How to master podcast episodes without a subscription or upload
- Step 1Start on the free daily preview — Drop one episode (up to 10 MB). The free preview runs the full chain once per day and outputs a mono file — enough to master a short episode or evaluate the quality before paying anything.
- Step 2Pick your target and format — Choose a loudness target (Apple -16, Spotify/YouTube -14, Amazon -14/-2, EBU -23) and an output container (MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A). These options are identical on free and paid tiers.
- Step 3Run the master locally — Click Master. The denoise, silence-strip and normalise stages all run on your CPU — no upload happens on any tier, free or paid.
- Step 4Hit a limit? See which tier removes it — If you need more than one master a day, a file over 10 MB, batch processing, or stereo-grade unlimited denoise, the report points you to Pro or Pro+Media. The cookbook below maps limits to tiers.
- Step 5Upgrade only for what you need — Pro (£7/mo) gives unlimited loudness/master runs, 200 MB / 120-minute files and batches of 10. Pro+Media (£19/mo) adds unlimited AI denoise on files up to 100 GB with no duration cap and batches of 100.
- Step 6Download — no per-use charge — Download the mastered file. On paid tiers there is no usage meter and no per-hour billing; you can re-master a whole back catalogue without watching a credit balance.
What each tier actually gives you
Tier limits and quotas read from the product configuration. 'Master runs' refers to the loudness/normalise preview quota the tool is mapped to; denoise has its own quota at Pro.
| Tier | Price | Master runs | Max file / duration | Batch | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free preview | £0 | 1 per day | 10 MB (audio family 50 MB / 30 min) | 1 file | Mono |
| Pro | £7/mo | Unlimited | 200 MB / 120 min | 10 files | Mono |
| Pro+Media | £19/mo | Unlimited | 100 GB / unlimited duration | 100 files | Mono |
| Developer | — | Unlimited | 100 GB / unlimited | Unlimited | Mono |
The denoise nuance between Pro and Pro+Media
The master chain includes an AI denoise stage, which has its own quota. This is the main reason long/heavy mastering wants Pro+Media.
| Feature in the chain | Free | Pro | Pro+Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loudness normalisation | 1/day, 10 MB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| AI denoise (RNNoise) | 1/day, 10 MB | 5/day, up to 50 MB | Unlimited |
| Practical fit | Try it / short clip | Everyday episodes | Long-form + bulk re-master |
Cost vs the usual alternatives
JAD figures are exact. Competitor figures are model-level (recurring plugin vs per-hour cloud) — verify current pricing with each vendor.
| Option | Billing model | Upload required? |
|---|---|---|
| JAD Free preview | £0 (1 master/day) | No |
| JAD Pro | £7/mo flat, unlimited runs | No |
| JAD Pro+Media | £19/mo flat, unlimited + 100 GB | No |
| Typical mastering plugin | ~£29/mo recurring | No (but desktop install) |
| Cloud mastering service | Free credits then per processed hour | Yes (cloud upload) |
Cookbook
Tier-fit recipes: pick the cheapest tier that clears the limit you're actually hitting. All numbers are from the product configuration.
Free: master a short episode at zero cost
A 12-minute solo episode exported as a compact MP3 fits the 10 MB free-preview cap and the 1-per-day allowance.
Tier : Free preview (£0) Input : ep-short.mp3 (12:00, ~9 MB) Target : Apple Podcasts (-16 LUFS) Result : ep-short-normalized.mp3 (mono, -16.0 LUFS) Limit : one more master tomorrow (daily reset at UTC midnight).
Free preview too small? Compress first
A 30-minute WAV is well over 10 MB. Shrink it to MP3 first so it fits the free preview, or upgrade.
Problem: ep.wav = 300 MB, free cap = 10 MB Option A (stay free): bitrate-changer -> 128 kbps MP3 (~28 MB) ... still > 10 MB -> realistically the free preview suits short clips only Option B: upgrade to Pro (£7/mo) -> 200 MB / 120 min, unlimited runs
Pro: weekly show, every episode, flat fee
A 45-minute weekly episode, mastered every week with no per-run cost.
Tier : Pro (£7/mo) Input : weekly-ep.wav (45:00, ~480 MB) <-- over Pro's 200 MB Fix : master to MP3 from the DAW (smaller) OR step up to Pro+Media If under 200 MB / 120 min: unlimited masters, batch up to 10.
Pro+Media: bulk re-master a back catalogue
Re-mastering 60 old episodes to a consistent -16 LUFS, including long ones, with unlimited AI denoise.
Tier : Pro+Media (£19/mo) Input : 60 episodes, some 90+ min Target : Apple Podcasts (-16 LUFS), MP3 Why here: unlimited denoise + no duration cap + batch up to 100 Result : 60 consistent masters, no per-hour charge, nothing uploaded.
Why £19/mo beats a per-hour service for a long show
A daily 60-minute news podcast would burn ~30 processed hours/month on a per-hour service; flat-rate is cheaper at volume.
Show : daily 60-min episode = ~30 hrs/month of processing Per-hour cloud: cost scales with every hour processed JAD Pro+Media : £19/mo flat, unlimited, no upload The more you publish, the bigger the flat-rate saving.
Edge cases and what actually happens
Free preview limited to one master per day
Tier limitThe tool is mapped to the loudness-normalisation preview quota: free users get one master per day (resets at UTC midnight), up to 10 MB input, with mono output. It's meant to let you try the full quality before paying. For more than one a day, Pro (£7/mo) makes runs unlimited.
