# How to normalize a podcast to −16 LUFS

In Cast you don’t type the number — you pick the platform that expects it. Choose the Apple Podcasts preset on export and the episode is normalized to −16 LUFS with true peak at −1 dB; Spotify and YouTube presets target −14 the same way.

Full answer in the docs: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/loudness-lufs

## Step by step

1. **Open Export** — The export dialog shows the platform presets side by side, each with its loudness target printed on it.
2. **Pick the platform** — Apple Podcasts → −16 LUFS. Spotify or YouTube → −14. Broadcast (EBU R128, −23) lives on Max; Master applies no normalization for handoff to an engineer.
3. **Export** — The estimated size and render time are shown before you commit. Exporting costs no credits, on any plan, however many times you run it.

## Why hitting the target yourself matters

Every platform re-levels what you upload. Arrive at its target and it does not have to touch your mix — the episode sounds the way you made it, at the same volume as every other show in the listener’s feed.

## FAQ

### What LUFS should my podcast be?

Apple Podcasts wants −16 LUFS; Spotify and YouTube want −14 LUFS; broadcast (EBU R128) wants −23 LUFS. Most tools make you type that number in. Cast ships the target with the platform — pick where you are publishing and it normalizes to that, with true peak at −1 dB. (Master is the exception: no normalization, no ceiling — untouched on purpose.)

More: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/loudness-lufs

### What is LUFS?

LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) measures how loud something actually sounds to a person, averaged over time — unlike peak level, which only measures the single loudest instant. Podcast platforms use it as their delivery target: Apple Podcasts wants −16 LUFS, Spotify and YouTube −14 LUFS.

More: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/what-is-lufs

### What does normalizing actually do?

Normalizing means adjusting the whole recording up or down so it lands on a target level. It changes loudness, not balance — it will not fix a quiet guest against a loud host, because it moves everything by the same amount.

More: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/docs/what-is-normalization

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Canonical page: https://mubert.com/tools/cast/how-to/normalize-a-podcast-to-16-lufs
Last updated: 2026-07-13