Podcast prep. Normalize, mono, MP3 — one click.
Every podcast you upload needs the same three things: a consistent level (so your episode isn't louder or quieter than the next show), mono channels (so it's not 2× bigger than it needs to be), and MP3 encoding at a reasonable bitrate. Drop your recording, pick a quality, get an episode-ready file. No 7-step Audacity tutorial.
drop your raw episode
WAV from your DAW, M4A from your recorder, MP4 if you recorded video. Batch supported.
What each step does
- Peak normalize to -1 dB. We find the loudest sample in your file and scale the whole episode so that sample lands at -1 dB (just below digital max). Quiet episodes get louder, loud episodes stay where they are. Result: consistent perceived level across your whole catalog.
- Mono mixdown. We sum L+R into a single channel at -3 dB compensation (no clipping). Voice content gains nothing from stereo, and mono halves the file size. Some podcast hosts even prefer mono uploads.
- MP3 encode. CBR (constant bitrate) at your chosen kbps. Most podcast hosts re-encode to their own delivery format anyway, so just get under the platform's max file size and you're fine.
What this is NOT
- Not a full master — no compression, EQ, de-essing, or noise reduction. If your raw recording sounds bad, this won't fix it. Edit in a DAW first.
- Not LUFS-normalized to Spotify's -16 LUFS target — peak normalization is close enough for most podcast hosts. For LUFS-accurate delivery, use our normalizer with LUFS mode.
- Not metadata-aware — we don't write episode title, show name, episode number, artwork, or chapters. Add those in your podcast host (Anchor, Buzzsprout, Captivate, Transistor, etc.) before publishing.
Picking the right preset
- 64 kbps mono — solo voice podcast, daily news show, audiobooks. 30 min episode is ~14 MB.
- 96 kbps mono — most voice podcasts. The default. 30 min episode is ~22 MB.
- 128 kbps mono — when you have music beds, interviews with distinct voices, or want a touch of headroom. 30 min is ~28 MB.
- 128 kbps stereo — keep this if your podcast has stereo content that actually uses both channels (music shows, binaural audio, panned interviews).
FAQ
Which podcast hosts work with this output?
All of them. Anchor / Spotify for Podcasters, Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, Libsyn, Podbean, Acast. Plain MP3 is the universal upload format.
Does the order of steps matter?
Normalize, then mono, then encode — that's what we do. If you mono'd first then normalized you'd get the same result. Encoding last preserves quality through the prior processing.
What's the file size for a 1-hour episode?
At 96 kbps mono: ~43 MB. At 64 kbps mono: ~29 MB. At 128 kbps stereo: ~58 MB. All well within every podcast host's upload cap.
What about RSS feed file size limits?
iTunes/Apple Podcasts allows MP3 up to 200 MB per episode. Spotify, ~250 MB. Most hosts internally limit to ~500 MB. None of these are remotely close to constraining at 96 kbps mono.
Does anything upload?
No. All processing happens in your browser. You then upload to your host yourself.
Should I add intro/outro music in this step?
No — do that in your DAW (Audacity, Reaper, GarageBand). This tool just preps the finished mix for upload.