Learn
Learn: podcast audio quality, explained
Plain-language guides to the three things that decide whether spoken-word audio sounds professional: loudness (LUFS), true peak (dBTP), and dead air.
Start here
Three measurements decide whether spoken-word audio sounds polished: how loud it is on average (LUFS), how high it peaks between samples (true peak), and whether it contains unintended silence (dead air). These short, plain-language guides explain each one and the targets to aim for.
What LUFS should a podcast be?
The −16 LUFS / −1 dBTP target, why loudness matters more than peaks, and how to hit it.
Podcast loudness on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube
What each platform actually does on playback, the published specs, and the one target that is safe everywhere.
What is True Peak (dBTP)?
Inter-sample peaks, why −1 dBTP of headroom matters, and how true peak differs from sample peak.
What is dead air, and how do you detect it?
How unintended silence hurts retention, and how threshold-plus-duration detection finds it.
What is Loudness Range (LRA)?
How much your episode's loudness swings between quiet and loud moments, and the ~7-8 LU target for spoken word.
How to check and fix podcast loudness in WordPress
Measure loudness, compare it to the −16 LUFS / −1 dBTP target, and normalise it — without leaving the WordPress editor.
Loudness checks for Seriously Simple Podcasting
SSP publishes your episode; it does not measure it. Where a loudness check belongs in that workflow, and what to look at before the feed goes out.
Loudness checks for PowerPress
PowerPress owns the feed and the enclosure. It does not measure the audio — here is where the check belongs.
Loudness checks for Podlove Publisher
Podlove validates that a file arrived, not that it is publishable. Multiple formats mean multiple files to check.
AudioLinter vs Auphonic: which should you use?
A WordPress-native QC gate versus a general audio post-production service billed by processing hours.
AudioLinter vs Alitu: which should you use?
A narrow WordPress-native loudness/true-peak/dead-air check versus an all-in-one podcast production suite.
Do it inside WordPress
AudioLinter measures all three — loudness, true peak, and dead air — directly in the post editor, and can normalise loudness with one click on paid plans.