Mastering for Spotify: the −14 LUFS question, answered with numbers
Every mastering forum has the same argument: master to −14 LUFS for Spotify, or master loud and let Spotify turn it down? Both sides are partly right. Here is what the normalisation does, measured against real files, and a practical answer.
· 6 min read
What Spotify does on playback
Spotify measures the integrated loudness of each track and, with normalisation on (the default), adjusts playback so tracks land near −14 LUFS. A track mastered at −9 LUFS is played about 5 dB quieter. A track at −16 is played about 2 dB louder, but only if it has enough peak headroom; Spotify will not push peaks past −1 dBTP in the default setting.
Album mode keeps the relative levels between songs on an album. Users can also switch normalisation off, or set it to 'loud' (−11 LUFS), in which case the file's own level matters more.
So should you master to −14?
If your track only lives on streaming, yes, −14 LUFS with a −1 dBTP ceiling is the sweet spot. You keep the dynamics that a −9 master would have crushed, and Spotify plays it at exactly the same level as the loud master next to it.
If the same file also goes to a DJ, a club, a local playback, or a platform without normalisation, a −14 master will sound quiet there. In that case make two masters, or pick a compromise around −11.
In our measurements, taking a Suno track to −14 needed about 3.8 dB of limiter gain reduction in a single pass, with no audible pumping. Taking the same track to −10 needed 8.9 dB on the first pass and 5.4 dB after the engine re-balanced the chain. The −14 master simply has more of the original left in it.
Settings that work
- Integrated loudness: −14 LUFS (±0.5).
- True peak ceiling: −1.0 dBTP. Spotify recommends this for lossy encoding; go to −2 dBTP if the track is very bright or dense.
- Sample rate and bit depth: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit or 24-bit WAV. Spotify accepts up to 24-bit/96 kHz through most distributors but transcodes to Ogg Vorbis anyway.
- Do not add a fade or silence to change the loudness measurement. Integrated LUFS gates out silence.
What loudness does not fix
Normalisation only changes gain. A thin or harsh master stays thin or harsh at −14. The measured problems in AI-generated tracks, weak low-mids and hot highs, need EQ and saturation before the limiter, not a different target number.
FAQ
Does Spotify penalise loud masters?
No. It turns them down to match everything else. The penalty is that you crushed the dynamics for a loudness advantage that no longer exists on playback.
What if a listener has normalisation off?
Then the file plays at its own level. If that matters for your audience, a −11 to −12 LUFS master is a reasonable compromise between the two worlds.
Try it on your own track
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