Mastering for Spotify: louder is not better when the platform turns you down.
Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube normalise playback loudness. A master that is too loud gets turned down and simply sounds flatter than the competition. ZERRRO Engine has a streaming target built in, and you hear the result before you pay.
Spotify’s default normalisation level. Louder masters are turned down to about this.
Apple Music with Sound Check normalises a little lower.
At streaming loudness the limiter stops at −1 dBTP, so the encoded file does not clip.
What matters when you master for streaming
The loudness number is the smaller question. The bigger ones are headroom for the encoder and keeping the dynamics you would lose by mastering too loud.
Headroom for the encoder
Platforms encode your WAV to lossy formats. Peaks at 0 dBFS come back above it. -1 dBTP prevents that.
Dynamics you keep
A -14 LUFS master keeps punch and depth. A -7 LUFS master is turned down 7 dB and sounds flatter.
One release, two targets
Club DJs want loud files; streaming wants dynamics. Render both versions from the same session.
Hear it. Shape it. Then decide.
Upload & check
Bit depth, sample rate, true peak, clipping and loudness of your premaster are measured in seconds. If the file is already limited or clipping, you find out before anything is processed.
Pick your genre, then Streaming
The genre sets the tonal target; the loudness zone sets the level. Streaming aims around -14 LUFS with a -1 dBTP ceiling.
Shape it while it plays
Shape the tone while it plays, then switch the loudness between Club and Streaming and render both. Re-renders are free.
A/B and decide
Compare the master with your mix at matched loudness, read the measured LUFS and true peak, and render again for free if it is not there yet. You pay only when you download.
Preview free. Pay only for the download.
When you unlock a master
- The master you heard, full length, as 24-bit WAV and 320 kbps MP3
- Your loudness target, true peak never above 0 dBTP (−1 dBTP for streaming)
- Download link right away and by email
- Files kept in My Masters for 12 months
Before you upload
- 24-bit WAV at your project’s sample rate
- 3 to 6 dB of headroom
- No limiter on the master bus
- Decide: streaming only, or club and streaming versions
Questions producers ask
How loud should I master for Spotify?
Spotify normalises to about −14 LUFS by default. Mastering much louder does not make the track louder on Spotify, it only reduces dynamics. Keep the true peak at −1 dBTP.
Does Spotify make quiet masters louder?
Spotify can raise quieter tracks, but only as far as their peaks allow. That is another reason to keep true peak at −1 dBTP.
Should I make a separate club master?
If DJs play your track, yes. Club masters run around −7 to −9 LUFS. You can render both versions from one session.
Can I try it free?
Yes. The full-length preview and A/B are free. The download costs 2.99 EUR per track.
Hear your track mastered first. Decide after.
Drop a premaster or take one of the demo tracks for a spin. Free, right now, in your browser.
Master a track free → No signup to preview · no card · no install