Free preview output note says 'mono only'
By designThe free preview explicitly flags mono output — but this is actually true on every tier, because the denoise stage resamples to 48 kHz mono. So 'mono only' isn't a free-tier penalty; the master chain is mono regardless. If you need stereo, use loudness-normalizer standalone.
File larger than 10 MB on the free tier
Tier limitFree preview caps input at 10 MB, which only fits short MP3s. A full episode WAV won't fit. Either compress to a smaller MP3 with bitrate-changer first, or upgrade to Pro (200 MB) / Pro+Media (100 GB).
Long episode beyond Pro's 120-minute cap
Tier limitPro allows files up to 200 MB and 120 minutes. A two-hour-plus episode exceeds the duration cap and needs Pro+Media or Developer, which have no duration limit (100 GB streamed). The size and duration caps are enforced separately.
Pro user hits the daily AI-denoise quota
Tier limitAt Pro, loudness normalisation is unlimited but AI denoise is capped at 5/day (up to 50 MB). Since the master chain always denoises, heavy daily mastering can hit that denoise quota. Pro+Media makes denoise unlimited — the right tier for high-volume mastering.
Expecting a free stereo master
Not supportedNo tier outputs stereo from this chain — the denoise stage forces mono. Paying more does not unlock stereo here. For a stereo result at any tier, use loudness-normalizer, which preserves the source channel count (denoise separately or skip it).
Batch processing on the free tier
Not supportedThe free preview processes one file at a time. Batch mastering is a paid feature: Pro batches up to 10 files, Pro+Media up to 100. Each file is mastered independently to the same target.
Quota resets — when?
ExpectedDaily preview quotas reset at UTC midnight, tracked in your browser's local storage. Clearing site data resets the counter early but isn't a supported workaround for the daily cap; upgrade for unlimited runs instead.
Worried the 'free' tool quietly uploads audio
SupportedIt does not — on any tier. FFmpeg 8.1 and RNNoise run in your browser via WebAssembly, so the free preview is exactly as private as the paid tiers. The cost model is about compute volume, not data harvesting.
Frequently asked questions
Is podcast mastering here actually free?
There's a genuinely free daily preview: one full master per day, up to 10 MB input, with mono output and no card required. It runs the same RNNoise + EBU R128 chain as the paid tiers. For more than one master a day or larger files, you upgrade — but you can evaluate the full quality for free first.
What do the paid tiers cost?
Pro is £7/mo and unlocks unlimited loudness/master runs on files up to 200 MB / 120 minutes with batches of 10. Pro+Media is £19/mo and adds unlimited AI denoise on files up to 100 GB with no duration cap and batches of 100. Both are flat-rate — no per-hour or per-file charges.
How is this cheaper than a £29/mo plugin?
Because there's no recurring desktop-suite licence and no server compute to bill. The processing runs in your browser, so JAD can charge a flat £7-£19/mo. For most podcasters Pro (£7/mo) covers every episode; Pro+Media (£19/mo) covers long-form and bulk re-mastering.
Do I need to create an account to use the free preview?
The free daily preview works without payment. The quota is tracked locally in your browser. Signing in is only needed for paid tiers and for dashboard usage stats.
Is the free output lower quality than paid?
The chain itself is identical — same RNNoise denoise, same 2-pass EBU R128, same -1 dBTP ceiling. The free preview's constraints are the daily count and the 10 MB size cap, plus the mono output note (which applies to all tiers anyway). The audio quality of a free master matches a paid one.
Why does the free preview say 'mono output only' as if it's a limit?
It's labelled that way in the preview UI, but mono is actually inherent to the master chain on every tier — the denoise stage resamples to 48 kHz mono. So upgrading does not give you stereo here. For stereo, use loudness-normalizer standalone.
Does any tier upload my audio to the cloud?
No tier uploads your audio. FFmpeg 8.1 and RNNoise run in your browser via WebAssembly on every plan. The free preview is exactly as private as Pro+Media; the difference between tiers is volume and file limits, not data handling.
My episode is too big for the free 10 MB cap — what now?
Compress it to a smaller MP3 first with bitrate-changer to squeeze under 10 MB for a one-off free master, or upgrade to Pro (200 MB) or Pro+Media (100 GB). Realistically the free preview suits short clips; full episodes want Pro or above.
Which tier do I need to re-master a whole back catalogue?
Pro+Media (£19/mo). It allows unlimited AI denoise, no duration cap (100 GB streamed) and batches of up to 100 files, so you can bulk re-master old episodes to a consistent loudness without per-hour charges.
Will I hit a denoise limit on Pro?
Possibly, if you master many files a day. At Pro, loudness normalisation is unlimited but AI denoise is capped at 5/day (up to 50 MB). Since the master always denoises, heavy daily use can hit that. Pro+Media makes denoise unlimited.
When does the free daily quota reset?
At UTC midnight. The counter lives in your browser's local storage. If you need to master more than once a day regularly, the unlimited runs in Pro (£7/mo) are the intended path rather than working around the daily reset.
Can I get native speed without paying a separate service?
Yes — on paid tiers you can pair the local runner, which dispatches the job to a native FFmpeg process on your machine for native-speed mastering. There's no extra fee beyond your subscription, and the audio still never leaves your device.
Privacy first
Every JAD Audio tool runs entirely in your browser via FFmpeg (WebAssembly) and RNNoise. Your audio files never leave your device — verified by zero outbound network requests during processing.