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Audio Normalizer for recordings that drift

One interview is quiet, the next is loud, and the third clips. Normalization gives every file a predictable level without you touching a fader. Pick how the level is measured, choose a target, export.

Short answerLast edited October 31, 2026

The Audio Normalizer raises or lowers a track to a target level, either by its peak or by its average loudness, and protects against clipping. It measures the file first and shows both the measurement and the gain before you export.

Every platform has a target

Loudness is not the same as peak level. A file can peak at −1 dBFS and still feel quiet, because most of its energy sits low. Streaming services measure the average and turn louder files down, so pushing past the target buys nothing.

Loudness targets−30 LUFS → −4 LUFS
Spotify-14 LUFS
YouTube-14 LUFS
TikTok-14 LUFS
Apple Music-16 LUFS
Podcast apps-16 LUFS
EBU broadcast-23 LUFS
Comfortable bandMost platforms turn louder mixes down, so nothing is gained by pushing past the target.
2measuring modes: peak and average
0files uploaded to a server
−1dBFS ceiling with the no-clip option

Normalize a file in three steps

1

Drop the audio

The tool reads the peak and the average level before it changes anything.

2

Pick a mode and target

Peak for a single file, average for a set that should feel equally loud.

3

Export

MP3 for delivery, WAV if the normalized file will be edited further.

Which target where

DestinationTargetNotes
Spotify / YouTube−14 LUFSThe platform turns louder files down
Apple Music−16 LUFSSlightly more dynamic
Podcast apps−16 LUFSSpeech stays comfortable
Voice assistant−16 to −20 LUFSPlayback happens close to the ear
Broadcast (EBU)−23 LUFSLegally defined in many countries
Single file, no platformPeak −1 dBFSSimple and safe

Volume questions, answered

Does normalization change the sound?
It changes the level, not the balance — unless the gain is so large that peaks are clipped. The no-clip option prevents that by limiting the maximum boost.
Peak or average?
Peak is predictable and cannot clip; use it for one file. Average evens out perceived loudness across several files. For a series of episodes, average is the better match.
Why did the tool boost by only a few dB?
The no-clip option stops the loudest peak at −1 dBFS. A file with one very loud transient cannot be raised much without touching it, even if the rest is quiet.
Is this compression?
No. Normalization applies one gain to the whole file. Compression changes the relationship between loud and quiet parts over time. For that, use the loudness booster.
Does it work on video?
The sound track is normalized and exported as audio. To keep the picture, use the loudness booster, which can rewrite the audio inside an MP4.

Normalizing Volume Without Squashing the Life Out of It

Normalization is the least glamorous audio process and one of the most useful. It answers a simple question: how loud should this file be? Without an answer, every export becomes a guess, and every playlist becomes a volume-knob workout.

Peak is not loudness

The peak is the single highest sample in the file. It tells you whether the file will clip, not whether it will feel loud. A sparse recording with one loud door slam can peak at −1 dBFS and still be too quiet for a podcast. That is why peak normalization is safe but sometimes unsatisfying.

Average loudness looks at the whole file. Two files normalized to the same average feel equally loud to a listener, even if their peaks differ. This is the measurement streaming platforms use when they decide whether to turn a track down.

LUFS in one paragraph

LUFS is a loudness unit that approximates how the ear weighs frequencies. Spotify, YouTube and TikTok normalise to around −14 LUFS; Apple Music and most podcast hosts sit near −16. Broadcast in Europe often targets −23. If you deliver above the platform target, the platform simply reduces the level — you spent headroom for nothing.

Headroom and the no-clip option

Two rules keep normalization clean. First, leave at least 1 dB below 0 dBFS; true-peak meters can read higher than sample peaks. Second, when raising an average level, watch the loudest moment: it may reach the ceiling long before the average reaches the target. The no-clip option chooses the smaller of the two gains, which is why a file with a single loud transient may end up quieter than expected.

Normalization is not compression

Normalization multiplies every sample by the same number. Compression changes the level over time, making quiet parts louder relative to loud ones. If a recording has a wide dynamic range and the quiet parts are lost, normalization alone will not fix it; you need compression or a limiter. The loudness booster is the tool for that.

Where it fits in a workflow

Normalize after editing, not before. Cuts, fades and EQ all change the peak level, so a file normalized first will not stay at the target. Finish the edit, then normalize, then export. If the file goes to a platform, normalize to the platform target and stop.

Keep the original. A normalized file is a delivery copy, not a master.

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Quick facts

  1. Peak normalisation moves the loudest sample to the target and leaves the dynamics alone, while loudness normalisation moves the average level and can change the relation between quiet and loud parts.
  2. Broadcast works at −23 LUFS under EBU R128, while the big streaming services normalise near −14 LUFS.
  3. EBU R128 normalises broadcast audio to −23 LUFS, which is why a commercial CD at −9 LUFS sounds loud until a platform turns it down.European Broadcasting Union
  4. LUFS is a weighted average over time, unlike a peak meter: a single loud drum hit does not raise the integrated loudness much.ITU
  5. 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo means 44,100 samples × 2 channels × 2 bytes each second: 1411 kbit/s, or about 10 MB per minute.Microsoft Learn

Questions people ask

What is the difference between peak and loudness normalisation?
Peak normalisation sets the highest sample to a target, so it changes the loudest point only. Loudness normalisation sets the average level, measured in LUFS, which matches how loud speech or music seems to a listener.
What loudness level should I normalise to?
Use −23 LUFS for broadcast under EBU R 128, and about −14 LUFS for music and video on streaming platforms. Choose the value for where the file will be played, and leave a little headroom below 0 dBFS.
Can normalisation damage audio?
Raising a quiet file can add audible noise and clip peaks that exceed full scale. The no-clip setting stops the gain before the peaks clip, and lowering the target is the safe option when a file is already close to full level.

What this page is about

  • Loudness (LUFS)

    The perceived level of a track measured in LUFS, defined by ITU-R BS.1770 and used by EBU R128 for broadcast normalisation.

  • WAV (RIFF)

    An uncompressed container from Microsoft and IBM built on RIFF; CD-quality stereo at 44.1 kHz and 16 bit needs 1411 kbit/s.

  • MP3

    A lossy audio format from MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, developed at Fraunhofer IIS, that removes sounds the ear is unlikely to notice.

  • Web Audio API

    The W3C API that builds an audio graph in the browser and can render it faster than real time with an OfflineAudioContext.

Official sources cited on this page

  1. R 128: Loudness normalisation and permitted maximum level of audio signalsEuropean Broadcasting Union
  2. Recommendation ITU-R BS.1770: Algorithms to measure audio programme loudnessITU
  3. Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF)Microsoft Learn
  4. MP3 — the audio coding format developed at Fraunhofer IISFraunhofer IIS
  5. Web Audio APIW3C

Continue with the same file

Each of these opens what the tool above produces. Use “Use in another tool” under the result to carry the file over — it moves from tab to tab inside your browser, never to a server.

MP3 Cutter & Ringtone StudioTrim any part of a song, add fades and make a ringtone.AudioNo uploadFreeAudio Format ConverterBatch convert between MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG and OPUS.AudioNo uploadFreeAudio Loudness BoosterMake quiet recordings louder and normalize them to a standard level.AudioNo uploadFreeAudio MergerCombine several audio files into one track with smooth transitions.AudioNo uploadFree

Switched-off tools are not listed here: only what works right now.

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