Pro
Loudness
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Louder.
Loudness is how loud the file feels, in LUFS. The chips in Pro set the target and mark the export as mastered.
- Spotify and YouTube: −14.
- Apple Music: −16.
- Louder: −9. This is a choice, not a place you have to land. Services will turn a very loud file down.
Check loudness measures the song you have and reports the LUFS and the loudest peak. Make it sound finished sets −14 on its own, because that is the level a phone and Spotify already expect.
The master ceiling stays at −1 dB. That is the true-peak limit on the way out. It is separate from the loudness target. A song can be −14 and still have its peaks held at −1.
Styles set their own targets. Pop is −14, Hip-hop is −11, EDM is −9, Rock is −12, Lo-fi and Acoustic are −16, Cinematic is −18. Picking a style after a loudness chip replaces that target.