The best LUFS for Spotify is the level at which your master sounds best once Spotify has played it at −14 LUFS integrated, its default. Spotify turns louder masters down to −14 LUFS, so a −9 LUFS master plays 5 dB quieter than it left your DAW and gains nothing from the extra loudness. A master at about −14 LUFS with true peak at or below −1 dBTP plays on the default setting without being turned down. If your master is louder than −14 LUFS, Spotify recommends a ceiling of −2 dBTP instead.
This guide covers Spotify alone. For the other services side by side, see the LUFS targets for streaming.
How Spotify loudness normalization works
Spotify measures each track's integrated loudness, the gated average over the whole track. The gating means silence and quiet gaps don't pull the reading down. Spotify then changes the playback level so the track plays at the target. It doesn't change your file.
A track louder than the target gets turned down by the difference. A −9 LUFS master plays 5 dB lower, a −11 LUFS master 3 dB lower, a −14 LUFS master not at all.
A track quieter than the target can be turned up, but only on the default setting and only as far as its peaks allow. Spotify keeps the peaks under −1 dBTP. Two masters at −18 LUFS show the difference.
| Master | True peak | Room before −1 dBTP | Plays at on Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|
| −18 LUFS | −4 dBTP | 3 dB | −15 LUFS, 1 dB below other tracks |
| −18 LUFS | −1 dBTP | None | −18 LUFS, 4 dB below other tracks |
The quiet master with lower peaks gets closer to the target. The one already peaking at −1 dBTP stays where it is.
When someone plays an album, Spotify normalizes the album as a whole. The loud single and the quiet interlude keep the level difference you gave them in mastering.
Loud, Normal and Quiet
Listeners can pick a volume level in the app's settings. Normal is the default at −14 LUFS. Loud plays at −11 LUFS and Quiet at −19 LUFS. They can also switch normalization off.
Here is what each setting does to three loud masters. The table only uses masters louder than −11 LUFS, because every setting turns those down by the exact difference.
| Setting | Target | −7 LUFS master | −9 LUFS master | −11 LUFS master |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loud | −11 LUFS | Down 4 dB | Down 2 dB | No change |
| Normal (default) | −14 LUFS | Down 7 dB | Down 5 dB | Down 3 dB |
| Quiet | −19 LUFS | Down 12 dB | Down 10 dB | Down 8 dB |
On every setting, the three masters end up at the same level. The −7 LUFS master is not louder for the listener. It has only had more of its dynamic range removed by the limiter before Spotify turned it down.
A listener who switches normalization off hears each file at its own level. For that listener a −9 LUFS master plays 5 dB louder than a −14 LUFS one. That is the one case on Spotify where extra loudness reaches the ear. The loudness normalization guide covers what listening with it on or off sounds like.
Why your song is quieter on Spotify
If your release sounds quieter on Spotify than in your DAW, or quieter than the tracks around it, one of these is usually the reason.
- Spotify turned it down. A master louder than −14 LUFS plays lower than it does in your DAW at full level. A −8 LUFS master loses 6 dB. Everything else in the playlist was turned down too, so it isn't quieter than they are.
- It is quieter than −14 LUFS and the peaks are high. A −17 LUFS master peaking at −1 dBTP can't be raised, so it plays 3 dB below the tracks around it.
- It sits in an album. Spotify normalizes the album as a whole, so a quiet track stays quieter than the loud ones next to it.
- The listener changed the setting. On Quiet, every track plays at −19 LUFS. Compare your release against other tracks on the same setting, not against a file on your computer.
- The levels match but your mix sounds smaller. Once two tracks play at the same LUFS, any remaining difference comes from the mix and master: tonal balance, low end, density. Compare your master against a commercial reference at matched loudness to hear where.
The last case is the one to check first. Matching your master and a reference to the same integrated loudness reproduces what a Spotify listener hears, and the level matching guide shows how to do it by hand.
Spotify and −1 dBTP
Spotify recommends that masters peak no higher than −1 dBTP, and no higher than −2 dBTP for masters louder than −14 LUFS. The margin leaves room for inter-sample peaks, which can clip when the file is encoded to a lossy format such as Ogg or AAC. A sample peak meter that reads −0.1 dBFS can miss them, so measure true peak.
| Master | True peak | Meets Spotify's recommendation? |
|---|---|---|
| −14 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP | Yes |
| −10 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP | No, a master louder than −14 LUFS needs −2 dBTP |
| −9 LUFS | −0.3 dBTP | No, it misses both ceilings |
| −18 LUFS | −4.0 dBTP | Yes, and it leaves 3 dB for Spotify to turn it up |
Peaks matter in both directions. A loud master needs a lower ceiling to survive encoding, and a quiet master needs room below −1 dBTP if you want Spotify to raise it. The true peak guide explains how inter-sample peaks happen.
Choosing a level for Spotify
Don't pick a number first. Pick the version that sounds best after Spotify has turned it down.
- Export two or three versions of the master at different loudness, for example −14, −11 and −9 LUFS.
- Measure each one's integrated LUFS and true peak.
- Turn them all down to the quietest one. At −14 LUFS each, they now play the way a listener on the default setting hears them.
- Switch between them in sync on the same sections, such as a verse and the loudest chorus, and note which one you prefer.
- Check the winner's true peak against −1 dBTP, or −2 dBTP if it is louder than −14 LUFS.
If the −9 LUFS version still wins at matched level, keep it. Some genres sound right with heavy limiting. If the −14 LUFS version wins, you have more dynamic range for the same playback level. The guide to master loudness works through that trade-off for every service.
ABSeq does steps 2 to 4 on an iPhone or iPad. Load the versions into A, B, C and D, and Auto Gain turns each one down to the quietest while the A/B key switches at the same moment in the song. Tap a track's LUFS reading to see how much Spotify would change its level before you upload.
Questions
What is the best LUFS for Spotify?
There isn't one best number. Spotify plays music at −14 LUFS integrated by default and turns louder masters down to that level, so a master around −14 LUFS keeps the most dynamic range for the same playback level. Master louder only if it still sounds better once you compare at matched loudness, and keep true peak at −2 dBTP if you go above −14 LUFS.
How many LUFS does Spotify want?
This is the question behind searches such as "cuántos LUFS pide Spotify" and "wie viel LUFS für Spotify". Spotify normalizes to −14 LUFS integrated on its default setting, −11 LUFS on Loud and −19 LUFS on Quiet. A louder or quieter file still plays. Spotify changes its playback level, not the file.
Why is my song quieter on Spotify?
Usually because Spotify turned a master louder than −14 LUFS down to −14 LUFS, or because a quieter master peaks too high for Spotify to turn it up past −1 dBTP. It can also be album normalization or the listener's Quiet setting. If the levels match and your song still sounds smaller, the difference is in the mix or master.
Does Spotify turn quiet songs up?
On the default setting, yes, but only as far as the peaks allow, keeping them under −1 dBTP. A −18 LUFS master peaking at −4 dBTP can be raised 3 dB to −15 LUFS. One that already peaks at −1 dBTP stays at −18 LUFS.
Does Spotify require −1 dBTP?
Spotify recommends it rather than requiring it. Masters should peak no higher than −1 dBTP, and no higher than −2 dBTP if they are louder than −14 LUFS, so inter-sample peaks don't clip when the file is encoded to Ogg or AAC.