PLR and PSR: how hard is your master limited?
PLR and PSR measure the gap between a track's peaks and its loudness. The smaller the gap, the harder the master has been limited. On normalized streaming platforms, that gap is what's left of the punch.
BY OKAN ÇAM · UPDATED
THE SHORT VERSION
- PLR (peak-to-loudness ratio) is true peak minus integrated loudness, for the whole file.
- PSR (peak-to-short-term ratio) is true peak minus short-term (3 s) loudness, for a moment or a section.
- Both shrink as you push a limiter with a fixed ceiling: whatever loudness you gain, PLR loses.
- On a −14 LUFS platform with a −1 dBTP ceiling, a PLR of up to 13 costs you nothing in loudness.
- Masters with PLR 7 and PLR 12 play at the same level on Spotify. The second has 5 dB more room for its transients.
- In our analyzer, PLR under 8 reads as a very dense master and PSR under 8 as heavily compressed. These are guides, not standards.
PLR and PSR in one line each
- PLR is true peak (dBTP) minus integrated loudness (LUFS). A master at −9 LUFS with a true peak of −1 dBTP has a PLR of 8.
- PSR is true peak minus short-term loudness. Real-time meters show it moving as the track plays. In the Loudmeter analyzer, PSR is the file's true peak minus its loudest 3-second window, so it describes the densest part of the track: usually the last chorus or the drop.
Both are in dB (strictly LU on the loudness side, but 1 LU is 1 dB). Both use K-weighted loudness, so they follow what you hear more closely than the older crest factor, which compares the peak with unweighted RMS.
What a limiter does to PLR
A limiter with a fixed ceiling holds the peaks in place while you push the level up underneath. Every dB of loudness you gain comes straight out of the gap: push harder into a limiter set to −1 dBTP until integrated loudness rises 3 dB, and true peak stays at −1, so PLR drops by 3. It isn't a rule of thumb, it's subtraction.
That's why PLR is such an honest summary of a master. Two numbers you already have, one subtraction, and you know roughly how much work the limiter did.
Why PLR matters on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube
Normalization fixes loudness. It can't fix the peak-to-loudness gap you delivered. Take two masters of the same mix on a −14 LUFS platform:
| Master A | Master B | |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated | −8 LUFS | −13 LUFS |
| True peak | −1 dBTP | −1 dBTP |
| PLR | 7 | 12 |
| Plays at | −14 LUFS | −14 LUFS |
| Peaks at playback | −7 dBTP | −2 dBTP |
Both play at the same level. B's transients reach 5 dB higher above the same loudness, so the kick, the snare and the consonants have room. A sounds flatter and often quieter. That's the whole case against mastering louder than you need to for a normalized platform.
The limit on the other side: at −14 LUFS with peaks at −1 dBTP, PLR can be up to 13 before the platform has to turn you up. On Apple Music at −16, up to 15. Beyond that, a quiet master depends on the platform raising it: Spotify does, within its peak limit, and YouTube doesn't.
What the numbers usually mean
| PLR | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Under 8 | Very dense. Typical of the loudest modern masters. Transients have little room left. |
| 8 to 11 | Loud but controlled. Common for commercial pop, rock and electronic releases. |
| 11 and up | Dynamic. Plenty of room for transients after normalization. |
For PSR, the analyzer marks under 8 as heavily compressed, and under 6 in red. PSR usually reads lower than PLR because it compares the peak with the loudest section instead of the whole-track average. These bands are the ones the analyzer uses to colour its cards. They're a guide for comparing masters, not a standard, and a style that's meant to be dense can sit happily below 8.
How to get more PLR without losing the sound
- Back off the limiter by a dB or two and compare at matched loudness. If you can't hear the difference at −14, the extra loudness wasn't buying you anything on streaming.
- Find what sets the peaks. The analyzer's waveform shows where the true peak is. One loud snare or a build-up of low end can force the limiter to work across the whole track.
- Clean up the low end below your lowest note. Sub energy eats headroom without adding much loudness.
- Clip the few transients that overshoot instead of limiting everything harder.
- Watch PSR on the loudest section. If the drop or the last chorus is far denser than the rest, that's where the limiter works hardest.
Measure PLR and PSR
Drop the bounce into the online analyzer. PLR and PSR are two of the result cards, coloured by the bands above, next to integrated LUFS, true peak and LRA. Play it at Spotify's level under Hear it on streaming and compare it with a reference at the same level: that's where a low PLR shows.
FAQ
What is PLR in audio?
PLR, peak-to-loudness ratio, is true peak minus integrated loudness. A master at −9 LUFS with peaks at −1 dBTP has a PLR of 8 dB. Lower values mean a more heavily limited master.
What is PSR?
PSR, peak-to-short-term loudness ratio, is true peak minus short-term (3-second) loudness. It shows how dense a particular section is, where PLR describes the whole track.
What is a good PLR?
On platforms that play at −14 LUFS, a PLR up to about 13 costs nothing in loudness. Many commercial masters sit between 8 and 11, and below 8 is very dense. Choose by sound, comparing at matched loudness.
Is PLR the same as crest factor?
They're related. Crest factor compares the peak with the RMS level. PLR compares true peak with K-weighted integrated loudness, which follows perceived loudness more closely.
Why can a lower PLR sound quieter on Spotify?
After normalization both masters play at the same loudness, but the one with the lower PLR has smaller transients, so it can sound flatter and less punchy, and often feels quieter.
Keep reading
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 Loudness
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.
Why Meters Show Different LUFS
Same file, different numbers? The four setup mistakes behind almost every mismatch.
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