To master a podcast, target around -16 LUFS integrated for stereo with a true-peak ceiling of -1 dBTP, and keep every episode landing at that same loudness so listeners never reach for the volume knob. Apple Podcasts targets -16 LUFS, and Spotify normalizes spoken content to around -14 LUFS, so -16 LUFS is a safe, widely compatible standard. Podcast mastering is less about loudness bragging rights and more about clarity, consistency and a voice that is easy to listen to for an hour.
Podcast loudness targets
- Stereo podcast: around -16 LUFS integrated
- Mono podcast: around -19 to -16 LUFS depending on the platform's mono handling
- True peak: -1 dBTP ceiling
- Apple Podcasts: -16 LUFS is the reference target
Spoken word sits quieter than music masters on purpose. A voice mastered as loud as a pop record sounds harsh and fatiguing, and it leaves no room for a music intro to feel like a lift. Around -16 LUFS gives you a comfortable, professional loudness that matches the podcasts people already listen to. It is a different job from music - if you want the contrast, read what LUFS to use for streaming.
An honest note on tools
Sauce Mastering is built for music, and a music-focused chain can genuinely help a podcast with the finishing stage: it can level the overall loudness, control peaks and add polish. But a great podcast master starts earlier, in voice-specific processing that a music master is not designed to do - noise reduction, de-essing, breath control and dialogue-shaped EQ. Below is the full voice chain so you know what to do before the final loudness pass, whatever tools you use.
Clean the recording first
Mastering cannot hide a noisy or boomy recording, so fix the source.
- Noise reduction: remove steady background hum, air-conditioning and computer-fan noise with a gentle noise-reduction pass. Do not over-do it - too much makes the voice sound underwater and gargly.
- High-pass filter: roll off everything below about 80 to 100 Hz on a spoken voice. There is nothing useful for speech down there, just rumble, plosives and desk thumps.
- De-plosive: tame "p" and "b" pops with a steeper high-pass automation on the offending words if a pop filter did not catch them.
EQ the voice for clarity
Good podcast EQ makes a voice clear and present without sounding processed. Use these as starting points, adjusted by ear and by voice.
- 80 to 120 Hz: high-pass or gently reduce to clear mud and rumble.
- 200 to 400 Hz: a small cut here removes boxiness and boom, especially on close-mic'd voices.
- 3 to 5 kHz: a modest boost adds presence and intelligibility so the words cut through earbuds.
- Above 10 kHz: a gentle high-shelf lift adds air and openness, but watch the sibilance.
Control dynamics and sibilance
A conversational voice swings a lot in level - leaning into the mic, pulling back, laughing, whispering an aside. Two tools tame that.
- Compression: a ratio around 3:1 to 4:1 with a medium attack and fast release evens out the performance so quiet words stay audible and loud ones do not jump. Aim for a few dB of gain reduction on the loudest phrases, not constant heavy squashing.
- De-esser: harsh "s" and "sh" sounds get worse after presence EQ and compression. A de-esser targeting roughly 5 to 8 kHz smooths them without dulling the whole voice.
Compression on a voice works on the same principles as any dynamics processing - if you want the fundamentals, read what a limiter does, since a limiter is just compression at the extreme.
Set the final loudness
Once the voice is clean, balanced and controlled, and any music or ads are mixed in at sensible levels, do the loudness pass. Measure integrated loudness across the whole episode and bring it to around -16 LUFS with a limiter set to -1 dBTP. This is the stage where a mastering tool like Sauce Mastering can help by handling the overall level and peak control cleanly, after you have done the voice-specific work above.
Keep music beds and stingers from overpowering speech. Intro music can be full and exciting, but under talking it should sit well below the voice so nobody misses a word.
Consistency across episodes
This is the single biggest thing that separates amateur podcasts from professional ones. Every episode should hit the same -16 LUFS integrated target so a listener who binges your back catalog never has to touch their volume.
- Save a template. Lock in your noise reduction, EQ, compression, de-esser and loudness settings as a reusable chain so every episode starts from the same place.
- Measure every export. Check integrated LUFS and true peak on the finished file before you publish, not just during editing.
- Match guest levels. Remote guests arrive at wildly different volumes and tones. Level and EQ each speaker so they sit together, then master the combined program.
- Keep a reference episode. A/B a new episode against one you were happy with to catch drift in loudness or tone.
Nail the voice chain, land at -16 LUFS with -1 dBTP, and repeat it identically every week. That consistency is what makes a podcast feel produced rather than recorded.
Try it on your own track. Upload a mix to Sauce Mastering and hear it mastered for streaming - your first master is free, no plugins, no card.