Audio Loudness Analyzer

LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) is the standard measurement for audio loudness. Streaming platforms normalize your music to their target LUFS level — if your track is louder, they turn it down. If it's quieter, some platforms turn it up. Mastering to platform targets ensures your music sounds as intended.

For streaming, -14 LUFS is a safe target (Spotify and YouTube's normalization point). Apple Music uses -16 LUFS. If you master to -14 LUFS, your track will sound good on all platforms — Apple will leave a tiny bit of headroom rather than turning it down.

True peak measures the highest point your audio reaches, including inter-sample peaks that can clip during encoding. Streaming platforms recommend keeping true peak below -1 dBTP. Exceeding 0 dBTP can cause distortion when your track is converted to AAC or Ogg Vorbis for streaming.

This tool uses the Web Audio API to calculate an RMS-based loudness approximation. It's useful for quick checks and relative comparisons, but for critical mastering decisions, use a dedicated LUFS meter in your DAW (like Youlean Loudness Meter or iZotope Insight) which implements the full ITU-R BS.1770 algorithm.

Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of your track. Modern masters typically have 6-10 dB of dynamic range. Below 6 dB can sound fatiguing and 'crushed.' Above 12 dB might sound too quiet on some platforms. Genre matters: EDM and pop tend toward less dynamic range, while jazz and classical benefit from more.