How Loud Should a Podcast Be? A Plain-English LUFS Guide

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Updated 15 September 2026. Platform advice has been checked against the official sources linked below.

A podcast can have safe peaks and still sound too quiet, or hit a loudness target and still sound harsh. Measure both loudness and peaks, choose the right delivery target, and listen before publishing.

What LUFS measures

Integrated LUFS measures programme loudness across the file using frequency weighting, channel weighting and a gate that excludes sufficiently quiet passages. It is a useful estimate of perceived loudness, not a complete description of how a recording sounds. Typical speech readings are negative: −14 LUFS is 2 LU louder than −16 LUFS. LUFS and LKFS describe the same loudness scale.

True peak is a separate limit

True peak estimates the highest level of the reconstructed waveform, including peaks between digital samples. Keeping headroom reduces the risk of clipping during conversion or lossy encoding. A peak ceiling does not guarantee that every later encoding will be free of distortion: check the delivered format too.

Apple Podcasts: a delivery recommendation

Apple recommends around −16 LKFS with a ±1 dB tolerance, and true peaks no higher than −1 dBFS. A stereo podcast target of −16 LUFS and a −1 dBTP ceiling aligns with that recommendation. −14 LUFS is outside the stated loudness range. This is delivery guidance, not evidence that every podcast player automatically normalizes every episode in the same way. Apple Podcasts audio requirements.

Spotify: distinguish music settings from podcast requirements

Spotify documents −14 LUFS for music in its Normal playback setting, with other listening modes and player exceptions. The web player and some third-party devices do not apply that normalization. These music settings should not be presented as a universal podcast submission requirement or a promise that quiet podcast episodes will be boosted. Spotify loudness normalization.

YouTube: avoid a universal promise

Do not choose a podcast master solely around a claimed −14 LUFS requirement for every YouTube upload. Player features, content and settings can affect playback. Measure your export and check the actual uploaded version. A frequently quoted playback target is not the same thing as a documented mandatory delivery specification.

Mono and stereo need consistent measurement

Duplicating the same mono signal into two equally weighted channels adds about 3 LU to its measured integrated loudness without changing the samples in either channel. This is why −19 LUFS mono and −16 LUFS dual mono are often discussed together. The figures are not interchangeable for every stereo recording, and Apple's cited recommendation does not specify a separate −19 LUFS mono exemption. Follow the destination's specification and measure the final channel format.

PodMaster's processing targets are −19 LUFS for mono and −16 LUFS for stereo. Those are product settings, not a claim that all distributors request the same levels.

Audiobooks: RMS is not LUFS

ACX specifies an average level between −23 and −18 dB RMS. A LUFS reading cannot establish compliance with that RMS requirement. ACX also specifies peak, noise and encoding requirements. Use the complete submission specification and suitable measurements. ACX audio submission requirements.

A practical workflow

1. Check the distributor's current delivery specification.
2. Balance speakers and address distracting noise before adjusting the final level.
3. Measure integrated loudness and true peak across the full export.
4. Adjust gain and limiting without flattening the voice just to chase a number.
5. Listen to the exported file, including quiet passages and loud transitions.
6. Check the uploaded or encoded version when available.

For a stereo speech podcast without a more specific brief, −16 LUFS with true peaks no higher than −1 dBTP is a useful starting point aligned with Apple's recommendation. It is not a guarantee of acceptance or identical playback everywhere.

Check your file

The free Loudness Inspector measures integrated loudness and true peak in your browser. Its verdict covers the selected level targets; it is not a complete ACX or distributor approval.

PodMaster processes spoken-word recordings and emails the master. Check the result against your destination and listen before publishing.