Podcast Audio Level Guide

Platform-specific loudness targets for podcast and spoken-word audio, plus music bed mixing ratios and common audio quality tips.

PLATFORM TARGETS

Spotify Podcasts
Integrated LUFS-16 LUFS
True Peak-1 dBTP
FormatMP3, 192kbps+

Apple Podcasts

Integrated LUFS-16 LUFS

True Peak-1 dBTP

FormatMP3/AAC, 128kbps+

Google Podcasts / YouTube

Integrated LUFS-14 LUFS

True Peak-1 dBTP

FormatMP3/M4A

Broadcast / Radio

Integrated LUFS-23 LUFS

True Peak-1 dBTP

StandardEBU R128

MUSIC BED vs VOICE RATIOS

TYPICAL MIXING RATIOS

Intro / Outro

Voice 30%, Music 70%

Bed Under Speech

Voice 80%, Music 20%

Ad Read

Voice 85%, Music 15%

Music Stinger

Voice 5%, Music 95%

AUDIO QUALITY TIPS

Noise Floor

Keep background noise below -60 dBFS. Use noise reduction if recording in a non-treated room. Room resonance ("boominess") is the #1 quality killer in home studios.

Dynamic Range

Podcast speech should sit between -18 and -6 dBFS peak. Avoid heavy limiting that crushes natural speech dynamics — it causes listener fatigue.

Mono vs Stereo

Podcast voice tracks should be mono — it saves file size and sounds better on earbuds. Only widen to stereo if you have stereo music beds or ambient sound.

Music Bed EQ

Duck music bed frequencies between 300Hz–3kHz by 3–6dB when voice is present. This creates perceived separation without changing volume.