If you have been researching music mastering, you have probably seen numbers like -14 LUFS, -9 LUFS or -8 LUFS. This often leads to one question: what LUFS should my music actually be?

The short answer is that there is no single LUFS number that every song should be mastered to.

LUFS is a measurement, not a mastering target

LUFS measures perceived loudness using a standardized measurement system. It is useful because it gives you a way to compare the overall loudness of different masters.

However, choosing a target such as -14 LUFS simply because a streaming platform uses a normalization reference can be misleading.

Streaming normalization and mastering are two different things. A streaming service can adjust the playback level of your master without requiring you to master every song to a specific LUFS value.

Why don't all songs need the same LUFS?

Different genres and productions can have very different dynamics.

A quiet acoustic recording, a heavily compressed electronic track and a dense rock master can all have different loudness measurements while still sounding appropriate for their style.

This is why there is no magic LUFS number that automatically makes a master sound professional.

What happens if you push the master too loud?

Increasing loudness usually involves reducing dynamic range through compression, limiting or other processing.

If you push the level too far, you may introduce unwanted distortion, reduce punch and make the track sound more fatiguing.

And if a streaming platform subsequently turns the track down through loudness normalization, the extra loudness may not give you the advantage you expected.

Don't forget true peak

LUFS is only one part of checking a master.

True peak is also important because the digital peak shown by a DAW meter does not always represent the highest level that can occur after digital-to-analog conversion or lossy encoding.

A master can have an acceptable LUFS measurement while still producing problematic peaks.

So what should you target?

Instead of starting with a single LUFS number, consider the complete master:

  • Integrated loudness
  • Short-term loudness
  • Loudness range (LRA)
  • True peak
  • Dynamic range
  • Clipping and distortion
  • Frequency balance

Then listen to the result at a matched playback level against appropriate reference tracks.

What about the famous -14 LUFS target?

You may have heard that streaming music should always be mastered to -14 LUFS. This is one of the most common misunderstandings about streaming audio.

A platform's normalization reference does not necessarily mean that every master should be delivered at that exact loudness.

The better approach is to create a master that sounds good, has appropriate dynamics and maintains sufficient peak headroom, rather than forcing every song to the same LUFS measurement.

What should you check before releasing?

Before sending your master to a distributor, measure it and listen critically.

  • Check integrated LUFS.
  • Check short-term loudness.
  • Check true peak.
  • Look for clipping.
  • Compare the dynamics with suitable reference tracks.
  • Listen to the master at matched loudness.
  • Check how it responds after lossy encoding.

There is no magic LUFS number that makes a master good. A good master balances loudness, dynamics, peaks and sound quality.

If you want to understand why your music can become quieter after uploading it, read our guide on why music can sound louder or softer on streaming platforms.

Sources: AES — Loudness Guidelines; EBU — Loudness Recommendation R 128; Spotify Support — Loudness normalization.