Loudness targets
Loudness targets, in one table
Streaming services turn your master up or down to their reference level. Broadcasters and platforms like Netflix instead require the mix to land inside a tolerance. Here are the numbers, what they mean, and how to check them while the session plays.
Two kinds of target
People say "loudness target" for two different things, and it's worth keeping them apart.
- Streaming normalization. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and the others measure each track's integrated loudness and adjust playback gain towards a reference level. Nobody rejects your master for being loud. It just gets turned down, and it plays at roughly the same level as everything else.
- Delivery specs. Broadcast (EBU R128, ATSC A/85), streaming video like Netflix, and some podcast platforms publish a target with a tolerance. The mix is expected to land inside that window, with true peak under a ceiling. Miss it and the programme may be sent back, or someone downstream will change your level for you.
So for music the useful question is "how much will this be turned down?" For TV, film and podcasts it's "am I within spec?" MixOutpost answers each question in those terms.
All targets
| Target | Type | Integrated | Tolerance | True peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Streaming | −14 LUFS | n/a | −1 dBTP |
| Apple Music | Streaming | −16 LUFS | n/a | −1 dBTP |
| YouTube | Streaming | −14 LUFS | n/a | −1 dBTP |
| Amazon Music | Streaming | −14 LUFS | n/a | −2 dBTP |
| Tidal | Streaming | −14 LUFS | n/a | −1 dBTP |
| Deezer | Streaming | −15 LUFS | n/a | −1 dBTP |
| EBU R128 | Broadcast (Europe) | −23 LUFS | ±1 LU | −1 dBTP |
| ATSC A/85 | Broadcast (US) | −24 LKFS | ±2 dB | −2 dBTP |
| Netflix | Film and series | −27 LKFS* | ±2 dB | −2 dBTP |
| Apple Podcasts | Podcast | −16 LUFS | ±1 LU | −1 dBTP |
* Netflix measures dialogue only. Most meters, MixOutpost included, measure the whole mix, so treat a full-mix reading as a guide. See the Netflix page. For what the true-peak column means and why it isn't 0, read true peak explained.
Targets change
Services and broadcasters revise their numbers and methods. The figures on these pages match the targets built into MixOutpost at the time of writing. For a delivery, the spec sheet you were given always wins.
Every target, one page each
Each page covers what the service or spec actually does with your audio, what to aim for, and the quirks worth knowing.
How to check loudness with MixOutpost
MixOutpost streams your Mac's audio to your iPhone and meters it there, live, to EBU R128: momentary (400 ms), short-term (3 s), integrated, loudness range (LRA), true peak and maxima. The meter reads what the Mac sends, before Listen as, Dim, Mute or the phone's volume, so turning the phone down doesn't change the numbers.
- 01
Stream the output
Put the MixOutpost plugin last on your master bus and press Start Sharing, or use the Mac app to send all Mac audio. Pair the phone once with a QR code.
- 02
Pick a target
In Listen, open the Loudness tab. For a music service, the app shows how many dB it would turn the track down. For EBU R128, ATSC A/85, Netflix or Apple Podcasts it shows within spec, or too loud or too quiet by how many dB.
- 03
Reset and play it through
Integrated loudness and LRA build up from the last reset. Reset, play the song or programme from the top, and read the result at the end.
The proposed split keeps momentary and short-term LUFS free, with integrated loudness, LRA, true peak and the targets in Pro. See pricing. New to the units? Start with LUFS explained.
Questions
What's the difference between a streaming target and a delivery spec?
A streaming target is where the service plays your track back: it measures the loudness and adjusts playback gain, so a louder master is simply turned down. A delivery spec is a requirement: the mix has to land within a tolerance of the target, or it can be rejected or corrected by someone else.
Are LUFS and LKFS the same?
Yes. Both are loudness measured to ITU-R BS.1770 with K-weighting, relative to full scale. EBU documents say LUFS; ATSC and many US specs say LKFS. A reading of −24 LKFS is −24 LUFS.
Do I have to master every release to −14 LUFS?
No. Streaming targets are playback references, not rules. A master louder than the reference gets turned down, so the question is how much turn-down you accept for the sound you want. Keep an eye on true peak either way.
Which targets does MixOutpost include?
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer for music; EBU R128, ATSC A/85 and Netflix for TV and film; and Apple Podcasts, which appears when Show podcast targets is on in Settings.
Is loudness metering free?
The proposed split keeps momentary and short-term LUFS free, with integrated loudness, LRA, true peak and the targets in a one-time Pro purchase.
Hear your mix on your phone
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