Normalize audio

Normalize an audio file in three steps

1. Choose an audio file or a video with an uneven soundtrack, or try the included sample.
2. Pick Peak to fill the available headroom, or pick a loudness target such as Podcast.
3. Press Normalize, check the level report, and download the result.

What normalizing means

Normalizing applies one fixed gain to the whole file so that it hits a chosen level. It does not squash the dynamics or change the balance inside the recording, so loud and quiet moments keep their relationship. It is the standard first step before a podcast episode or a set of tracks is published.

Peak or loudness

Peak normalizing finds the loudest sample and lifts the file until that sample sits at minus one decibel below full scale. It is predictable, but one loud cough can limit how much the rest rises. Loudness normalizing aims at an average level, such as minus sixteen for a podcast or minus fourteen for streaming, which makes different recordings sound equally loud. Peaks above the ceiling are softly limited.

Matching several files

Normalizing every episode, voice memo, or track to the same loudness target means listeners do not have to change the volume between them. Run each file through with the same target and download them as MP3. For uneven recordings with long quiet stretches, remove the silence first for a better reading.

Keep your headroom

Do not normalize to full scale. Leaving a small margin, which this tool does with a one decibel ceiling, stops the MP3 encoder from creating distorted peaks. If you need a larger boost than a file can take, use the volume booster, which shows how many samples were limited.