What LUFS measures
LUFS measures how loud a piece of audio sounds to a human listener. It's a perceptual measurement — based on how human hearing actually works — not a raw mathematical peak or RMS reading.
The unit was standardised in ITU-R BS.1770 (and refined in BS.1770-4). It accounts for the fact that the human ear is more sensitive to mid frequencies (2-5 kHz) than to lows or extreme highs, by applying a frequency-weighting curve before measuring level.
A track at −14 LUFS sounds about as loud as another track at −14 LUFS, regardless of how the actual waveforms look.
Streaming platform targets
Each streaming service normalises to a target LUFS. Master too quiet and the platform won't boost you (your track sounds quieter than competitors). Master too loud and they'll turn you down — and the limiter you used to push loudness will be heard as squashed dynamics.
| Platform | Integrated LUFS target | True-peak ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | −14 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
| Apple Music | −16 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
| YouTube Music | −14 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
| Tidal | −14 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
| Amazon Music | −14 LUFS | −2.0 dBTP |
| TikTok | −14 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
| SoundCloud | −10 LUFS (no normalisation) | −1.0 dBTP |
| Broadcast (EBU R128) | −23 LUFS | −1.0 dBTP |
Integrated vs short-term LUFS
There are three flavours of LUFS measurement:
- Momentary — averaged over the last 400 ms. Useful for live broadcast monitoring.
- Short-term — averaged over the last 3 s. Shows the loudest 3-second window of a song; helpful for spotting overly hot drops.
- Integrated — averaged over the entire track. This is the number streaming platforms use for normalisation.
How to measure LUFS
Most modern DAWs include a BS.1770-compliant meter (Logic, Ableton 11+, FL Studio, Studio One). Free standalone meters exist (YouLean, dpMeter5).
If you just need a quick reading on a finished master, drop the file into the SignalKey LUFS Meter — it returns integrated LUFS, true-peak, dynamic range and per-platform pass/fail in seconds.
Frequently asked
Should I master to −14 LUFS for everywhere?
It's a reasonable single target — it works for Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon and TikTok. Apple Music will turn you down 2 dB to hit −16, but not punishingly so. SoundCloud and broadcast are the outliers.
Why does my master sound loud but the LUFS meter says it's quiet?
You're probably looking at peak meters. LUFS measures perceived loudness — a track with high peaks but low average level can read quiet on a LUFS meter while still hitting 0 dBFS on a peak meter.
Can I master too quietly?
Yes. If your integrated LUFS is below the platform target (say −20 on Spotify) the platform won't normalise upward — your track will play quieter than everything else, and listeners will skip.
What's a true-peak limiter?
A limiter that prevents inter-sample peaks (the actual analog peaks that occur between digital samples) from clipping. Aim for −1.0 dBTP to leave headroom for lossy encoders.