How to Publish a Podcast on Spotify for Podcasters (Audio Production Guide)

Podcasts succeed when listeners can follow every word at normal phone volume with no fatigue. This guide focuses on dialogue-first production that translates across phone speakers, earbuds, smart speakers, and car systems.

Production outcomes to aim for

  • • Consistent speech level episode to episode
  • • No hiss build-ups, no metallic denoise, no lisping de-ess
  • • Natural dynamics with controlled peaks that survive transcoding
  • • Masters that sound the same across Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Music

1) Recording chain for spoken word

Microphones

  • • Broadcast dynamic or clean condenser. For untreated rooms a dynamic is forgiving.
  • • Distance 15–25 cm, slightly off-axis with a pop filter.

Interfaces and gain

  • • Peak normal speech near −12 dBFS. Leave headroom for laughs.
  • • Record 24-bit, 48 kHz. Disable auto gain and noise gates on capture.

Room control

  • • Treat first reflections: soft furnishings, curtains, rugs.
  • • Record 20 seconds of room tone. Save it in the session folder.

Remote guests

  • • Prefer double-ender or local tracks from Riverside/Zoom.
  • • Send guests a one-page mic and distance checklist before the call.

2) Repair chain for dialogue

Hum and interference

Notch 50/60 Hz and first 1–2 harmonics with Q ≈ 10. If USB whine appears, a very narrow sweep around 1–8 kHz can help, but do not carve consonants.

Broadband noise

Spectral or multiband denoise 3–6 dB. Listen for consonant dulling and "swirl." If you hear it, back off and EQ instead.

Clicks, mouth noise, plosives

Click detector pass; manual repair on the worst pops. For plosive thumps, try a low-band compressor keyed 80–160 Hz with slow release.

De-reverb

If a guest is in a hard room, reduce early reflections 15–30%. Stop before grain. Mix a bed of room tone under edited gaps to avoid "gating" artifacts.

3) Mix template that travels well

EQ

  • • HPF 70–100 Hz per voice.
  • • If boxy, subtract gently at 250–400 Hz.
  • • Presence 2–4 kHz in small moves.
  • • Avoid big air shelves; they bring hiss back.

Dynamics

  • • Voice comp ratio 2:1–3:1, attack 10–30 ms, release 60–120 ms, 3–6 dB GR on peaks.
  • • A slow leveler across the dialogue bus evens sentences without pumping.

De-ess

  • • Split-band de-ess centered 5–8 kHz, only on sharp consonants. Keep GR modest.
  • • If whole words dim, you went too far.

Music beds and stingers

  • • Keep music 10–14 dB under speech.
  • • Carve 2–4 kHz on the music a little so consonants stay clear.
  • • Crossfades 50–150 ms avoid clicks at edits.

Binaural and mono compatibility

  • • Keep dialogue centered.
  • • Sum to mono briefly to confirm nothing vanishes.

Intro/Outro Level Matcher

Upload an episode and analyze voice vs music levels to get exact dB adjustments.

Intro/Outro Level Matcher

4) Loudness, true peak, and consistency

Use one house target for all platforms so episodes match week to week.

Anchor-phrase method

  • • Choose a representative 10–12 s phrase mid-episode. Adjust the bus until this anchor hits your target.

Program normalization

  • • Measure integrated loudness for the full episode.
  • • Gain = target − measured. Apply gain-only.
  • • Check true peak on the master after gain. Set a limiter ceiling just below full scale.

Limiter

  • • Brickwall limiter last in chain.
  • • If the limiter works hard for long periods, reduce compression earlier and re-balance beds.

Now use the Loudness Nudge Calculator

Enter measured and target LUFS to get the exact dB change and a copy-ready ffmpeg command.

Loudness Calculator

Calculate the exact gain needed to hit your target LUFS.

5) QC that mirrors real listeners

Phone speaker

  • • Intro and ad reads must be intelligible at 40–50% phone volume. Use your Phone Speaker Check.
  • • If consonants blur, lift 2–4 kHz by 1 dB and lower bed music 2–3 dB.

Earbuds

  • • Check for harsh S and T. If sizzle appears, move the de-esser center down 0.5–1 kHz and reduce threshold.

Car and smart speaker

  • • Spot-check at low volume. You should not need to ride the knob between hosts and guests.

Phone Speaker Check for QC

Use this to verify your intro and ad reads are clear on phone speakers.

Phone Speaker Test

Test how your audio sounds on phone speakers with realistic filtering.

6) Export, episode packaging, and Spotify upload

Master file

  • • WAV 24-bit, 48 kHz for archival.
  • • Delivery file to Spotify for Podcasters: MP3 192–320 kbps or AAC in MP4/M4A, 48 kHz.

Reference ffmpeg

ffmpeg -i episode_mix.wav \
-af "loudnorm=I=-16:TP=-1.0:LRA=7" \
-c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k -ar 48000 \
episode_spotify.mp3

Adjust the target to your house value and limiter ceiling to taste.

Chapters and show notes

  • • Add chapter markers with timestamps.
  • • Put the episode promise in the first two lines of notes.

Artwork

  • • Square 3000×3000 works well. Keep type large.
  • • For episodic art, export at the same DPI and compression each week.

Upload flow

  1. 1. Create or select your show in Spotify for Podcasters.
  2. 2. Upload your episode file and fill notes, chapters, and scheduling.
  3. 3. Publish and verify the public page once live.

Troubleshooting

Guest sounds thin

Lower the HPF corner and add 1 dB near 2.5–3 kHz rather than big air shelves.

Hiss grows after de-ess

You used a high-shelf elsewhere or boosted air; reduce it and prefer a narrow presence bump.

Pumping on transitions

The sidechain or bus comp is hitting music too hard. Reduce gain reduction and extend release time.

Listener says "too quiet"

Check the anchor and program normalization. If you are hitting the target, the issue is usually masking or sibilance, not the number.

Episode checklist

Capture

  • • Mic 15–25 cm, off-axis, pop filter
  • • 24-bit, 48 kHz, peaks near −12 dBFS
  • • 20 s room tone saved

Repair

  • • Hum notch
  • • Denoise 3–6 dB
  • • Click repair and plosive control
  • • Minimal de-reverb

Mix

  • • HPF 70–100 Hz
  • • Comp 2–3:1, 3–6 dB GR
  • • De-ess only on peaks
  • • Music 10–14 dB under voice

Final

  • • Normalize to target
  • • Safe limiter ceiling
  • • WAV archive + delivery encode
  • • Phone, earbuds, car checks

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