Normalize Audio

Why normalize audio

Normalization helps make dialogue and long-form media more consistent before playback or export to Final Cut Pro. Sequence uses loudness-style controls built around LUFS, dynamic range, and true peak limiting. For a more in-depth read, go here.

This is useful when an interview is too quiet, a podcast has uneven levels, or you want the exported edit to start from a cleaner audio baseline before finishing it in your editor.

Key controls

Target loudness is measured in LUFS. Dynamic range controls how aggressively Sequence evens out quieter and louder sections. True peak limiting sets the ceiling, including common -1.5 dBTP and -2 dBTP style limits.

Sequence includes presets for Social, Podcast, and Film, and you can manually adjust the target LUFS, dynamic range, and true peak to match your preferred delivery spec.

Applying normalization

When you run Normalize Audio, Sequence creates a normalized sidecar audio file rather than modifying the original media. The project then references that normalized audio for playback and export.

You can continue using Sequence while the normalization job runs, and the Action Center keeps track of progress.

Managing normalized audio

Once Sequence has created normalized audio, the metadata pane shows it as a prepared audio asset. If you move that file later, you can relink it instead of reprocessing the audio. You can also delete the normalized file if you want the project to stop using that sidecar.

Variants and export

Normalization is tracked per variant, so one variant can use a normalized track while another can remain using the source. Final Cut and Resolve exports use the best available prepared audio for the variant you export.