Intro Music Level Calculator
Work out how many decibels to duck an intro music bed under a voiceover, and what the mixed level lands at.
About this tool
Intro Music Level Calculator
Work out how many decibels to duck an intro music bed under a voiceover, and what the mixed level lands at.
The Intro Music Level Calculator works out the level a music bed should be ducked to so it sits a chosen number of decibels below the voiceover, then power-sums the two to show where the combined mix lands. It uses the standard decibel relationships — amplitude ratio 10^(dB/20) for the fader move and 10·log10 power summing for the mix — so the answers match what a meter will read. Podcasters, video editors and radio producers use it to set an intro duck without guessing at the fader.
How to use Intro Music Level Calculator
- 1
Open Intro Music Level Calculator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Enter the values you already know.
- 3
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
- 4
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Why use Intro Music Level Calculator
Fader value, not just dB
Shows the amplitude multiplier and percentage, ready to type into a mixer.
Correct summing
Uses power summing, so two equal sources add 3 dB rather than 6.
Ceiling check
Flags when the combined mix would break your true-peak ceiling.
Common use cases
- Setting an intro bed for a −16 LUFS podcast so the music sits 20 dB under the host and stays intelligible on phone speakers
- Checking that a busy promo mix with only 12 dB of separation still leaves headroom under a −1 dBTP ceiling
- Converting a decibel duck into the fader percentage a DAW or stream mixer actually asks for
Frequently asked questions
How many dB should background music be below a voiceover?
Around 18 to 20 dB below the voice for spoken-word content, which keeps the bed audible but never competes. Promos and adverts often sit closer at 12 to 15 dB, and cinematic trailers can go as tight as 8 dB where clarity matters less than impact.
What loudness should a podcast or video be delivered at?
Apple Podcasts asks for about −16 LUFS integrated for stereo, Spotify and YouTube normalise near −14 LUFS, EBU R128 broadcast is −23 LUFS and US ATSC A/85 is −24 LKFS. Keep true peaks at or under −1 dBTP for streaming, or −2 dBTP for A/85 broadcast.
Why does adding music barely change the mix level?
Because uncorrelated sources add in power, not amplitude. A bed 20 dB below the voice raises the combined level by only about 0.04 dB, while a bed at the same level as the voice adds a full 3 dB.
What attack and release should a ducker use?
A duck-down of roughly 80 to 250 ms and a return of 400 to 900 ms is a safe starting range. Faster attacks catch the first syllable but can sound pumped; slower releases stop the bed bouncing between short words.
Embed this tool on your site
Add the Intro Music Level Calculator widget to your blog or website — free, responsive, no signup. Just keep the “Widget by AltFTool” credit link visible.
<iframe src="https://www.altftool.com/embed/widget/intro-music-level-calculator"
title="Intro Music Level Calculator — free AltFTool widget"
width="100%" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"
loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>
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