Troubleshooting: Too loud

What `too loud` means

When AudioLinter reports that a file is too loud, the average perceived loudness is above the target range your publishing workflow is aiming for. In practice, that usually means listeners may experience the episode as noticeably hotter than surrounding content.

What to review first

• Check whether the issue is broad loudness across the whole file, not only a short peak.
• Look at any peak warning separately, because loudness and peak are related but not identical.
• Compare the result to your actual release target and not just to how loud the waveform looks.

Fastest path inside AudioLinter

If the repair workflow is available in your plan, starting a repair is usually the quickest way to generate a safer version and then reanalyze it. That gives you a cleaner editorial review loop without immediately leaving WordPress.

When manual correction may be better

If your team wants precise control over gain staging, limiting or other mastering decisions, manual editing in Audacity or another audio editor can still be the better option. In that case, lower the overall loudness carefully and then run another analysis afterwards.

Typical mistakes to avoid

• Only fixing the loudest moment and ignoring the average loudness of the rest of the file.
• Making the file quieter without rechecking whether peaks are still too aggressive.
• Trusting visual waveform size instead of the measured result.

Next useful guides

• Use the AudioLinter repair workflow
• Reduce loudness manually in Audacity
• Understand dead air findings