Guide
Why is my video quiet after uploading? Usually the file was already quiet
Updated
Your video was most likely quiet before you posted it. TikTok and Instagram do not promise to turn a quiet video up, so make the file loud enough first.
In short
- Your video is usually quiet because the file was already quiet. A phone recording can sit near -22 LUFS.
- TikTok and Instagram each have a volume slider for your own sound when you add music, so set it to full.
- Turning up the volume in your editor fails, because the loudest words crackle before your voice gets loud enough.
- The fix is a compressor on your voice, the whole video raised to about -14 LUFS, then a limiter.
- Cutroom, a video ad editor, sets its exports to -14 LUFS for you.
- LUFS, the loudness most advice aims for
- -14
- dBTP, the highest a peak should reach
- -1
- Lost each time you double the distance to the mic
- 6 dB
What makes a video quiet after uploading?
Most causes are in the file before you post it. A few are settings in the app or on your phone.
- The mic was too far away. Each time you double the distance to the mic, you lose about 6 dB.
- The normalize button in your editor set the loudest peak, not the loudness you hear, so the video stayed quiet.
- One loud moment, like a laugh, hit the maximum, so the rest of the video could not be raised any further.
- A wireless mic that records two people on separate channels can put your voice on one side only. Set that clip to mono in your editor.
- When you add music in TikTok or Instagram, the app has a volume slider for your own sound. If it is turned down, only the posted video is quiet.
- A phone on silent or at low volume makes every video sound quiet, not just yours.
How much volume mic distance costs
You lose about 6 dB each time the distance doubles. A phone close to you is louder than a good mic across the room.
- Phone at 20 cmthe starting point
- Phone at 40 cm-6 dB
- Phone at 80 cm-12 dB
- Tripod across the room-20 dB or worse
How to check if your file is the problem
Compare the exported file, not the project in your editor, because the exported file is what you upload.
Check the file, then the posted video
If your file is as quiet as the posted video, fix the file. If only the posted video is quiet, look at the app.
Play your exported file
In a normal video player, on your phone
Play another video from the feed
On the same phone, at the same volume
Play your posted video
Right after, at the same volume
Is your file quiet too?
Then fix the file in your editor
Only the posted video is quiet?
Set the app's slider for your own sound to full
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What if only the posted video is quiet?
Then a setting in the app turned your sound down. Check it before you edit the file again.
- In TikTok, tap Volume after you add a sound, and turn your original sound up to full.
- In Instagram, the Reels editor has a volume slider for your own sound when you add music. Set it to full.
- If there is no added music and your file sounds right, the app changed the sound itself. TikTok and Instagram do not say how, so post a file at about -14 LUFS.
Why turning up the volume does not work
Turning up the volume in your editor raises everything by the same amount, but the loudest words reach the maximum first. After that you cannot go higher without crackle, even though the voice still sounds quiet.
- Hard sounds like p, b and t reach the maximum long before the average level rises.
- On a typical phone recording, the loudest words hit the maximum while the video is still well under -14 LUFS.
- A compressor solves this. It turns the loudest words down a little, which leaves room to raise the rest.
- The order matters: compressor, then the volume, then a limiter. In another order the video ends up quiet and harsh at the same time.
How to fix a quiet video
Even out your voice, raise the whole video, then stop the peaks. These editors can all do it.
- In Premiere Pro, measure with the Loudness Meter effect and stop the peaks with the Hard Limiter. The export settings also have Loudness Normalization.
- In DaVinci Resolve, which is free, the Fairlight page has a loudness meter, and a compressor and limiter in the Dynamics panel.
- In Audacity, which is also free, the Loudness Normalization effect sets -14 LUFS in one step. Add the Limiter effect after it.
- CapCut and iMovie have no loudness meter, so measure the exported file in DaVinci Resolve.
- If your voice is buried under music, lower the music instead of raising everything.
- If the recording itself crackled, no setting repairs it. Record that part again, closer to the mic.
Fix a quiet video in your editor
| Step | What to do | Aim for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Measure | Read the loudness (LUFS) of the exported video | Below -16 LUFS is quieter than most advice |
| 2. Even out your voice | Add a compressor to the voice track | It should turn the loudest words down by 3 to 4 dB |
| 3. Raise | Raise the whole video in one even step | About -14 LUFS |
| 4. Limit | Add a limiter as the last effect, set to -2 dB | Peaks under -1 dBTP |
Step: 1. Measure
- What to do
- Read the loudness (LUFS) of the exported video
- Aim for
- Below -16 LUFS is quieter than most advice
Step: 2. Even out your voice
- What to do
- Add a compressor to the voice track
- Aim for
- It should turn the loudest words down by 3 to 4 dB
Step: 3. Raise
- What to do
- Raise the whole video in one even step
- Aim for
- About -14 LUFS
Step: 4. Limit
- What to do
- Add a limiter as the last effect, set to -2 dB
- Aim for
- Peaks under -1 dBTP
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is a video editor that turns one clip of you talking into a finished vertical ad. It measures, raises and limits the audio of its exports for you.
- Cutroom sets its exports to -14 LUFS, with peaks held under -1 dBTP.
- You cannot pick a different loudness.
- A 30-second video costs about 110 credits, and Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits. Your first video is free.
Questions people ask
- Does TikTok turn quiet videos up?
- Not that you can count on. TikTok does not say whether it changes loudness, so make the file about -14 LUFS before you post it. YouTube is known to turn loud videos down, not quiet ones up.
- Why is my TikTok quiet after I add music?
- Usually because the slider for your own sound is turned down, or the music is too loud. Tap Volume after you add the sound, set your original sound to full and the added sound lower.
- How do I make my video louder for TikTok or Reels?
- Add a compressor to your voice, raise the whole video to about -14 LUFS, and finish with a limiter that keeps peaks under -1 dBTP. Filming with the mic closer helps most.
- Will a higher bitrate make it louder?
- No. Bitrate decides how much picture and sound detail survives the export, not the volume. A 50 Mbps file at -22 LUFS is exactly as quiet as an 8 Mbps one.
- Should I record with the mic gain higher?
- Only up to a point. Higher gain raises the background noise too, and a recording that crackled cannot be repaired. Moving the mic closer works better than turning it up.
- My music is fine but my voice is buried. Is that the same problem?
- No. That is the balance between voice and music, not the overall loudness. Lower the music under your voice, which is called ducking, instead of raising everything.
Upload one clip of you talking and get a video as loud as the rest of the feed. Your first video is free.