How to Use the Limiter in Ocenaudio to Make Audio Louder

Boost your audio's volume without distortion

May 9, 2025 by cryan.com

Want to make your audio louder without ruining its quality? Whether you're editing a podcast, music track, or voiceover, Ocenaudio offers a powerful yet user-friendly Limiter tool to amplify your audio while keeping distortion at bay. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to use the Limiter in Ocenaudio to boost volume, based on practical testing and tips to get the best results.

Why Use a Limiter to Make Audio Louder?

A Limiter is an essential audio processing tool that increases the perceived loudness of your track by compressing peaks and preventing clipping (distortion caused when audio exceeds 0 dB). Unlike normalization, which only adjusts peak levels, a Limiter reduces dynamic range, making the average volume (RMS) louder. This is perfect for achieving a polished, professional sound for podcasts, music, or videos.

In Ocenaudio, the Limiter is intuitive, and with the right settings, you can significantly enhance your audio's loudness. Through testing, we found that starting with a Threshold of -19.5 dB works well for many audio types, but you should experiment to find what suits your project best.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Limiter in Ocenaudio

Follow these steps to make your audio louder using Ocenaudio's Limiter:

1. Open Your Audio File: Launch Ocenaudio and load your audio by dragging the file into the program or selecting File > Open.
2. Select the Audio: Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac) to select the entire track. For specific sections, click and drag to highlight.
3. Access the Limiter: Navigate to Effects > Dynamics > Limiter to open the Limiter settings window.
4. Adjust Limiter Settings:
   • Threshold: Start at -19.5 dB, as found effective in testing. This sets the level above which the Limiter compresses the signal. Lower thresholds increase loudness but may introduce artifacts.
   • Ceiling: Set to -0.1 dB to prevent clipping and ensure compatibility with platforms like YouTube or Spotify.
   • Gain: Boost the input signal by +3 to +6 dB to increase loudness. Adjust based on your audio's needs.
   • Release: Use 50–100 ms to avoid pumping effects (unnatural volume fluctuations).
5. Preview the Effect: Click the play button in the Limiter window to hear the changes in real-time. Adjust the Gain or Threshold if you hear distortion or if the audio isn’t loud enough.
6. Apply the Limiter: Once satisfied, click Apply to process the audio.
7. Check the Result: Play the audio and inspect the waveform (View > Zoom In). Ensure peaks are below 0 dB and the audio sounds clear. Undo (Ctrl + Z) and tweak if needed.

Testing Insight: Why -19.5 dB for Threshold?

In our tests, starting the Threshold at -19.5 dB provided a great balance for various audio types, including podcasts and music. This setting allows significant loudness increase without overly compressing the dynamics, preserving the audio's natural feel. However, every audio file is unique, so experiment with your audio to find the sweet spot. Once you find settings that work, save them for future projects to streamline your workflow.

Tips for Best Results

• Normalize First: Before limiting, normalize your audio to -1 dB (Effects > Amplitude > Normalize) to maximize the starting volume.
• Use a Compressor: For extra loudness, apply a Compressor (Effects > Dynamics > Compressor) before the Limiter. Try a 4:1 ratio and -20 dB threshold.
• Avoid Over-Limiting: Excessive limiting can flatten dynamics, making audio sound lifeless. Aim for a natural sound, especially for music.
• Work on a Copy: Ocenaudio edits destructively, so save a copy of your original file (File > Save As) before processing.
• Monitor Levels: Use the level meter (View > Show Level Meter) to ensure peaks stay below 0 dB.
• Export Wisely: Save in high-quality formats like WAV or FLAC (File > Export). For MP3, use 320 kbps to maintain quality.

Conclusion

Using the Limiter in Ocenaudio is a straightforward way to make your audio louder while maintaining professional quality. By starting with a Threshold of -19.5 dB and experimenting with Gain and other settings, you can achieve the perfect loudness for your project. Save your optimized settings for future use to save time and ensure consistency. Whether you're a podcaster, musician, or content creator, Ocenaudio’s Limiter is a game-changer for audio enhancement.