Unchained tools

LUFS meter

Measure your master's loudness the way streaming platforms do: integrated LUFS, true peak, loudness range, and what normalisation will do to it.

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Decoding…
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LUFS integrated
The single number platforms use to decide how much to turn your track up or down.
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True peak dBTP
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Sample peak dBFS
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Short-term max
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Loudness range LU

What platforms will do with it

Only platforms that publish their target are listed. Apple Music's Sound Check, YouTube, Amazon and TIDAL normalise loudness too, but none of them state a number, so we do not guess one here. Targets can change, and normalisation applies at playback: your file itself is never altered.

Measured to ITU-R BS.1770-4 with EBU R 128 gating, the standard behind every major platform's loudness normalisation. Numbers can differ from other meters by a tenth or two of a LU; that is normal between implementations.

Runs in your browser. Your audio is decoded and measured on your device, never uploaded.

How it works

01

Drop in the track

WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A or OGG. The file is decoded on your device and measured to ITU-R BS.1770-4 with EBU R 128 gating.

02

Read the numbers

Integrated LUFS is the headline: the single figure platforms use. True peak, short-term max and loudness range sit alongside it.

03

Check the headroom

True peak above -1 dBTP risks distortion when platforms transcode to lossy formats. The meter flags it and says what to change.

What LUFS is, and why the loudness war is over

LUFS measures loudness the way ears experience it rather than the way meters used to: over the whole track, weighted toward the frequencies people actually hear. Streaming platforms measure every track the same way and adjust playback so listeners are not reaching for the volume knob between songs. That adjustment is loudness normalisation, and it quietly ended the loudness war.

The practical consequence: mastering louder than a platform's target buys nothing. A master crushed to -6 LUFS gets turned down to the same perceived loudness as one at the target, and keeps all the squashed dynamics it paid for the loudness with. Mastering for how the track should feel, then checking the numbers, beats chasing a figure.

True peak is the second number worth watching. Sample peaks measure the dots; true peak measures the waveform between them, which is what a converter or a lossy encoder actually reproduces. A master whose samples never touch full scale can still clip between samples, which is why a limiter ceiling of -1 dBTP is the common recommendation for streaming.

This meter implements the same standard the platforms use, BS.1770, with the gating rules from EBU R 128, and measures true peak on a four-times oversampled signal. Different meters legitimately disagree by a tenth or two of a LU; anything more usually means one of them is not gating.

LUFS questions, answered

What LUFS should I master to?

There is no single required number. Spotify documents -14 LUFS and Deezer states -15, and louder masters simply get turned down at playback. Master for how the track should feel, keep true peak under -1 dBTP, and let normalisation do its job.

What is the difference between LUFS and dB?

dBFS measures electrical level against full scale; LUFS measures perceived loudness over time, frequency-weighted to match hearing. Two tracks can peak identically and differ wildly in LUFS.

What is integrated versus short-term loudness?

Integrated is one number for the whole track, with quiet passages gated out; it is what platforms use. Short-term is a rolling three-second window; its maximum shows how loud the loudest stretch sustains.

What is true peak and why is it higher than my sample peak?

The reconstructed waveform between samples can exceed the samples themselves. True peak measures that, on a four-times oversampled signal. It is what clips converters and lossy encoders, which is why streaming masters usually leave -1 dBTP of ceiling.

What is loudness range (LRA)?

The spread between the quiet and loud parts of the track, in LU. A club master might sit around 3 to 5; dynamic material lands well above that. There is no correct value; it describes character, not compliance.

Will platforms turn my track up if it is quiet?

Some do, some only turn down. Spotify applies positive gain with a limiter safeguard; others leave quiet masters as they are. One more reason not to master quiet just to dodge normalisation.

Why do different LUFS meters show slightly different numbers?

Windowing and edge handling differ between implementations, so a tenth or two of a LU of disagreement is normal. This meter tracks ffmpeg's EBU R 128 implementation within that tolerance on test signals.

Is this LUFS meter free?

Yes. Free to use, no account, nothing uploaded. It is one of a set of browser tools we build for artists and labels preparing releases.

Goes well with

Mastered, measured, ready. Now release it.

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