In short
Spotify plays songs at about −14 LUFS. A louder master gets turned down and only loses dynamics. For most genres a master between −14 and −8 LUFS works. True peak should stay below −1 dBTP.
What is LUFS?
LUFS measures how loud music feels to the ear, not just how high the level is. What matters is integrated LUFS, the average over the whole song. Streaming services normalise using this value.
True peak is the highest peak, including between samples. If it’s too close to 0 dB, the song distorts when converted to MP3 or AAC.
How many LUFS for Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music?
| Platform | Reference level (approx.) | Turns quiet songs up? |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | −14 LUFS | yes, within limits |
| YouTube | −14 LUFS | no |
| Apple Music | −16 LUFS | yes, within limits |
| Amazon Music | −14 LUFS | no |
| Deezer | −15 LUFS | no |
| TIDAL | −14 LUFS | no |
Approximate values that can change. On Spotify, listeners can also choose “Loud” (about −11 LUFS) or “Quiet” (about −19 LUFS). Sources: Spotify for Artists, Loudness Penalty Guide.
How many LUFS for SoundCloud, Instagram, TikTok and CD?
- SoundCloud doesn’t normalise: loud stays loud. Rap and trap often land at −9 to −7 LUFS here. Keep true peak below −1 dBTP, SoundCloud compresses heavily.
- Instagram and TikTok don’t publish official values. People mostly listen on phones, −14 to −9 LUFS with strong mids works well.
- CD doesn’t normalise. Pop and rap are often at −10 to −7 LUFS, peaks just below 0 dBFS (about −0.3 dBTP), format WAV at 16 bit and 44.1 kHz.
You don’t need a separate master for each platform. A master between −10 and −8 LUFS with a clean true peak works almost everywhere. A separate version mainly makes sense for CD and vinyl.
Should I master to exactly −14 LUFS?
Not necessarily. Rap, trap and pop are often mastered louder, around −10 to −7 LUFS, because the sound is meant to feel dense. That’s fine as long as the song doesn’t sound crushed. An acoustic ballad can happily stay at −14 LUFS.
Rule of thumb: as loud as suits the genre, but no louder than the song can take. If kick and snare lose power behind the limiter, it’s too much.
How to measure your song’s LUFS
Load your song into the free Mix-Scout. It measures integrated LUFS, true peak and dynamics right in your browser, without uploading, and shows how much each platform turns your song down. Compare it with a reference track from your genre.
Common mistakes
- Mastered too loud: sounds flat and distorted as soon as it’s normalised.
- True peak above 0 dBTP: audible distortion on streaming services.
- A limiter on the mix before mastering: takes away headroom.
- Only looking at numbers: LUFS says nothing about whether the mix sounds good.