Volume Booster
Raise a quiet recording up to 300%, with normalising and soft limiting instead of clipping.
Raise the Level of a Quiet Recording
A recording made too far from the microphone is the most common audio problem there is, and the fix is rarely as simple as "turn it up". Multiplying every sample past full scale does not make the audio louder so much as square off its peaks, and squared-off peaks are what distortion sounds like.
This booster gives you three tools instead of one: straight gain, normalising that finds the loudest peak and scales everything so it just reaches the ceiling, and soft limiting that rounds the peaks that would otherwise clip. It shows you how many samples are hitting the limit so you can back off before the result starts to crackle.
Key features
- Gain from 10% to 300% — quieten something too loud, or lift a distant recording to a usable level.
- Normalise to full scale — finds the loudest moment in the file and scales everything so it peaks exactly at the ceiling, which is the safest way to get maximum level.
- Soft limiting rather than clipping — peaks are rounded with a smooth curve instead of being chopped flat, which stays listenable where hard clipping does not.
- Live clipping counter — you can see precisely how many samples are hitting the limit, and a warning appears when it passes 2%.
- Before-and-after peak readouts — the original and boosted peak levels are shown as percentages of full scale.
This tool runs entirely inside your browser using native Web APIs. Your files and text are never uploaded to a server, never logged and never shared with third parties.
How to use: Volume Booster
- Add your recording
Drop in the quiet file. The waveform and its original peak level appear immediately. - Choose how to lift it
Drag the gain slider, or tick Normalise to have the tool work out the maximum safe boost for you. - Watch the clipping counter
If a lot of samples are being limited, lower the gain. Soft limiting keeps it listenable, but nothing beats leaving headroom. - Download the louder file
Export a 16-bit WAV at the new level, ready for editing or publishing.
Technical specifications
| Processing location | Entirely in your browser — no server round trip |
|---|---|
| Data uploaded | None. Files and text never leave your device |
| Price | Free — no account, no trial, no usage cap |
| Category | Audio |
| Works offline | Yes, once the page has loaded |
| Browser support | Chrome 90+, Edge 90+, Firefox 90+, Safari 15+ |
| Interface languages | English, 中文, हिन्दी, Español, العربية |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gain and normalising?
Gain multiplies everything by a fixed amount regardless of what is in the file. Normalising measures the loudest peak first and then applies exactly enough gain to bring that peak to full scale — the maximum possible boost without clipping anything.
Why does my audio sound distorted at high gain?
Because the peaks have run out of headroom. Digital audio stops at full scale, so anything beyond it is flattened. Turn on soft limiting, which rounds those peaks instead, or reduce the gain until the clipping counter drops.
Will boosting make background noise louder too?
Yes — gain lifts everything equally, including hiss and room tone. Boosting cannot separate a voice from the noise around it; it can only make the whole recording louder. That is a limit of amplification, not of this tool.
Is 300% a lot?
It is about +9.5 dB, which is a substantial lift. Most quiet recordings need far less. Start with normalising, listen, and only reach for extra gain if it is still too quiet.