How loud is your track, podcast or video soundtrack? This free audio loudness meter measures an audio file’s integrated loudness in LUFS, its true peak in dBTP and its loudness range, then shows how Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, podcast apps and broadcasters would treat it and how much gain you need to hit their targets. Files are measured on your device and never uploaded.
Audio Loudness Meter
Check how loud a song, podcast or video soundtrack is before you publish it. Choose an audio file: it is measured on your device and never uploaded.
or drop it here · MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC (up to 300 MB)
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- Short-term max (3 s)
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- Momentary max (0.4 s)
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- Sample peak
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- RMS level
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- File
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Short-term loudness (3 s) over the whole file; dashed line = integrated loudness, dotted line = chosen target.
Choose a file to see how it compares with streaming and broadcast targets.
| Platform | Target | Gain to reach it | True peak after gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS | – | – |
| YouTube | -14 LUFS | – | – |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | – | – |
| Amazon Music | -14 LUFS | – | – |
| Tidal | -14 LUFS | – | – |
| Deezer | -15 LUFS | – | – |
| Podcasts (Apple guidance) | -16 LUFS | – | – |
| Broadcast, EBU R128 | -23 LUFS | – | – |
| US TV, ATSC A/85 | -24 LUFS | – | – |
Measured with ITU-R BS.1770-4 K-weighting and gating (integrated loudness), EBU Tech 3342 (loudness range) and 4× oversampling (true peak). Files are decoded by your browser, which may resample them to your device's rate. For LUFS of live sound in a room, use a sound level meter instead: LUFS describes recorded audio, not sound in the air.
Related Tools
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- Microphone Test
Check your mic level before you record.
- Sound Decibel Meter
Measure loudness in the room in dB SPL.
How to Check the Loudness of an Audio File
- Press Choose an audio file (or drop one on the box): MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG or FLAC.
- Wait a moment while it is decoded and measured; long files take a few seconds.
- Read the integrated loudness (LUFS), true peak (dBTP) and loudness range (LU).
- Pick a platform under Compare with to see the gain you need and the true peak after that gain.
LUFS, True Peak and Loudness Range Explained
| Measurement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Integrated loudness (LUFS) | The average perceived loudness of the whole file, measured to ITU-R BS.1770-4 with K-weighting and gating that ignores silence. LUFS and LKFS are the same unit. |
| True peak (dBTP) | The highest level of the reconstructed waveform, including peaks between samples that a sample meter misses. It predicts clipping after conversion or encoding. |
| Loudness range (LU) | How much the loudness varies over time (EBU Tech 3342): low for podcasts and pop, higher for film and classical music. |
| Short-term / momentary max | The loudest 3-second and 0.4-second passages. |
| Sample peak and RMS (dBFS) | Traditional digital level readings, for comparison. |
K-weighting is a gentle low cut plus a high-frequency lift that matches how we perceive loudness, similar in spirit to the A-weighting used for sound in the air (dB vs dBA and dBA vs dBC).
Loudness Targets for Streaming, Podcasts and Broadcast
| Where | Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon Music | −14 LUFS | Louder tracks are turned down; Spotify suggests true peak below −1 dBTP (−2 dBTP for masters louder than −14 LUFS) |
| Deezer | −15 LUFS | Normalised playback |
| Apple Music (Sound Check) | −16 LUFS | Adjusts both louder and quieter tracks |
| Podcasts | −16 LUFS | Apple Podcasts guidance, true peak at most −1 dB |
| Broadcast TV (Europe, EBU R128) | −23 LUFS | True peak at most −1 dBTP |
| Broadcast TV (US, ATSC A/85) | −24 LKFS | Same unit as LUFS |
Platforms can change their targets, so treat these as the published guidance at the time of writing. Mastering louder than the target gains nothing on normalising platforms: they simply turn the track down, and the extra compression remains.
LUFS vs dBFS vs dB SPL
dBFS is a digital level relative to the maximum a file can hold (dB vs dBFS); LUFS is perceived loudness measured on a dBFS scale; and dB SPL is the sound pressure in the air when the audio plays (sound pressure level). The same file can play at any dB SPL depending on the volume knob. For room levels, use the sound decibel meter and the decibel chart; the decibel units guide covers all the units.
How to Hit Your Target
- Quieter than the target: raise the gain by the amount shown, and use a true-peak limiter if the true peak after gain would go above −1 dBTP.
- Louder than the target: you can leave it (platforms turn it down) or reduce limiting so the dynamics survive.
- Spoken audio: record in a quiet room so levelling doesn’t raise the background noise too; check it with the background noise test and see podcast room noise levels.
- Remember the scale is logarithmic: +3 dB doubles the power (why; what a decibel is).
Accuracy
The meter follows ITU-R BS.1770-4 (K-weighting, 400 ms blocks, −70 LUFS absolute and −10 LU relative gates) and EBU Tech 3342 for loudness range, and was checked against EBU Tech 3341 and 3342 test signals (for example, a −23 dBFS 1 kHz stereo tone measures −23.0 LUFS). True peak uses 4× oversampling, which can read slightly under the true value for very high frequencies. Your browser decodes the file and may resample it to your device’s rate, which can shift true peak by a fraction of a dB.
Frequently Asked Questions
What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?
Spotify normalises to −14 LUFS. Mastering around −14 LUFS with true peak below −1 dBTP keeps your track as it is; louder masters are turned down.
What is a good LUFS for a podcast?
About −16 LUFS for stereo with true peak no higher than −1 dB, following Apple Podcasts guidance.
Is my audio uploaded?
No. The file is decoded and measured by your browser on your device.