Streaming loudness
Mastering for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok
Every streaming platform normalizes playback loudness, so a master crushed for level just loses dynamics without getting louder. MixTrackLab masters to a loudness target you choose, measures integrated LUFS and true peak after every pass, and keeps the peaks safe for lossy encoding.
Desktop recommended · phones work for listening and quick edits, but the full console, meters and fastest renders are on a laptop or computer.
The workflow
- STEP 1
Choose the target
Streaming, Radio, Club, Modern Pop, Warm, or Clean.
- STEP 2
Master
Multiband dynamics, tonal shaping, imaging, and a true-peak limiter.
- STEP 3
Measure
Integrated LUFS, short-term, loudness range, and true peak.
- STEP 4
Export
24-bit WAV, true-peak safe, ready to upload to any distributor.
What the platforms actually do
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok all play back at a normalized level, turning louder masters down. A master pushed several dB past the target arrives at the listener at the same loudness as a well-controlled one — only flatter, with less punch and more distortion. The winning move is control, not level.
Loudness targets by platform
Spotify's default level is about -14 LUFS integrated. Other services differ slightly, so master once around -14 LUFS with a -1 dBTP ceiling and you are safe almost everywhere.
| Platform | Loudness target | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS | Default listening level; true peak at or below -1 dBTP. |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | Sound Check normalizes to about -16 LUFS. |
| YouTube | -14 LUFS | Louder masters are turned down, quieter ones are left alone. |
| TIDAL | -14 LUFS | Normalization is on by default. |
| Amazon Music | -14 LUFS | Normalizes to a similar level. |
| Deezer | -15 LUFS | Slightly lower than Spotify. |
| SoundCloud | -14 LUFS | Aim around -14 and keep peaks below -1 dBTP. |
| TikTok / Instagram | No published target | Mastering to -14 LUFS with -1 dBTP is a safe default. |
Targets are integrated loudness and are changed by the platforms from time to time. Read more in the Spotify mastering guide.
True peak, not sample peak
Streaming services transcode to lossy formats, and that process can push a 0 dBFS master above full scale on playback. MixTrackLab measures true peak with oversampling and holds a ceiling with headroom, so nothing clips after encoding.
Check it before you distribute
After every master you get the numbers that matter — integrated loudness, loudness range, crest factor, and true peak — plus a quality check for harshness and over-compression that re-renders instead of shipping a fatiguing master. Preview all of it free; pay only when you export. New to the process? See how online mastering works or read the step-by-step Spotify guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?
- About -14 LUFS integrated, with true peak at or below -1 dBTP. Spotify normalizes playback to roughly that level by default.
- Will Spotify turn my song down if it is louder than -14 LUFS?
- Yes. Louder tracks are reduced to the platform's playback level, so an over-limited master ends up no louder than a well-controlled one, only flatter.
- What about Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok?
- Apple Music's Sound Check is closer to -16 LUFS; YouTube is about -14. TikTok and Instagram publish no target, so -14 LUFS with -1 dBTP is a safe default.
- Why does true peak matter?
- Lossy encoding can push a master that touches 0 dBFS over full scale and cause clipping on playback. A -1 dBTP ceiling leaves room for that.
- Can I master for Spotify for free?
- You can preview the full master and see the LUFS and true-peak numbers for free; you pay only to export.