LUFS explained: the loudness targets for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok
LUFS is the unit streaming platforms use to decide how loud your song plays. Understanding it takes five minutes and saves you from the most common mastering mistake: making a track louder than the platform will allow, and losing dynamics for nothing.
· 6 min read
What LUFS measures
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) measures perceived loudness over time, weighted toward the frequencies human ears are most sensitive to. Unlike a peak meter it does not care about brief spikes; it cares about how loud the song feels. Integrated LUFS is the average over the whole track, and it is the number platforms look at.
More negative is quieter. −14 LUFS is quieter than −9 LUFS by 5 LU (loudness units), which is roughly 5 dB.
Platform targets
| Platform | Normalization target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | −14 LUFS | Turns louder tracks down; 'Loud' setting −11, 'Quiet' −19 |
| YouTube | −14 LUFS | Turns down only; quiet tracks are not turned up |
| Apple Music | −16 LUFS | Sound Check; on by default on iOS |
| SoundCloud | −14 LUFS | Applies to most playback contexts |
| TikTok / Instagram | ≈ −14 LUFS | Heavily compressed on playback; consistency matters more than level |
| Club / DJ use | none | No normalization; file loudness is what plays |
If your master is louder than the target, the platform turns it down. You have spent dynamic range on loudness that never reaches the listener. If it is quieter, most platforms leave it alone — which is why an unmastered −15 LUFS Suno track sounds small next to everything else.
Two different questions
'How loud should my file be' has two answers because it is two questions.
- For streaming: aim at the platform target. A −14 LUFS master with peaks at −1 dBTP plays at full level on Spotify and YouTube with its dynamics intact.
- For everything else — downloads, DJ sets, sending the file to someone who will A/B it against a commercial release on their laptop: commercial practice is around −9 to −10 LUFS, because there is no normalization in those situations and the louder file wins the comparison.
MasteringOne lets you pick. Choose a release target (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, SoundCloud, TikTok) and the engine aims at that platform's level. Choose 'Loud' or a style default and it aims at commercial file loudness.
True peak, the other number
LUFS is about average loudness. True peak is about the highest instantaneous level after the file is converted back to analogue or re-encoded to AAC/MP3. Platforms recommend a ceiling of −1 dBTP because lossy encoders add small overshoots; a file that peaks at 0 dBTP will clip after encoding. Every MasteringOne master is limited to −1 dBTP and re-measured at 32× oversampling to make sure.
FAQ
Should I master to −14 LUFS for Spotify?
If Spotify is the only destination, yes — you keep the most dynamics. If the same file also goes to downloads or DJs, a commercial-level master at −9 to −10 is the usual compromise; Spotify will turn it down but it will hold up elsewhere.
What LUFS does Suno output?
About −15 LUFS on the WAV downloads we measured, with true peaks around −4 dBTP.
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