Mix Analyzer guide
Loudness and Mastering Analysis
Hit streaming loudness targets, set a safe true-peak ceiling, and stop your master clipping after encoding.
What loudness analysis really tells you
Every streaming platform normalizes playback to a loudness target - around -14 LUFS on Spotify, YouTube and Tidal, -16 on Apple Music - so making a master louder than that just gets it turned back down. Here is what we see in the masters run through Mix Analyzer: the two most common loudness problems are masters that come in too hot (streaming attenuates them, so the loudness war buys nothing) and true peaks that sit above -1 dBTP and clip once the file is encoded to MP3 or AAC. We still catch the occasional master hard-clipping at full scale. The fix is almost never "louder".
Integrated loudness
LUFS for the whole track - what streaming uses to set playback level.
True peak (dBTP)
The real peak between samples that decides whether a lossy file clips.
Clipping
Hard clipping and full-scale runs that add harsh, permanent distortion.
Streaming targets
How your loudness lands against each platform, before you upload.
What streaming actually does to your master
Platforms measure your integrated loudness (ITU-R BS.1770) and turn every track toward a common target so listeners do not have to ride the volume. That means relative loudness is out of your hands - what you control is dynamics, peak safety, and tone.
Reference targets
- Spotify, YouTube, Tidal: around -14 LUFS integrated.
- Apple Music: around -16 LUFS, and it only turns tracks down, never up.
- True-peak ceiling: -1 dBTP across platforms, or -2 dBTP if your master is very loud.
- These are playback references, not upload limits - the platform adjusts level either way.
What we see most often in real masters
The loudness flags split two ways, and they pull in opposite directions - which is exactly why "just make it louder" is the wrong instinct.
The pattern in the data
- Over-loud masters that streaming will simply turn down, losing dynamics for nothing.
- True peaks above -1 dBTP that pass on a sample meter but clip after lossy encoding.
- The occasional hard clip at full scale - audible, permanent distortion.
- Quiet masters that sit well under target and feel weak next to normalized neighbors.
The common problems - and how to fix each
Most loudness issues come from chasing level instead of control. Meter integrated LUFS, protect the true peak, and let mastering - not the mix - set loudness.
Problem then fix
- Too hot: stop pushing the limiter and target the genre loudness, not maximum, because streaming normalizes anyway.
- True-peak clipping: set a true-peak limiter to -1 dBTP with oversampling enabled so inter-sample peaks are caught.
- Hard clipping: back off the output and use deliberate saturation instead of accidental full-scale clipping.
- Too quiet: raise loudness toward -14 LUFS, but keep the true-peak ceiling intact.
- DC offset: high-pass around 20-30 Hz to recenter the waveform and recover headroom.
- Album jumps: meter every track and keep integrated LUFS consistent across the record.
Targets that travel well
You do not need a different master per platform. One clean, controlled master translates everywhere once normalization is applied.
A safe recipe
- Master toward roughly -14 LUFS integrated, then trust your ears and the genre.
- Hold true peak at -1 dBTP so MP3 and AAC encoding does not clip.
- Audition a lossy render to confirm no codec-induced distortion or pumping.
- Reference a track with the dynamics you want, not the loudest one you can find.
What Mix Analyzer adds
You get the master read the way streaming will hear it - loudness, true peak, and clipping measured, with a per-platform view of how your track lands before you upload.
In every analysis
- Integrated loudness (LUFS) and loudness range.
- True peak in dBTP with a pass or fail against the -1 dBTP ceiling.
- Clipping and DC-offset detection.
- Per-platform streaming targets so you see the gain offset each service will apply.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should I master to?
Around -14 LUFS integrated is a safe cross-platform target; Apple Music references -16. A clean, dynamic master near -14 translates well everywhere - let the genre, not a number, lead.
What is true peak or dBTP?
True peak is the real signal level reconstructed between digital samples, which can exceed the highest sample value. It is measured by upsampling (ITU-R BS.1770) and matters because lossy codecs can push peaks above 0 dB.
Why does Spotify turn my song down?
Spotify normalizes playback to about -14 LUFS, so any master louder than that is attenuated to match other tracks. Extra loudness buys nothing but lost dynamics.
Is -14 LUFS a strict rule?
No. It is a playback normalization reference, not an upload limit. You can deliver louder or quieter and the platform just adjusts the level.
What causes inter-sample clipping?
Masters peaking near 0 dBFS reconstruct above full scale between samples, and lossy encoding amplifies it into distortion. A -1 dBTP ceiling with oversampling prevents it.
Should I use a true-peak limiter?
Yes - set the ceiling to -1 dBTP, or -2 for very loud masters, with true-peak or oversampling enabled, so the master survives codec conversion without clipping.
Further reading
- Spotify - Loudness normalization — Official -14 LUFS and -1/-2 dBTP guidance.
- Wikipedia - LUFS — What LUFS/LKFS means and how integrated loudness is measured.
- Wikipedia - ITU-R BS.1770 — The loudness and true-peak measurement standard.
- AES - Loudness project — True-peak versus sample-peak metering, explained.
- iZotope Learn - Mastering for streaming platforms — A practical LUFS and normalization primer.
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