guidelines stating broadcast TV and radio use -24 or -23 LUFS loudness, but if you use this for podcasting, your show will be too quiet (loudness is measured in negative numbers, so 0 is the loudest, -16 is less loud, and -24 is even less loud than that).
As an additional tip, keep peaks (the loudest moments of your audio) around -1 dB True Peak. This ensures you don’t clip (distort) your audio, giving those jarring clicking sounds that might cause people to pull out their earphones.
Quick Tips
- Use a Loudness Meter: Check your LUFS in editing tools like Audacity, or Adobe Audition.
- Apply Light Compression: This helps even out your volume so quieter parts aren’t lost and the loud parts aren't overwhelming.
- Keep It Consistent: Once you find the correct settings, use them for every episode.
Hopefully this helps you create episodes that sound professional and listener-friendly.
If you have any questions, get in touch and our support team will be happy to help.