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Best Podcast Audio Settings: EQ, Compression & Loudness
The exact settings I use on every episode — tested across 500+ podcast edits.
Last updated: September 14, 2026 · By Alex, BadMic Studio · 6 min read
Getting podcast audio right is part science, part experience. After editing hundreds of episodes, I've settled on a signal chain that works reliably across different voices, rooms, and mic setups.
Here are the exact settings I use — and why each one matters.
The complete signal chain
Process your audio in this order. Each step builds on the previous one:
- High-pass filter
- Noise reduction
- EQ (tonal shaping)
- Compression
- De-essing
- Loudness normalization
- Limiting (true peak)
1. High-pass filter
Setting: 70–80Hz, 12dB/octave slope
Removes low-frequency rumble, mic stand vibrations, and AC hum without affecting voice quality.
Apply this first, before any other processing. It cleans up the signal so subsequent plugins work on actual voice content, not noise.
2. Noise reduction
Setting: 6–12dB reduction, adaptive mode
Use your room tone recording as the noise profile. Less is more — over-processing creates artifacts.
If your recording environment is quiet, you may skip this entirely. Always A/B test — if you can hear the noise reduction working, you've gone too far.
3. EQ (equalization)
This is where you shape the tonal character of each voice:
| 200–300Hz | Cut 2–3dB | Reduces muddiness and boxiness |
| 3–5kHz | Boost 2–3dB | Adds presence and intelligibility |
| 8–12kHz | Boost 1–2dB | Adds air and brightness |
Every voice is different. Male voices may need more cut at 200Hz; female voices may need more boost at 3kHz. Use your ears, not just the numbers.
4. Compression
Compression evens out the dynamic range — making quiet parts louder and loud parts quieter:
| Ratio | 2:1 to 4:1 | Lower for natural sound, higher for broadcast punch |
| Threshold | -18 to -12dB | Set so compressor activates on louder passages |
| Attack | 10–20ms | Fast enough to catch peaks |
| Release | 100–200ms | Natural recovery between words |
Look for 3–6dB of gain reduction on the loudest passages. If you're seeing 10dB+, your threshold is too low.
5. De-essing
Setting: Target 5–8kHz, 3–6dB reduction
Only apply if sibilance is a problem. Check by soloing the de-esser — you should only hear "s" sounds being reduced.
6. Loudness normalization
Target loudness depends on your primary platform:
| Spotify | -14 LUFS |
| Apple Podcasts | -16 LUFS |
| YouTube | -14 LUFS |
| General standard | -16 LUFS, -1dBTP |
I target -14 LUFS for most clients because Spotify normalizes to this, and it works well everywhere else too.
7. True peak limiting
Setting: Ceiling at -1.0 dBTP
Prevents inter-sample peaks that cause distortion on playback. Essential for streaming platforms.
Quick reference: copy-paste settings
Here's the complete chain in one place:
- High-pass: 80Hz, 12dB/oct
- Noise reduction: 8dB, adaptive
- EQ: -2dB at 250Hz, +2dB at 4kHz, +1dB at 10kHz
- Compression: 3:1 ratio, -15dB threshold, 15ms attack, 150ms release
- De-esser: 6kHz, 4dB reduction
- Loudness: -14 LUFS integrated
- True peak: -1.0 dBTP
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