Free loudness meter & streaming preview

Drop a master and instantly see its integrated LUFS, true peak, and dynamic range, along with exactly how much Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Tidal will turn it up or down. Then hear it for yourself.

Drop your master here
WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, up to 600 MB. Or click to choose.
Analyzed and deleted immediately. Encodes you listen to expire in 30 minutes.
How platforms normalize loudness
Spotify, YouTube and Tidal normalize playback to about −14 LUFS (Apple Music to −16). A master at −8 LUFS is turned down about 6 dB, but only the level comes down: what you mastered for carries through.
True peak ≠ sample peak
Sample peak is the highest value stored in the file. True peak is the height of the waveform playback reconstructs through those samples, which can sit higher, so a file reading 0 dBFS can already be over. Specs ask for −1 dBTP; above that, the encode decides.
Deleted the moment it's measured
Your master is analyzed and deleted on the spot, and playback uses the copy already in your browser. A platform encode, if you ask for one, lives 30 minutes so you can listen, then goes too.

Loudness FAQ

What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?

Spotify normalizes playback to about −14 LUFS in Normal mode, which is roughly where masters tend to land, though it is a reference point rather than a hard ceiling. Going above it wins nothing in playback volume, so the number itself is not the target. Master for the song and the genre. On true peak the specs ask for −1 dBTP (−2 for Amazon), which loud masters often exceed on purpose.

What is a safe true peak (dBTP) for streaming?

−1 dBTP is what most specs ask for, and Amazon asks for −2. Platforms re-encode to lossy codecs (AAC, Ogg) which can push inter-sample peaks higher, so the headroom is there to stop the encode clipping. Loud masters often ship above it on purpose and it passes unnoticed in genres already carrying distortion, so read the number and decide rather than treat it as pass or fail.

What is the difference between LUFS, dBFS and true peak?

LUFS measures perceived loudness over time, and it is what normalization acts on. The other two are about instants. Digital audio stores discrete samples: sample peak (dBFS) is the highest one stored, while true peak (dBTP) is the height of the waveform playback reconstructs through them, which can rise above every stored sample. A converter or codec receives the latter, so a track can sit at 0 dBFS and still exceed 0 dBTP. This tool measures it with 4× oversampling (ITU-R BS.1770).

Does making my master louder help on streaming?

Not in playback volume: normalization evens out average loudness, so the number you hit does not translate into how loud anyone hears it. What does survive the turn-down is how the record was made to sound, which is why plenty of pop, hip-hop and EDM is still mastered hot on purpose. Decide it by the song and the genre. On true peak the specs ask for −1 dBTP (−2 for Amazon), which loud masters often exceed on purpose.

What loudness targets do Apple Music and YouTube use?

Apple Music normalizes to about −16 LUFS and YouTube to about −14 LUFS. YouTube only turns loud masters down, while Apple's Sound Check adjusts in both directions, so master to the platform reference rather than pushing hot.

Is my uploaded file stored?

Your master is analyzed and deleted on the spot, and never used to train AI. Playback uses the copy already in your browser, so the master never streams back from us. If you ask to hear the encode a platform serves, that encode is made before the master is deleted, lives for 30 minutes so you can listen, and is then deleted as well.

Go deeper: will Spotify turn down your master? · streaming loudness targets for every platform · LUFS, true peak & dynamic range explained · A/B two masters at matched loudness