What are the best practices for setting volume levels in different podcast genres?

1 Why volume levels matter

Volume levels are important for podcasting because they affect how your listeners perceive your content, your quality, and your brand. Too loud or too quiet audio can cause distortion, fatigue, or annoyance, and make your podcast less enjoyable or accessible. Moreover, different podcast platforms and devices may have different standards and preferences for volume levels, so you need to make sure your podcast meets the expectations and requirements of your target audience and distribution channels.

4 How to set volume levels for narratives

Narrative podcasts are another popular genre, and they usually tell a story or share a message using a combination of narration, dialogue, music, and sound effects. The main goal for setting volume levels for narratives is to create a sense of immersion, emotion, and contrast between the different elements of your audio. A good rule of thumb is to aim for an integrated LUFS of -16 to -20 dB for stereo podcasts, or -19 to -23 dB for mono podcasts, depending on the style and mood of your podcast. You also want to keep the LRA between 6 and 10 LU, which means you have a higher dynamic range that allows for more expressive and dramatic changes in volume. To achieve these levels, you can use tools such as automation, EQ, reverb, and panning to enhance the individual tracks and the master track of your podcast.

5 How to set volume levels for comedy

Comedy podcasts are a fun and entertaining genre, and they usually feature jokes, sketches, improv, or satire using humor and laughter. The main goal for setting volume levels for comedy is to capture the energy, spontaneity, and punchiness of your audio. A good rule of thumb is to aim for an integrated LUFS of -14 to -16 dB for stereo podcasts, or -17 to -19 dB for mono podcasts, which are the higher end of the loudness spectrum for podcasts. You also want to keep the LRA between 2 and 6 LU, which means you have a lower dynamic range that reduces the peaks and valleys in volume. To achieve these levels, you can use tools such as compression, limiting, saturation, and distortion to boost and thicken the individual tracks and the master track of your podcast.

6 How to test and adjust volume levels

After you set the volume levels for your podcast genre, you need to test and adjust them to make sure they sound good and consistent on different platforms and devices. You can use a loudness meter plugin or software to check if your podcast meets the target LUFS and LRA for your genre, and if not, you can tweak the settings of your tools accordingly. You can also use a reference track of a similar podcast genre to compare and match your volume levels. Finally, you can listen to your podcast on different speakers, headphones, and devices to check if your podcast sounds clear, balanced, and comfortable on various listening environments.