Streaming platforms play everyone’s music at a normalised volume, so mastering for Spotify or Apple Music isn’t about being the loudest — it’s about hitting the right loudness and staying clean. This guide explains how to master a song for streaming, what loudness to target, and how to do it free.
Short on time? Upload your mix to our free AI Mastering tool, choose a streaming target, and download a release-ready master. Here’s the full picture.
What loudness should you master to?
Loudness is measured in LUFS. Streaming services normalise playback to around −14 LUFS, so mastering much louder than that just gets turned down — and often sounds more squashed. Aim for roughly −14 LUFS for a dynamic, streaming-safe master; go a little louder (−9 to −12) only if you want more density for club or hip-hop, knowing platforms may pull it back. Our LUFS Targets reference lists the numbers for each platform.
Keep true peaks below −1 dBTP
Cap your master’s peaks at about −1 dBTP (true peak). This leaves headroom so the lossy encoding streaming platforms use doesn’t introduce distortion, and it keeps you distributor-safe. A good limiter (or an AI master) handles this automatically.
How to master a song for streaming — step by step
- Start with a good mix. Mastering polishes a mix; it can’t fix a bad one. Balance and clean it first.
- Upload to the AI Mastering tool. Use Quick Master for an instant in-browser master, or AI Reference Match to match a commercial track you like.
- Choose a loudness target — Streaming −14 for most releases.
- Compare and download a no-watermark WAV or MP3, true-peak limited and ready to upload.
Get the mix right first
The biggest gains come before mastering. If your mix is muddy or the vocal is buried, fix it first: separate and rebalance parts with the AI Stem Splitter, clean a rough vocal with the AI Audio Enhancer, or shape tone with the Online Equalizer. Then master.
AI mastering vs. a mastering engineer
For streaming singles and demos, AI mastering handles most of what you need — fast, free, and consistent. For a flagship release, vinyl, or album sequencing, a human engineer will still get you further. For everyday online releases, an AI master to −14 LUFS with −1 dBTP peaks is more than enough.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?
Around −14 LUFS, which matches Spotify’s normalisation, with true peaks at −1 dBTP. Apple Music targets a similar level. Mastering much louder just gets turned down.
How do I master a song for streaming for free?
Upload your mix to a free AI mastering tool, choose a streaming (−14 LUFS) target, and download the master. Our AI Mastering tool does this with no watermark.
Why shouldn’t I just make it as loud as possible?
Streaming platforms normalise loudness, so an over-loud master is turned down and can sound squashed. Targeting −14 LUFS keeps it dynamic and competitive after normalisation.
What is true peak and why −1 dBTP?
True peak accounts for peaks that appear after lossy encoding. Limiting to −1 dBTP leaves headroom so streaming codecs don’t distort your master.
Do I need to master every song before uploading?
Yes — mastering sets a consistent, competitive loudness and final polish, so your track sits well next to others on a playlist.
