Loudness · Streaming
How loud should my master be? Loudness for Spotify, YouTube and TikTok
Most streaming services normalise loudness: they turn loud songs down (and sometimes quiet ones up) so every track plays at a similar level. Spotify and YouTube aim at roughly -14 LUFS; Apple Music at roughly -16 LUFS. A master pushed far louder than that is simply turned down, and can lose punch.
Choose your loudness
- Gentle: most dynamic, close to streaming targets (around -14 LUFS). Good for acoustic, gospel and ballads.
- Balanced: the default; louder and fuller (around -10 LUFS). Good for most pop and Afro-pop.
- Loud: most competitive (around -8 LUFS). For club, radio, hip hop and electronic music, where loudness is part of the sound.
These are typical results, not exact numbers. The simplest test: make a free preview at two loudness settings and listen to both on the speakers your fans use.
Hear your song at different loudness