Loudness meter: LUFS & true peak
Drop a beat or a master to see its integrated loudness, true peak and loudness range, and how Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music will play it back.
How streaming services will play it
Services normalise playback to a reference level. A master louder than the reference is turned down; a quieter one may be turned up or left quieter, depending on the service and its settings.
| Platform | Reference | Your track | Playback |
|---|
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What the numbers mean
Integrated loudness (LUFS) is the average loudness of the whole file, measured the way people hear it. It is the number streaming services use to set playback volume. Quiet passages below the gate are ignored, so a silent intro does not drag the number down.
True peak (dBTP) is the highest point of the real waveform, including peaks that fall between samples. When it is above -1 dBTP, the file can distort after it is turned into MP3 or AAC for streaming. A true-peak limiter on the master bus fixes this.
Loudness range (LU) shows how much the loudness moves between sections. Rap and trap beats usually sit between 3 and 7 LU; a very low number often means a heavily limited master.
Typical targets
| Use | Integrated | True peak |
|---|---|---|
| Beat for YouTube or BeatStars (trap, drill) | -10 to -7 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| Streaming-friendly master | -14 to -9 LUFS | -1 dBTP |
| Mix before mastering | -20 to -16 LUFS | -6 to -3 dBFS peak |
These are common ranges, not rules. Trust your ears and compare with reference tracks in the same genre.
FAQ
What LUFS should my beat be?
There is no single right number. Streaming services play music back at around -14 LUFS (Apple Music around -16), so a louder master is simply turned down. Most rap and trap beats on YouTube are mastered between -10 and -7 LUFS integrated. Keep the true peak at or below -1 dBTP.
Is my audio uploaded?
No. The file is decoded and measured inside your browser and never leaves your device.
What is the difference between sample peak and true peak?
Sample peak is the highest sample value in the file. True peak estimates the peak of the actual waveform between samples, which can be higher and can cause distortion after MP3 or AAC encoding.
Does this meter follow the standard?
Yes. It uses ITU-R BS.1770-4 K-weighting and EBU R128 gating for integrated loudness, short-term loudness and loudness range. True peak is a 4× oversampled estimate, so it can differ from a hardware meter by a few tenths of a dB.