What LUFS for Spotify and YouTube? The simple answer.
Master to about -14 LUFS and your track plays back at the volume you intended. Here's why that number matters — and how to measure and hit it free, in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
📈 Open the Loudness Normalizer →The short answer: -14 LUFS
If you only remember one number, remember this: -14 LUFS integrated is the loudness target for both Spotify and YouTube. That's the reference both platforms normalize playback toward, so a master sitting at -14 LUFS reaches listeners at the volume you decided on, untouched. It's also the value most streaming-loudness guides converge on, and it's the default in tools built for the job.
LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale. The "integrated" measurement is the average perceived loudness across your whole track, gated so that silent gaps don't drag the number down. It's the figure streaming platforms actually read when they decide whether to turn your song up or down.
Why -14 LUFS, and what loudness normalization does
Years ago, the "loudness war" pushed engineers to master tracks as loud as physically possible so they'd jump out next to everything else. Streaming ended that arms race. Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and the rest now apply loudness normalization: they measure each track's integrated loudness and adjust playback gain so songs sit at a consistent level for the listener.
Spotify and YouTube both normalize to roughly -14 LUFS. So if your master is at -8 LUFS, the platform quietly turns it down by about 6 dB. The extra loudness you crushed in with a limiter doesn't make you louder than anyone else — it just disappears at playback, and often leaves your track sounding flatter and more fatiguing than a cleaner -14 LUFS master would. Hit the target instead, and you keep your dynamics and your loudness.
One asymmetry worth knowing: when a track is quieter than the reference, Spotify can optionally turn it up (within limits, and only if the listener has normalization on), while YouTube generally leaves quiet tracks alone. That's another reason -14 LUFS is the safe bet — you're not relying on a platform to rescue a too-quiet master.
LUFS vs. peak: don't confuse the two
It's easy to mix up loudness with peak level, but they answer different questions. Peak (dBFS) is the single loudest instant in the file — useful for knowing whether you're clipping. LUFS is perceived loudness averaged over time, frequency-weighted to match how human ears actually respond. A track can peak at 0 dBFS and still feel quiet; another can peak lower yet feel loud. Because platforms normalize by LUFS, that's the number to measure and target. Leaving a little headroom (a true peak around -1 dBFS) on top of your -14 LUFS master keeps codecs and limiters happy.
How to measure and hit -14 LUFS, step by step
SoundForge's Loudness Normalizer measures your integrated loudness and brings it to any target without you touching a meter or installing a thing. Here's the real flow:
- Drop your file on the tool. Open the Loudness Normalizer and drag an audio file onto the dropzone (or click to pick one). It decodes on your device — nothing is uploaded.
- Read the measurement. The tool instantly shows your track's integrated loudness in LUFS and an estimated sample peak in dBFS, so you know exactly where you're starting from.
- Pick a target. Tap the -14 LUFS (Spotify / YouTube) preset, or choose -16 LUFS for podcasts, -23 LUFS for broadcast, or drag the Target slider for a custom value.
- Normalize and preview. Hit Normalize. The tool applies the right amount of gain, runs a gentle safety limiter so you don't clip, then re-measures and shows an honest before/after readout. Play the normalized version right there to A/B it.
- Download. When it sounds right, download the normalized file. The export is generated locally and saved straight to your device.
The measurement is an in-browser BS.1770 / EBU R128 estimate — typically within about ±0.5 LU of a dedicated meter. That's plenty accurate for matching streaming targets like -14 LUFS, even if it isn't a certified reference measurement.
📈 Try the Loudness Normalizer (free) →
Why do it in your browser?
Because your music is yours. The Loudness Normalizer runs entirely on your device using the Web Audio API — your file is decoded, measured and processed locally and nothing is ever uploaded to a server. There's no account to create, no watermark, no queue, and no cost. Unreleased demos and client masters stay private, and the work happens at the speed of your own machine instead of an upload bar. It's the whole point of measuring loudness without handing your track to a cloud service first.