How loud to master: the LUFS pros actually deliver.
Streaming services play music at about −14 LUFS, yet the records clients compare your mix with sit at −6 or −7 LUFS. Here's what working engineers deliver, what normalization does with it, and how to choose a level for your own master.
BY OKAN ÇAM · UPDATED
THE SHORT VERSION
- −14 LUFS is the level Spotify plays at, not a level you have to master to.
- Engineers interviewed by Sound On Sound send review mixes at −9 LUFS or louder, because clients compare them with records at −6 or −7 LUFS.
- On streaming, a louder master is only turned down. A −7 LUFS master plays 7 dB below its file level on Spotify, with all its limiting still in it.
- Choose the level by how the master sounds at equal loudness, not by a number.
- Keep true peak at −1 dBTP, or −2 dBTP if the master is louder than −14 LUFS.
- Send mastering an unlimited mix. Joe Colmenero and Dan Malsch both take their limiter off first.
−14 LUFS is a playback level, not a target
Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music and TIDAL play music at about −14 LUFS, Apple Music at −16. That number tells you where your master ends up for most listeners, not where it has to start. Normalization is one gain change per track, explained in the Spotify LUFS guide: a −8 LUFS master is turned down 6 dB, a −14 master isn't touched.
So mastering to exactly −14 buys you nothing by itself. What matters is how the master sounds after the turn-down, next to everything else playing at the same level.
What working engineers actually deliver
These levels come from Sound On Sound's Inside Track interviews and its Mix Rescue column, each in its own context:
| Engineer | Record | Level | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Malsch | Ghost, Skeletá | about −6.5 LUFS | The finished record, his estimate |
| Joe Colmenero | Lil Tecca, “Ransom” | −9 LUFS | Mixes sent for approval |
| Andy Sneap | Judas Priest | about −8 LUFS | His safe level for rock masters |
| Koen Heldens | Trippie Redd, A Love Letter To You 5 | −10 LUFS | Whole album, printed through tape |
| Cian Riordan | St. Vincent, “Pay Your Way In Pain” | −11 to −12 LUFS | Monitoring level while mixing |
| Matt Houghton | SOS Mix Rescue | −13 to −14 LUFS | A light master, about 1.5 dB of limiting |
Review mixes are loud because the comparison is loud. Dan Malsch, who mixes with Andy Wallace: “I can't send a mix for review to clients at −12 LUFS because every other mix they're listening to is, unfortunately, −6 or −7 LUFS.” A mix at −10 with some dynamics is 4 dB quieter, and clients assume something is wrong with it.
The final level depends on the record. Koen Heldens mastered Trippie Redd's hip-hop and R&B album to −10 LUFS because the tape print couldn't take the low end any hotter. Adding 3 dB afterwards, he said, “lost the magic of tape”.
Masters can be quieter than in the loudness-war years. Andy Sneap says he masters quieter now than he used to, and calls about −8 LUFS for rock “a safe space, where you have enough energy, but you're not crushing things”.
Is a louder master louder on streaming?
Only when normalization is off. In Spotify's default mode a −7 LUFS master and a −12 LUFS master reach the listener at the same −14 LUFS: the first is turned down 7 dB, the second 2 dB. What differs is what's left. With true peak at −1 dBTP, the −7 master has a PLR of 6 LU and the −12 master 11 LU, so at the same playback level the quieter master has 5 dB more room for transients.
Louder still counts where nothing is normalized: listeners who switched normalization off, DJs and club systems, and the A/B a client does in a DAW or a group chat. That's why plenty of rap, pop and rock is still mastered around −9 to −6 LUFS. It's a fair choice when you make it on purpose. The loudness penalty calculator shows how far each service turns your number down.
How to choose the level for your master
- 01Decide who the master is for. Streaming-first music can stop where it sounds best. A club single, or a record judged on unnormalized playback, may need to go louder.
- 02Compare at equal loudness. Bring your master and a reference to the same integrated level before you judge punch and low end.
