Updated October 2026 · Podcast sound and editing
For a speech podcast, keep a lossless master, then export an MP3 at a high bit rate, mono or stereo as your host recommends. Set the loudness to your target, check the true peak of the exported file, and keep the master for re-exports.
Export settings look technical, but for a speech podcast only a few choices matter. Get them right once, write them down, and you will not think about them again. Get them wrong and you may upload a file that is too quiet, too loud or much bigger than it needs to be.
Keep a lossless WAV or FLAC master of the finished episode. Use it for every later export: the MP3 for your host, a shorter clip, or a version for another platform. Exporting the MP3 from the master avoids repeated compression, which slowly reduces quality if you re-encode a compressed file.
44.1 kHz and 48 kHz are both fine for speech. Keep the rate you recorded at, to avoid a conversion step that adds nothing. A 24-bit master is a sensible choice, and 16 bits is usually enough for the final file. Do not raise the rate above the recording, because it adds size without adding detail.
Use the highest bit rate your host accepts for the MP3, within a size that listeners can download comfortably. For speech, a high bit rate sounds very close to the master on most devices. Check what your host recommends, because the best setting is the one the host keeps intact.
Most speech podcasts are mono, since a single voice or a conversation gains little from stereo. Mono files are smaller. Use stereo only if your mix uses it, for example for music with a stereo intro or a deliberate effect.
Set the loudness of the exported file to your target, and check the true peak of the export rather than the project. The true peak shows the level between samples, which is where clipping can hide. The export guide covers the steps for the main podcast platforms in more detail.
After export, open the MP3 in a player and listen to the start, a middle section and the end. Confirm the file is the one you intended, with the right name, length and cover art, before you upload it. Some hosts re-encode the file, so check the final version on the platform too.
Platforms change their recommendations, so treat any number as a starting point and confirm the current guidance from your host. The steps above stay the same even when the numbers change.
Integrated LUFS, true peak and streaming targets. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
The loudness and true peak of the exported file, then the bit rate for the MP3.
Only if your mix needs it. Most speech shows are mono.
Some re-encode it. Upload the checked export, then listen to the version on the platform too.
Keep the master, the project file and a note of the export settings, so you can repeat the result.
