Exporting and publishing
How loud should my podcast be?
Around −16 LUFS for podcast apps, −14 for YouTube, −23 for broadcast. You do not have to hit it by ear: pick the platform at export and Cast measures the episode and matches the target for you.
Every platform normalises what you upload, so the number that matters is the one they normalise to. Arrive near it and your episode is played as you mixed it. Arrive far above it and the platform turns it down — often flattening the dynamics you worked on. Arrive far below and it is turned up, bringing the room noise with it.
The targets worth knowing: podcast apps around −16 LUFS, YouTube around −14, broadcast −23. Mono or stereo makes a difference to the number, which is one more reason to let the measurement do it rather than guessing from a meter.
Peak level is a separate matter. Even at the right average loudness a stray peak can clip once a platform re-encodes the file, which is what true peak limiting is for — Cast leaves the headroom automatically.
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