How Loud Should Your Track Be? A Plain-English Guide to LUFS
6 min read · Updated July 24, 2026
One of the most common mistakes with self-released and AI-generated music is loudness. People push their track as loud as possible thinking louder = better — but every major streaming platform turns loud songs back down to a fixed target. Master too hot and you get all the distortion of a loud master with none of the benefit. This guide explains the target, how to measure where your track sits, and how to fix it.
What is LUFS?
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is how streaming services measure *perceived* loudness — how loud a song actually sounds to a human, not just its peak level. It's the number the platforms use to decide how much to turn each track up or down so nothing jumps out when you're on shuffle.
The targets you actually need
- Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music: about -14 LUFS (integrated). This is the de-facto standard — aim here.
- Apple Music: about -16 LUFS, slightly quieter.
- True peak: keep it at or below -1 dBTP to avoid clipping after the platform's own processing.
If your track is louder than the target (a smaller LUFS number, e.g. -8), the platform turns it down — and your over-compressed master now sounds flat and lifeless next to properly-mastered songs. If it's quieter than the target, most platforms leave it alone (they don't turn quiet tracks up on every service), so it just sounds weak by comparison.
Step 1: Measure where your track sits
Before you change anything, find out your track's current loudness. Drop it into the LUFS meter and it reports integrated LUFS and true peak — no upload, it reads the file right in your browser.
Step 2: Bring it to target
- If you're mostly there and just need to nudge the level, use the audio normalizer to set the track to a target loudness.
- Releasing several tracks together (an EP or album)? Use loudness match so every song sits at the same level relative to each other — nothing should feel louder or quieter track to track.
- Re-measure with the LUFS meter to confirm you landed near -14 LUFS with true peak under -1 dBTP.
Loudness ≠ mastering. Hitting -14 LUFS makes your track sit at the right *volume*, but it won't fix a muddy mix or harsh highs. Loudness is the last step, not a substitute for a good mix.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?
Around -14 LUFS integrated, with true peak at or below -1 dBTP. Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS by default, so mastering hotter than that just gets turned down.
Will making my song quieter to -14 LUFS make it sound worse?
No — the opposite. An over-loud master that the platform turns down sounds flat and distorted next to a track mastered at the target. Hitting -14 LUFS lets your dynamics survive.
Do I need expensive software to measure LUFS?
No. You can measure integrated LUFS and true peak for free in your browser with the LUFS meter linked above — nothing to install and nothing uploaded.