Quiet Channel
Damian Moore, Last updated: 16 October 2026
One channel (left or right) shouldn’t be silent while the other carries audio. This can sometimes be a problem if a mono signal has been imported into a stereo file incorrectly or volume adjustment has been performed on just one of the channels.
When does this check fail?
The Quiet channel check uses a fixed rule: it fails when one channel is silent while the other carries audio. It’s Required in every built-in standard, because a listener with headphones would hear the episode in one ear only. Common causes include:
- A mono microphone recorded onto just one side of a stereo track.
- A dead or unplugged microphone on one input of an interface or recorder.
- A pan or gain mistake that sends everything to one side, or turns one channel right down.
How to fix it
In most audio editors (DAWs) the fix is quick. Take the channel that has the audio and either duplicate it onto the other side or convert the track to mono so it plays from both. For a single-voice podcast, simply exporting the episode as mono also solves it, and keeps the file smaller. Listen back on headphones afterwards to check both ears sound the same.
This is different from the Number of channels check, which only reports whether your file is mono or stereo — in the built-in standards a mono file gets a note, not a failure. Quiet channel is about a stereo file where one side is empty. You can change the severity of either check in a custom standard — see Standards.
