What LUFS should I master to?
Updated October 3, 2026 by Kamal Nasir
There is no single correct number, but for streaming the usual reference is about -14 LUFS integrated, the level Spotify plays tracks at by default and the one Apple's Logic Pro guide calls typical for many streaming platforms. Keep true peaks below -1 dBTP. Mastering much louder does not make a track louder on Spotify; it gets turned down to the same level with less dynamic range left.
What LUFS measures
LUFS stands for loudness units relative to full scale. It comes from ITU-R BS.1770, the international recommendation titled Algorithms to measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio level, now in its fifth version from 2023. Instead of reading the signal's peaks the way a level meter does, it weights frequencies roughly the way hearing does and averages over time, so two tracks at the same LUFS sound about equally loud.
Loudness meters show three readings. Momentary loudness covers the last 400 milliseconds, short-term the last 3 seconds, and integrated loudness the whole track, with silence and very quiet passages gated out. Integrated loudness is the number streaming services use. A difference of one LU equals one decibel.
How Spotify normalizes loudness
Spotify publishes its targets. It measures each track with the ITU 1770 standard and plays it at -14 LUFS on the default Normal setting, -11 LUFS on Loud and -19 LUFS on Quiet. A track mastered at -9 LUFS is turned down by 5 dB on Normal. A quieter track is turned up only as far as its peaks allow, leaving 1 dB of headroom for lossy encoding, so a very dynamic master can play a little below the target.
Albums are normalized as a whole, so the level differences between their tracks are kept. When you shuffle or play tracks from several albums, each track is adjusted on its own.
Spotify's mastering advice is to keep true peak below -1 dBTP, and below -2 dBTP if the master is louder than -14 LUFS integrated, to avoid extra distortion when the file is encoded.
What true peak is and why it matters
A sample peak meter only sees the digital samples. When those samples are turned back into a continuous waveform, the signal can swing above the highest sample, which is called an inter-sample peak, and lossy encoding can push it higher still. True peak meters, defined in the same ITU recommendation, estimate that real maximum in dBTP. A master that peaks at 0 dBFS on a sample meter can clip after encoding, which is why streaming advice leaves a decibel or two of room.
Other platforms and broadcast
Each service sets its own reference and some change it over time, so check the platform's own documentation before a release rather than a chart copied from a forum. Broadcast uses a quieter standard: the European Broadcasting Union's R 128 sets a target of -23 LUFS, with true peaks no higher than -1 dBTP, for television and radio programmes.
Apple's Logic Pro guide notes that about -14 LUFS integrated is typical for many streaming platforms, adds that mastering engineers aim instead for the level that suits the mix and the genre, and has its Mastering Assistant limit output to -1 dBFS true peak.
So how loud should your master be?
- For a streaming release, around -14 LUFS integrated is a sensible starting point, with true peak at -1 dBTP or lower.
- Loud genres such as EDM, trap and metal are often mastered louder for the sound of heavy limiting. That is a creative choice; expect streaming services to turn the track down, and keep true peak at -2 dBTP or lower.
- Quiet, dynamic music such as acoustic, jazz or classical can sit well below -14 LUFS. It may play slightly quieter than louder tracks if its peaks leave no room to turn it up.
- Compare your master with a commercial reference in the same genre at matched loudness, which removes the louder-sounds-better effect.
- Measure the final exported file, not the project, so every export setting is included.
Checking a master on your phone
Quint measures a track's integrated loudness and true peak to ITU-R BS.1770 on the iPhone, from a file you own, and compares it with the published targets of streaming platforms, each shown with the page it was read from and the date it was checked. It needs iOS 27, and nothing is uploaded.
Questions people ask
Is -14 LUFS too quiet for a master?
Not on services that normalize to it, where louder masters are turned down to the same level. Many commercial releases are mastered louder for their sound, which is a style choice rather than a requirement.
What is the difference between LUFS and dB?
Decibels describe a level or a change in level, often of the signal's peaks. LUFS is a loudness measurement on a decibel scale that weights frequencies the way hearing does and averages over time, so it follows how loud a track sounds. A change of 1 LU equals 1 dB.
Does Spotify turn quiet songs up?
Yes, on the default setting it applies positive gain to quieter tracks, but only as far as the track's peaks allow while keeping 1 dB of headroom.