Open files in VS Code and Cursor / Developer files
Normalize audio loudness to a LUFS target
Audacity's Loudness Normalization and ffmpeg's loudnorm filter are free and do this well. If you work in VS Code, Audio Player shows integrated, short-term and momentary loudness for free (ITU-R BS.1770-4, within 0.1 LU of ffmpeg's ebur128 on its test files). Its Pro tool Normalize Loudness writes a new WAV at -14, -16, -23 LUFS or your own target, and Folder Loudness Report gives one CSV row per file. Each has 3 free tries, then Zovo Pro is USD 19 once.
Free, MIT license. Extension ID zovo.audio-preview-vscode, version 0.2.2. Needs VS Code 1.90.0 or newer.
This guide is also in Français, Italiano, Português (Brasil), Polski, 简体中文.
Steps in VS Code
- Install Audio Player & WAV Player from the Marketplace, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on macOS) and run
ext install zovo.audio-preview-vscode. - Click a WAV, MP3, FLAC, Ogg or Opus file in the Explorer. It plays with a waveform and a spectrogram.
- Read the loudness panel: integrated, short-term and momentary LUFS, sample peak and clipped samples. That is free.
Where Zovo Pro saves time
Playing, the waveform, the spectrogram and the loudness meter are free.
Pick -14 LUFS (Spotify, YouTube), -16 (Apple Music, podcasts), -23 (EBU R128) or your own target. If the gain would push the sample peak over -1 dBFS, the gain is lowered and the message says so. Folder Loudness Report lists every file with its LUFS, peak, RMS and the gain it needs to reach -14, -16 and -23 LUFS.
With Normalize Loudness (Zovo Pro)
- Run Normalize Loudness on the open file and pick a target.
- A new WAV such as
mix-14LUFS.wavis written next to the original, which is never changed. - For a folder, right-click it and run "Audio Preview: Folder Loudness Report" to get a CSV.
Normalize Loudness works 3 times on your computer before it asks for a license, and a try counts only when you get a result. Opening a file shows no popup and no countdown.
Zovo Pro costs USD 19 once. It is not a subscription, and it turns on the Pro tools in every Zovo extension, not only Audio Player & WAV Player. After a card payment (Stripe) your license key shows on the next page. In VS Code, run "Zovo Pro: Enter Zovo Pro license key" from the Command Palette and paste it. The key is checked on your computer, with no network call. With GitHub Sponsors, pick the "$19 one time" tier, then run "Zovo Pro: I already paid: unlock with GitHub Sponsors" and sign in with the same GitHub account. With PayPal, send USD 19 with "Zovo Pro" in the note and the key comes by email within a day.
A team of 5: USD 59 once, by card or by PayPal. Every rule and every Pro tool is on the Zovo Pro page.
Steps in Cursor, Windsurf or VSCodium
- Open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS).
- Search for
zovo.audio-preview-vscodeand click Install. Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium install from Open VSX, where it is published aszovo/audio-preview-vscode. - If your editor has no gallery, download the .vsix from the Open VSX page and run "Extensions: Install from VSIX...".
- Then use it the same way as in VS Code.
What Audio Player & WAV Player handles
- -14, -16, -23 LUFS or your own target.
- Peak guard at -1 dBFS.
- Same bit depth (8-bit and A-law or mu-law become 16-bit).
- A CSV for a whole folder.
What it does not do
- The output is WAV.
- MP3, FLAC, Ogg, Opus and M4A are measured in the folder report only with your own ffmpeg; WAV is read by the extension.
Other options
- Audacity. Effect, Loudness Normalization, with a LUFS target. Free.
- ffmpeg loudnorm.
ffmpeg -i in.wav -af loudnorm=I=-16:TP=-1.5 out.wav. Free and scriptable.
Install counts and Open VSX status were checked on 11 November 2026. Descriptions in quotes are the extensions' own.
Questions
Which LUFS target should I use?
About -14 LUFS for Spotify and YouTube, -16 for Apple Music and podcasts, -23 for EBU R128 broadcast.
Is the original file changed?
No. A new WAV is written next to it.
Does it work in Cursor or Windsurf?
Yes. Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium install extensions from Open VSX. Search for the extension in their Extensions view and install it there.
More about Audio Player & WAV Player
Read the Audio Player & WAV Player page for every feature and setting, or the source code on GitHub.
Related guides
- Audio Player & WAV Player on the VS Code Marketplace (also on Open VSX). Plays WAV, MP3 and FLAC files in VS Code and shows the waveform.
- Play audio files in VS Code
- Read a HAR file offline in VS Code
- Read your Claude Code history in VS Code
- Compare two folders in VS Code
Support this work
If this extension saves you time, you can support the work on GitHub Sponsors. Monthly tiers start at $5, and one-time tiers start at $15. Sponsorship is optional, and the tool works the same without it.
Need your format supported?
Open a format request with a sample file, and I reply there whether it can be done. For USD 299 once, through this GitHub Sponsors tier, I add your file format or a missing feature to this extension, with tests, within 7 days.