Pick a streaming platform and upload your audio for an instant pass/fail on LUFS and true peak — Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and broadcast.
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This checks your level — it doesn't change it.
Failing the check? Fix the level with the free Volume Normalizer. Want every platform target at once? Use the LUFS Meter. Checking a podcast episode? Try the Podcast Loudness Checker, or run the full Voice Quality Analyzer.
Pick a platform and upload audio for an instant pass/fail on LUFS and true peak
Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and broadcasters each pick a house loudness level and pull every upload toward it, so listeners don't reach for the volume between tracks. Loudness is measured in LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) using the EBU R128 / ITU-R BS.1770 standard — the same number every platform states its delivery spec in. This tool checks your file against the one platform you pick; the LUFS Meter shows every target at once.
Music streaming has largely settled on −14 LUFS. Spotify normalizes playback to about −14 LUFS at its default 'Normal' setting, and YouTube lands in the same neighbourhood. Tidal and Amazon Music sit close by. That convergence is why a single −14 LUFS master travels well across most music services — and why this checker defaults to Spotify when you open it.
Spoken-word and video have different targets: Apple Podcasts and Spotify podcasts work to −16 LUFS, EBU R128 broadcast delivery is −23 LUFS, and Netflix measures dialog-gated loudness at −27 LUFS. Pick the one you are delivering to — the pass/fail and the guidance change with it.
When playback is normalized, mastering hotter than the target gains you nothing. A track louder than −14 LUFS is turned down on Spotify and YouTube, so the extra level is discarded while any clipping or pumping you introduced to get there stays. Delivering on target keeps you in control of how the track sounds after normalization.
True peak (dBTP) estimates the highest level the analog waveform reaches between digital samples. Lossy encoders like MP3 and AAC can overshoot those inter-sample peaks and clip on playback even when the file never touches 0 dBFS — and platforms apply gain or limiting during normalization, which can push hot peaks over the edge. Most streaming targets cap true peak at −1 dBTP (Netflix at −2 dBTP) to leave that headroom.
| Platform | Integrated target | True-peak ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify (Music) | −14 LUFS | −1 dBTP |
| YouTube | −14 LUFS | −1 dBTP |
| Podcasts (Apple/Spotify) | −16 LUFS | −1 dBTP |
| Broadcast (EBU R128) | −23 LUFS | −1 dBTP |
| Netflix (Dialog) | −27 LUFS | −2 dBTP |
Need the whole table checked against your file in one run? That's exactly what the LUFS Meter does — this tool stays focused on a single platform verdict.
Spotify normalizes playback to about −14 LUFS at its default 'Normal' volume, with a true-peak ceiling of −1 dBTP. Its 'Loud' setting targets roughly −11 LUFS and engages a limiter. Upload your track above with Spotify selected and this checker tells you exactly how far you are from −14 LUFS.
Effectively yes — YouTube normalizes loud uploads down toward roughly −14 LUFS. The key difference from Spotify is that YouTube only turns loud content down; it does not turn quiet videos up. So a video quieter than −14 LUFS just plays back quieter than louder uploads next to it.
Because it was louder than Spotify's −14 LUFS target and got turned down on playback. Normalization levels every track to the same loudness, so a hot master doesn't end up louder than anyone else — it just loses dynamic range. Measure the integrated LUFS here and deliver close to the target so the platform isn't reshaping your sound for you.
No. When playback is normalized there is no loudness advantage to mastering hotter than the platform target — the extra level is removed, and any distortion or pumping you added to get there remains. Master for the music, hit roughly −14 LUFS for streaming with peaks under −1 dBTP, and let normalization do the rest.
True peak (dBTP) estimates the highest level the analog waveform reaches between digital samples. MP3 and AAC encoding can overshoot those inter-sample peaks and clip on playback even when the file never touches 0 dBFS, so most platforms cap true peak at −1 dBTP (Netflix at −2 dBTP). Leaving that 1 dB of headroom keeps the encode clean after normalization.
Want every target at once? The full meter checks Spotify, YouTube, broadcast and Netflix too.
Delivering a podcast episode? Check it against the −16 LUFS / −1 dBTP podcast standard.
Failed the check? Normalize your audio to the right platform target in one click.
VoiceDeck adds AI-powered audio & video review and delivery for your whole team — so every file ships in spec, automatically.
