GUIDE

Choosing a loudness meter.

Plug-in, online tool or app: what each kind of meter does well, where it falls short, and which one fits your work.

4 MIN READ

You've finished a track and have the master. Now there's one question: how will it sound on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube? For that you need a loudness meter.

But a loudness meter isn't one thing. Every tool out there shows LUFS. The difference isn't the number they measure, it's how and where they measure it. Here are the main kinds, what each does well and where each falls short.

01Your DAW's Built-In Meter

Most DAWs now ship with a LUFS meter.

Good at: Free and already there.

Falls short: Usually only Integrated and Short-Term; True Peak, LRA or PSR are missing or buried. It only measures that session, so checking a reference or a client's file means dragging it in.

02Loudness Meter Plug-ins

The studio standard, placed at the end of the master bus.

Good at: Deep detail: history graphs, surround, broadcast compliance reports. Always in front of you while mixing.

Falls short: Often pricey or subscription-based. Tied to your DAW: it can't measure a reference on Spotify, a YouTube video or a link in your browser. It has to be added to every session, and heavy ones cost CPU.

03Online Analyzers

Upload a file, get a result.

Good at: Quick, nothing to install, mostly free.

Falls short: Many upload your file to their server, a real privacy issue for an unreleased master. Large WAVs upload slowly. Some measure true peak without oversampling and miss real peaks. No live metering.

04Desktop Analysis Software

Standalone programs that analyze files one at a time or in batches.

Good at: Powerful for large batches, with detailed reports.

Falls short: Mostly file-only, so it can't measure what's playing. Technical interfaces, often expensive.

05Hardware Meters

Physical units found in broadcast studios.

Good at: Always on, independent of your computer, very reliable.

Falls short: Expensive and take up space. Overkill for most home studios.

Side by Side

DAW MeterPlug-inOnline SiteDesktop AppHardware
Measures audio outside your DAW✗✗✗✗✓
File analysisClunkyClunky✓✓✗
Your file stays on your device✓✓Often not✓✓
Oversampled true peakVaries✓Varies✓✓
Check from your phone✗✗Varies✗✗
PriceFreeMid–HighFreeMid–HighHigh

Pick a meter type to see how it compares:

DAW Meter

Measures audio outside your DAW✗ No
File analysisClunky
Your file stays on your device✓ Yes
Oversampled true peakVaries
Check from your phone✗ No
PriceFree

What Are You Measuring?

There's no single best meter. The right one depends on the job:

  • Detailed analysis inside a session while mixing: a good plug-in does the job.
  • A quick check of a finished file: an online tool is enough, as long as your file doesn't go to a server.
  • Measuring everything (your mix, a reference track, a YouTube video, a link from a client): you need a meter that isn't tied to a DAW.

Most musicians cover the first two somehow. The third is the gap.

Where Loudmeter Fits

That's why we built Loudmeter. Not one tool, but three ways in:

All three follow ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128, so the numbers you see are the ones the platforms use. Keep your plug-in: Loudmeter works where it can't reach.

Looking for Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube targets? See Resources.

Measure your file now.

Free, in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.