Every platform has a loudness target. Most services, including Spotify, Tidal and YouTube, normalise to around -14 LUFS integrated. Apple Music typically sit around -16 LUFS. Beatport doesn't normalise, so louder masters tend to have more perceived impact in a DJ set.
The numbers are the starting point, not the destination
99% of the time I'm not staring at a meter waiting for it to hit a number. I'm listening. The question I'm asking is: how much can this track give before it starts to break up? That answer is different for every record.
A dense techno track might be at its best at -9 LUFS. A deep house record with a lot of dynamic range might feel right at -12. A trance anthem built to hit hard on a festival stage needs something different to an intimate late-night record. The genre, the arrangement, the dynamics, they all affect where the right place is.
Loud still wins, done right
A good loud master on Spotify sounds better and louder than a quiet one. Normalisation doesn't fully level the playing field. The trick is getting it loud without sacrificing dynamics. A bad loud master, no low end and all limiter, will sound worse on every platform. A well-crafted loud master will sound better.
You're not gaining anything by pushing past the point where it sounds good. You're just destroying the dynamics for no reason.
What I actually do
Get the master to roughly industry standard, then push until it starts to lose something. When I can feel the track giving up, when the punch softens or the depth starts to flatten, that's where I stop. The sweet spot is always just before that point.
The meter tells you roughly where you are. Your ears tell you if you've gone too far.
If a label has specific loudness requirements, send them before the session and I'll work to them. Otherwise, trust the process.
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Want a master that sounds right on every platform? Sam works to your genre's loudness needs and your specific reference tracks.
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