What should I use to normalize audio levels in video files?

For normalizing audio levels in video files, the best tool depends on whether you want simple volume adjustment or proper loudness normalization.

Good options

1. FFmpeg — best all-around choice

Use this if you want a free, powerful command-line tool that can process almost any video format.

• For loudness normalization: use the loudnorm filter
• For simple peak normalization: use volume or acompressor if needed

Example:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -af loudnorm output.mp4

This is usually the best choice if you want consistent dialogue/music levels across videos.

2. Audacity — best for manual editing

Good if you want to inspect the audio visually and normalize it by hand before exporting.

3. DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro — best for editing workflows

If you’re already editing the video, these let you normalize audio as part of the timeline.

4. HandBrake — simple GUI option

Good for quick conversions, but less flexible than FFmpeg for loudness standards.

Recommendation

If your goal is to make audio levels consistent across video files, I’d recommend FFmpeg with loudnorm.

If you want, I can give you:

• a one-line command
• a batch script for many videos
• or settings for a specific loudness target like -14 LUFS or -23 LUFS.