What is the most efficient way to level out audio?

[radgood]

Hey guys. I made a video for my YouTube channel and came across an issue. I recorded an excellent commentary but noticed that certain parts of the video were too loud and some too quiet. I'm still somewhat new to Premiere Pro. I'm wondering what is the best way to level out audio. I'm trying to achieve a satisfying sound similar to what you hear on a podcast. I have a pretty decent mic as well.

[PaulMurphy · Accepted solution]

The most efficient way to level out audio in Premiere Pro is by using Match Loudness in the Essential Sound panel. This tool allows you to quickly and easily achieve consistent audio levels across your clips.

Here’s a guide that explains how to use it: Essential Sound Panel in Premiere Pro.

[Ann Bens]

Could not live without it.....

[radgood]

Woah.

[radgood]

I randomly clicked the "Enhance Speech" button, and it did everything I wanted it to do, for the most part. I don't see a way, however, to edit the changes it has made. I did notice a slight loss of clarity that I'm trying to get back. As far as the "Match Loudness" goes, I see that it has brought the waveforms up, but it looks like that's all it has done. I don't see any leveling like I did when I used the "Enhance Speech" effect.

[radgood]

Raw audio:

[radgood]

Loudness matched:

[radgood]

Enhanced speech:

[radgood]

Also, am I supposed to be able to see the left and right audio waveforms? Or is that something I accidentally enabled? Should it just be one? 

[PaulMurphy]

Here’s a quick breakdown of the difference between Match Loudness and Enhance Speech in the Essential Sound panel:

• Match Loudness: This feature adjusts the overall loudness of your selected clips to a standard level, typically -23 LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale). LUFS is a standard for measuring perceived loudness, ensuring consistent loudness across your clips.
• Enhance Speech: This tool uses AI to improve the clarity and quality of spoken dialogue, making it sound more professional and polished. It includes a slider to control the mix between enhanced and original audio.

If you’re looking to adjust the levels within a clip, the Dynamics slider in the Essential Sound panel is your best option. The Dynamics slider reduces the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a voice, while also lowering background noise between words.

If you only want to use one audio channel from your clip, go to Clip > Modify > Audio Channels and adjust the settings there.

[radgood]

Okay, I see. Let me ask a more simple question. If I want to get my audio to be leveled out like it is when I enhance speech, but I want to do it manually to avoid all the extra effects, how would I do so? Or is that not possible, since it's done with AI?

[radgood]

I'm pretty sure that's called "normalizing" the audio, but I'm not sure.

[pk_1947]

The most efficient way to level out audio is by using a combination of **compression and normalization**. Compression helps control dynamic range by reducing peaks and balancing softer parts, ensuring the overall sound remains consistent without distortion. Normalization then adjusts the entire track to a target loudness level, making it suitable for playback across different devices and environments. For even greater precision, many audio engineers also apply **limiting** to prevent clipping and use **manual gain riding** or volume automation on specific sections that require detailed adjustments. This approach not only balances the audio but also preserves clarity, dynamics, and listener comfort.

https://whatisaudio.com/