What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?

Spotify doesn't require one. It plays tracks at -14 LUFS by default and adjusts yours to that: louder masters are turned down, quieter ones up as far as the true peak allows. Many engineers master by ear and check the true peak (under -1 dBTP, or -2 if louder than -14 LUFS).

Is 16-bit WAV OK for Spotify?

Yes, if that's your highest-quality master. Spotify asks for 24-bit when the master is 24-bit, and FLAC is its preferred format.

Why does it say my track has clipping when it sounds fine?

It counts three or more consecutive samples at full scale — the flat tops of a clipped wave. Short clips can be hard to hear on laptop speakers but show up as harshness on headphones, and get worse in lossy encodes. The waveform shows where they are.

Does this check YouTube and Apple Music too?

The table shows Spotify and Apple Podcasts using their published targets. YouTube and Apple Music don't publish a loudness target, so the table says so rather than guessing.

Is my track uploaded?

No. The file is read and measured in your browser; nothing is sent to CAPTD or anyone else.

Is my track ready for Spotify?

Drop in your master and see, in one list, what Spotify asks for and what your file has: format, sample rate, bit depth, loudness, true peak, clipping, mono compatibility and silence at the ends. It's all measured in your browser — the file never leaves your device.

Measured entirely in your browser — your audio is never uploaded anywhere.

Your audio is decoded and measured entirely in your browser. It is never uploaded or stored by CAPTD and never leaves your device.

Promote it with Spotlight

Track ready? Spotlight writes the posts to announce it — captions, hashtags and platform versions for every channel you release on.

Spotlight, CAPTD's workspace for promoting your work, is part of CAPTD's paid plans — see pricing.

Open Spotlight

How to use this

What it does

Reads your file's header for the format, sample rate, bit depth and channels, then decodes it in your browser and measures integrated loudness and true peak (ITU-R BS.1770-4), loudness range (EBU Tech 3342), clipped samples, how it folds to mono, and the silence at the start and end. Each result is checked against Spotify's published delivery and loudness guidance, with a link to the page it comes from.

What you'll need

Your final master — FLAC or WAV ideally, but MP3, AIFF and M4A work too.

Steps

Drop the file on the box, or choose it.
Wait while it's measured — a few seconds for a song.
Work down the checklist: “Fix” and “Check” rows say what to change.
See how loud each platform will play it in the table below.

Reading the result

Green rows meet the published rule. Amber rows are worth a look. Red means something you'll hear (clipping) or a hard requirement (sample rate). Loudness is shown, not judged: Spotify turns loud masters down and quiet ones up within limits, so there's no 'right' loudness — only what each platform does with yours.

Tips

Check the exact file you'll send your distributor — not a bounce from earlier in the session.
If a master is louder than -14 LUFS, Spotify asks for a true peak under -2 dBTP, because the lossy encode can push peaks over.
A loud master isn't louder on Spotify: it's turned down to -14 LUFS, and only the lost dynamics remain.

Learn more

What does Spotify ask for?

Spotify's artist help says it strongly prefers FLAC, also takes plain PCM WAV, at 44.1 kHz or higher, 24-bit if that's your master (16-bit otherwise), in stereo. You deliver through a distributor, which may have rules of its own.

For loudness, Spotify plays tracks at -14 LUFS by default (-11 on Loud, -19 on Quiet for Premium listeners). A louder track is turned down; a quieter one is turned up only as far as its true peak allows, leaving 1 dB of headroom. Spotify asks for a true peak below -1 dBTP, or -2 dBTP for masters louder than -14 LUFS.

Why musicians use it

A distributor rejection costs days; a clipped or out-of-phase master on Spotify costs listeners. Checking the file you're about to upload, against the rules as Spotify publishes them, catches both before release day.

Common mistakes

Uploading an MP3. distributors want the lossless master; Spotify makes its own encodes from it.
Mastering as loud as possible. Spotify turns it down to -14 LUFS anyway; what's left is the distortion and the squashed dynamics.
Ignoring mono. phones and smart speakers play one channel; a wide mix with phase problems can lose its bass or vocal.

FAQ

What LUFS should I master to for Spotify?: Spotify doesn't require one. It plays tracks at -14 LUFS by default and adjusts yours to that: louder masters are turned down, quieter ones up as far as the true peak allows. Many engineers master by ear and check the true peak (under -1 dBTP, or -2 if louder than -14 LUFS).
Is 16-bit WAV OK for Spotify?: Yes, if that's your highest-quality master. Spotify asks for 24-bit when the master is 24-bit, and FLAC is its preferred format.
Why does it say my track has clipping when it sounds fine?: It counts three or more consecutive samples at full scale — the flat tops of a clipped wave. Short clips can be hard to hear on laptop speakers but show up as harshness on headphones, and get worse in lossy encodes. The waveform shows where they are.
Does this check YouTube and Apple Music too?: The table shows Spotify and Apple Podcasts using their published targets. YouTube and Apple Music don't publish a loudness target, so the table says so rather than guessing.
Is my track uploaded?: No. The file is read and measured in your browser; nothing is sent to CAPTD or anyone else.

Sources — checked on 20 October 2026

Silence at the ends and mono compatibility are CAPTD's own rules of thumb (no platform publishes one) and are labelled as such.