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Loudness Analyzer (LUFS)

Get integrated LUFS, loudness range, sample peak and estimated true peak per EBU R128 and ITU-R BS.1770, and see the gap to each streaming platform's target.

Drop a track here to measure its loudness

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  • No cost
  • No sign-up
  • Runs on-device

What gets measured here

You get integrated loudness in LUFS, loudness range in LU, sample peak in dBFS, an estimated true peak in dBTP, and a crest-style dynamic range value. Integrated loudness is computed under the gating rules in ITU-R BS.1770-4: the programme is broken into overlapping 400 ms blocks, an absolute gate at -70 LUFS drops silent sections, and a relative gate 10 LU below the ungated mean removes quiet passages so a long fade-out can't drag the overall number down.

Loudness range, following EBU Tech 3342, comes from the spread of short-term loudness values between the 10th and 95th percentiles. It answers a different question than dynamic range does — not how far the peaks sit above the average, but how much the perceived level shifts as the track unfolds.

How platform normalization actually plays out

Every major streaming service adjusts playback level so listeners aren't reaching for the volume knob between songs. Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music sit near -14 LUFS, Apple Music's Sound Check is closer to -16 LUFS, and EBU R128 fixes European broadcast at -23 LUFS.

The knock-on effect is straightforward: a -6 LUFS master hitting a -14 LUFS target gets pulled down 8 dB. You inherit all the damage from limiting and gain nothing in perceived loudness. Mastering at or just under the target, with the dynamics the track calls for, gives a better result on the same playback system.

One wrinkle: some services won't add gain to a quiet file at all, so a master well below target simply plays back quiet. Staying within a couple of LU of the target is the safest zone either way.

Turning a reading into a mix decision

When integrated loudness reads too high, ease off the limiter drive instead of just pulling down the output fader — the aim is fewer gain-reduction events, not the same squashing at a quieter level. If true peak is over -1 dBTP, lower the limiter's ceiling; inter-sample overs are the most common cause of distortion that only shows up after encoding.

If loudness range is unusually narrow on music that should have room to breathe, revisit buss compression and automation before touching the limiter. If it's unusually wide and the track feels uneven on small speakers, gentle level automation across sections is typically a more musical fix than adding compression.

Common questions

  • LUFS is short for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale, a perceived-loudness measurement defined in ITU-R BS.1770. It applies a K-weighting filter modelled on how human hearing responds across frequencies, plus a gating rule that skips over near-silent passages.

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