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How to Quickly Normalize Audio in Premiere Pro

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Adobe Premiere Pro is one of today’s leading video editing apps. But for great videos, you can't forget a key ingredient of any production: audio! And to make productions that audiences will love, you need high-quality audio that’s easy to listen to. 

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to normalize audio in Premiere Pro. It should be an essential part of every edit that you make. But what does it mean to use Premiere normalize audio features? 

Normalizing audio also ensures that multiple sound clips maintain a consistent volume level. It’s how to make all audio the same volume in Premiere so viewers don’t have to keep reaching for their volume controls. Let’s learn how to make all audio the same volume in Premiere now!

How to Normalize Audio in Premiere Pro (Step by Step)

Well, imagine if you have narration or spoken word audio in your video. Find their volume to be too low? Normalization is your best friend. Simply increasing the volume may distort the sound quality. But when you normalize audio, you’ll amplify it without causing any distortions. 

To use Premiere normalize audio features, let’s work with an audio track from Envato Elements. It’s called Restaurant Crowd Talking, and it’s a good example for our project. It features several people with varying volume levels.

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We'll work with this clip as we practice how to normalize audio in Premiere. (Audio source: Envato Elements.)

We’ll work with it to learn how to make all audio the same volume in Premiere Pro. You can download it now if you want to practice with it. 

1. Look at an Audio Track in the Timeline

The Timeline in Premiere Pro is found at the bottom center of your screen. It’s the stacked area where clips - video and audio - can all be found. It’s where you sequence and arrange multimedia for your videos.

But the Timeline also has another useful feature. Audio tracks actually illustrate their waveforms right on the Timeline. In other words, you can visually gauge the overall volume level of sound in Premiere Pro.

For example, a clip might be flat, indicating that it’s too quiet. Or, like this one, it might vary in volume from moment to moment.

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Use the Timeline to view the sound waves on your video’s audio tracks.

To get a better look at your audio waves, hover below the Audio 1 label with your cursor. Then, click and drag downward. This makes the track taller. It’s not an edit to the actual audio. But it makes it much easier to see what you have to work with. 

2. Open the Audio Gain Menu

Want to see how to make all audio the same volume in Premiere Pro? Those options live on the Audio Gain menu. Although Premiere Pro is meant for videos, this is a powerful reminder that it’s a useful audio editor too. 

The Audio Gain menu allows you to adjust the levels of one or more audio clips in a Premiere project. You can adjust sound levels up or down.

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Right-click on an audio track, then choose the Audio Gain option.

To open Audio Gain, right-click on your audio track in the Timeline. A list of options will appear. From the list, choose Audio Gain by clicking on it. 

3. Normalize the Selected Audio

The Audio Gain menu will launch in the center of your screen. It’s a small menu tab with only a few options. The one you need is labeled Normalize Max Peak. Click the bubble beside Normalize Max Peak to activate this feature.

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Select Normalize Max Peak, then apply a decibel value. -1 is a good choice.

By default, Normalize Max Peak uses a value of 0 decibels (abbreviated dB). While this works, it’s often best to set a slightly lower value.

This is how to make all audio the same volume in Premiere, without risking being loud or scratchy. It dials things back just a bit. Here, let’s use a value like -0.5, or even -1. Type it into the box and you’re all set!

4. Apply Normalization Effects

When you’ve applied a Normalize Max Peak setting, go ahead and click OK on the Audio Gain menu. Just like that, you’ve normalized your audio in Adobe Premiere Pro!

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Click OK, then look at the difference on your audio clips in the Timeline.

Take a look in the Timeline once again. Notice how the sound waves are smoother? That’s all thanks to the normalization that you just applied.

And when you play things back, you won’t find yourself reaching for the volume dial over and over. Remember this edit to make videos more watchable and enjoyable for your audiences. 

If you found this tutorial, you might be interested in other audio tutorials. You might even be looking for how to equalize audio in Premiere. That goes beyond the scope of this tutorial, but we've got you covered with more tutorials. Learn more about how to equalize audio in Premiere (or with other tools) below:

The Top Source for Adobe Premiere Pro Video Templates (Unlimited Downloads 2023)

Envato Elements is the ultimate source for the very best Adobe Premiere Pro video templates in 2023. With thousands of premium options to choose from, you’ll find designs spanning every imaginable style. All are part of the incredible Elements offer: unlimited downloads.

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For a flat monthly rate, you can download and use all the premium Adobe Premiere templates that you want! And that’s not all. Also included are millions of fonts, stock photos, graphics, and more. Many of these are the perfect additions to your next Premiere Pro project.

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Elements has thousands of Adobe Premiere Pro premium templates to explore and choose from.

With an Envato Elements template, you’ll enjoy features like:

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All this and more can be yours as an Envato Elements member in 2023. Join today! As you can see, you just can’t afford to miss out. 

Use Premiere Normalize Audio Features Today

Today, you learned how to normalize audio in Premiere. This is a key skill, even though it doesn’t apply directly to videos. What it does is ensure your video’s audio tracks sound their very best.

It’s an easy process: launch the Audio Gain menu, then apply normalization settings. It only takes a few clicks. But it dramatically elevates the overall quality of your videos. Never forget to use this technique when you build a video in Premiere Pro. Audiences always appreciate it!