What loudness should you target for SoundCloud?
SoundCloud historically applies little or no loudness normalisation, so what you upload is roughly what listeners hear: loud stays loud, quiet stays quiet. That is freedom, not a licence to crush the master. A clean, streaming-consistent level around -14 LUFS travels safely; if you push louder for a particular release, watch your true-peak (-1 dBTP) and your transients. Loudness is a creative choice here, not a platform requirement.
When you export from Quantara targeting SoundCloud, the engine measures your master's integrated loudness (ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128), normalises it toward the -14.0 LUFS reference, and holds inter-sample (true) peaks under -1 dBTP. It will not slam a quiet, dynamic track up to a loud number just to hit a target — and since the major streaming platforms normalise playback anyway, sitting near the reference is what actually matters. You stay in control: tweak the chain, A/B against the original, and export when it sounds right.
How to master your track for SoundCloud
Upload your mix
Drag and drop your WAV, FLAC or MP3 file into Quantara Studio. No account needed to try. Supports files up to 500MB.
Select SoundCloud preset
Click the SoundCloud target. The mastering chain starts from a -14.0 LUFS reference with EQ, compression, and true mid/side stereo widening for this target.
A/B compare and export
Press Play and flip between Before and After to hear the difference. When you're happy, click Export to download your SoundCloud master in WAV 24-bit, normalised toward -14.0 LUFS with true-peak limiting at -1 dBTP.
Best genres for SoundCloud mastering
These genres perform especially well with the SoundCloud preset: Electronic, Hip-Hop, Trap, House, Techno. Each genre has its own frequency balance and dynamics, so treat the preset as a starting point and fine-tune by ear.
Why master SoundCloud with Quantara?
Traditional mastering engineers charge $50-300 per track and require 2-5 business days. Quantara gives you a fast, transparent mastering chain tuned for SoundCloud — free (3 exports/month) or unlimited on the Pro plan at €9/month. It is a strong, measurable starting point, not a replacement for a trained engineer's ears on a critical release.
Our 9-stage mastering chain — HPF, sub enhancement, low-mid EQ, presence boost, air EQ, stereo widening, glue compression, harmonic saturation, and true-peak limiting — is tuned toward SoundCloud and fully adjustable in real time — and every stage is shown on real LUFS, true-peak and gain-reduction meters, so you can verify what it does.
Unlike generic online mastering tools, Quantara Music gives you full control: adjust all 9 parameters in real time, hear the difference with A/B bypass, and export when you're satisfied. All processing happens in your browser — your audio never leaves your device until you choose to save it.
FAQ — SoundCloud mastering
Yes — master and preview for free, 3 exports/month, no credit card. Unlimited on the Pro plan.
Use -14.0 LUFS integrated as a reference and keep true peak under -1 dBTP. Master for the song first — most platforms normalise playback.
Upload WAV, FLAC or MP3 up to 500MB. Export WAV 16/24-bit, true-peak-safe.
Ready to master your track for SoundCloud?
Free — 3 exports/month — no credit card required
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