About the Volume Adjuster
Boost a recording that came out too quiet or tame one that is too loud. Set the change in decibels or as a percentage, preview the result, and download. It works on MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC and OGG files, processes entirely on your device, and never uploads your audio anywhere.
Decibels vs percentage
Loudness is perceived logarithmically, which is why audio engineers work in decibels rather than linear percentages. A change of +6 dB roughly doubles the amplitude and sounds "noticeably louder"; +10 dB is perceived as about twice as loud; -6 dB halves the amplitude. The percentage view here is simply the same change expressed linearly (200% = +6 dB), so use whichever you find easier to reason about.
How much can you boost before it clips?
Digital audio has a hard ceiling at 0 dBFS. If your file's loudest peak is at -3 dBFS, boosting by more than 3 dB pushes those peaks over the ceiling and they are clipped — heard as harsh crackling on loud parts. A quiet voice memo peaking at -20 dBFS can safely be boosted by 15–18 dB; a commercially mastered song already peaking near 0 dBFS cannot be boosted at all without distortion. If you need a quiet-but-peaky file to sound louder, use the Audio Compressor to reduce the peaks first, or the Loudness Normalizer to target a specific perceived level with automatic limiting.
- Quiet phone or laptop recordings: +10 to +18 dB is typical.
- Slightly low podcast or voice-over: +3 to +6 dB.
- Music that is too loud next to speech: -6 to -12 dB.
- Match two clips: adjust one until they sound the same, or normalize both to the same LUFS.
Volume vs loudness normalization
This tool applies a fixed gain change across the whole file — the digital equivalent of turning a knob. That is exactly right when you know how much louder or quieter you want a file. If instead you want a file to hit a platform standard (Spotify, YouTube, podcasts) or several files to match each other automatically, the Loudness Normalizer measures the audio and calculates the gain for you.
How to use the Volume Adjuster
- 1Add your file. Drop in the audio. It is decoded locally and never uploaded.
- 2Choose the change. Enter a positive value to make it louder or a negative value to make it quieter, in dB or percent.
- 3Apply. Click Apply and wait a moment while the gain is applied.
- 4Preview and save. Listen for clipping on the loudest parts, then download the adjusted file.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my audio sound distorted after boosting it?
- The boost pushed the loudest peaks above 0 dBFS and they were clipped. Reduce the boost, or use the Audio Compressor to bring the peaks down first so the whole file can be raised safely.
- How many dB is twice as loud?
- Perceived loudness roughly doubles every +10 dB. A +6 dB change doubles the signal amplitude and is clearly noticeable, while +3 dB is the smallest change most listeners describe as "louder".
- Can I make a very quiet recording usable?
- Usually yes — boost by 10–20 dB. Be aware that background noise rises by the same amount; follow with the Silence Remover or the Audio Equalizer (cut 100 Hz) to clean it up.
- Does changing the volume reduce quality?
- Gain changes are transparent as long as nothing clips. The file is re-encoded once on export; pick WAV or FLAC to keep it lossless.