- 03Raise the limiter until something gets worse: the kick loses its front, the 808 flattens, the vocal starts to pump. Then back off a little.
- 04Check short-term loudness in the loudest section, not only integrated. Matt Houghton's light master read −13 to −14 LUFS integrated with its loudest moments at about −9.5 LUFS short-term.
- 05Keep true peak at −1 dBTP, or −2 dBTP if the master is louder than −14 LUFS, as Spotify recommends.
- 06Measure the bounced file, not the session: integrated, short-term, true peak and PLR.
Loudness at the mix stage
Cian Riordan brings the mix up to −11 or −12 LUFS through a limiter early on, “so I'm monitoring at the level that the song is probably going to get mastered to”. It tells him how the low end will translate at that volume, so there are no surprises later.
Joe Colmenero sends approval mixes at −9 LUFS so they don't sound too different from the rough mix, and Dan Malsch limits his review mixes for the same reason. Both take the limiter off before the mix goes to mastering. Give the client the level, and give the mastering engineer the dynamics.
Check your master's level
Drop the bounce into the online analyzer. It reads integrated and short-term LUFS, true peak and PLR in your browser, without uploading the file. Under Hear it on streaming you can play it at Spotify or Apple Music level and switch back to the original while it plays. The level of every service is in the targets table.
FAQ
What LUFS should I master to?
There's no single right number. Streaming services play music at about −14 LUFS (Apple Music −16), so a louder master is only turned down. Engineers quoted by Sound On Sound deliver anywhere from about −14 to −6.5 LUFS, depending on the record. Choose the level by how the master sounds at equal loudness, and keep true peak at −1 dBTP, or −2 dBTP above −14 LUFS.
Is −14 LUFS too quiet for rap or pop?
Not on Spotify with normalization on: every master plays at −14 there anyway. Without normalization, in a DAW or with the setting switched off, a −14 master sounds 6 to 8 dB quieter than records at −8 to −6 LUFS. That's why many rap and pop masters are still louder.
How loud are commercial masters?
Loud. Mix engineer Dan Malsch says the mixes his clients compare against are typically −6 or −7 LUFS, and puts Ghost's record at about −6.5 LUFS. Producer Andy Sneap considers about −8 LUFS a safe level for rock today.
Should I send my mix to mastering with a limiter on it?
Usually not. Joe Colmenero and Dan Malsch both send clients a limited version for approval, then take the limiter off before the mix goes to the mastering engineer.
Does a louder master get a loudness penalty?
On services that normalize, yes: it's turned down by however much it's louder than the platform level, so a −8 LUFS master plays 6 dB down on Spotify. The loudness penalty calculator shows the figure for each service.
Keep reading
What Is LUFS?
What LUFS measures, how it differs from dB and RMS, and the LUFS numbers that matter for streaming.
Spotify LUFS
What −14 LUFS means, the Loud, Normal and Quiet settings, and how loud to master for Spotify.
Apple Music LUFS
Sound Check, the −16 LUFS level, AAC and lossless, and what they mean for your master.
YouTube LUFS
YouTube turns loud videos down and never turns quiet ones up. How to read content loudness.
SoundCloud LUFS
No normalization, so louder is louder. Why true peak matters more on SoundCloud than anywhere.
True Peak vs Sample Peak
Why a master that peaks at 0 dBFS can still clip, and why −1 dBTP is the number everyone quotes.
What Is LRA?
Loudness range, how it's calculated, typical values, and what it can't tell you.
PLR and PSR
Peak-to-loudness and peak-to-short-term ratio: how hard is your master limited?
Loudness Penalty
How much Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others turn your master down, with a calculator.
Loudmeter vs Other Meters
How Loudmeter compares with plug-ins, online meters and desktop analyzers, and when another meter fits better.
Choosing a Loudness Meter
Plug-in, online tool or app? What each kind of meter does well, and which one fits your work.
Why Meters Show Different LUFS
Same file, different numbers? The four setup mistakes behind almost every mismatch.
Loudness Targets for Every Platform
Streaming, podcast, broadcast and game targets in one table, with what each number means.
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