Track Loudness & True Peak Calculator

LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is critical in mastering because it measures perceived loudness rather than just peak levels. Unlike dBFS, which only tracks signal peaks, LUFS accounts for human hearing sensitivity, particularly to mid-range frequencies. This makes it the industry standard for loudness normalisation on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, ensuring consistent playback volumes across tracks. Using LUFS helps avoid listener fatigue caused by overly loud tracks and ensures compliance with platform-specific loudness targets.

Streaming platforms use LUFS to set loudness targets to ensure consistent playback volume across their catalogs. For instance, Spotify typically normalises tracks to -14 LUFS, while Apple Music targets around -16 LUFS. These targets are based on research into listener preferences and aim to prevent loudness wars, where tracks are excessively compressed to sound louder. Tracks exceeding these targets are automatically turned down, while quieter tracks are boosted, making it essential to master your track close to the platform's target to avoid unintended dynamic changes.

True peak measures the actual maximum signal level after digital-to-analog conversion, accounting for inter-sample peaks that can exceed the digital sample peaks. Sample peak, on the other hand, only measures the highest amplitude of individual digital samples. True peak is more accurate for preventing distortion during playback, especially on streaming platforms or consumer devices. Mastering with true peak limits ensures your track doesn’t clip or distort when converted to lossy formats like MP3 or AAC.

One common mistake is applying excessive gain without considering the impact on true peak levels, which can lead to clipping and distortion. Another issue is over-compressing or limiting to reduce peaks, which can squash dynamics and make the track sound lifeless. It's also important to re-measure LUFS after adjustments, as small changes in EQ or compression can significantly affect perceived loudness. Always balance loudness adjustments with dynamic range preservation to maintain the track's musicality.

To meet both loudness and true peak requirements, start by setting your target LUFS based on the platform’s guidelines (e.g., -14 LUFS for Spotify). Use a limiter to control peaks, ensuring they stay below -1 dBTP (decibels true peak) to prevent inter-sample clipping. Apply gain adjustments gradually, and validate your track with a reliable loudness meter that measures both LUFS and true peak. Finally, test your track on multiple playback systems to confirm it translates well across devices.

This often happens because perceived loudness isn’t solely determined by LUFS. Factors like frequency balance, dynamic range, and transient clarity also play a significant role. Tracks with a well-balanced mix and controlled dynamics can sound louder at the same LUFS level compared to overly compressed or poorly mixed tracks. To optimise perceived loudness, focus on enhancing clarity, punch, and balance during mixing and mastering, rather than relying solely on higher LUFS levels.

Headroom is the buffer space between your track’s loudest peak and 0 dBFS. It’s crucial for preventing clipping and distortion during mastering and ensures there’s room for processing like EQ, compression, and limiting. For modern mastering, it’s recommended to leave at least 6 dB of headroom before applying a limiter. Additionally, ensure your final true peak doesn’t exceed -1 dBTP to account for inter-sample peaks, especially when converting to lossy formats like MP3.

Lossy compression can introduce inter-sample peaks that exceed the original true peak levels, causing distortion on playback. This happens because the compression process alters the waveform, potentially creating peaks that weren’t present in the original file. To mitigate this, ensure your final master’s true peak does not exceed -1 dBTP. Using a limiter with true peak detection and validating your track in the target lossy format can help prevent these issues.