What loudness should you target for Spotify?
Spotify normalises playback to about -14 LUFS integrated. If your master is louder, Spotify simply turns it down on playback, so you gain no loudness and only lose dynamic range and headroom. If it is quieter, Spotify turns it up only as far as its peak headroom allows, keeping 1 dB of headroom for lossy encoding. Master for the song first; -14 LUFS is a sensible reference, not a number you must hit. Keep true-peak under -1 dBTP so lossy encoding does not clip.
When you export from Quantara targeting Spotify, 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.
Spotify's official loudness numbers
Normalization reference: -14 LUFS integrated, measured according to ITU 1770.
True peak: below -1 dBTP; below -2 dBTP if your master is louder than -14 LUFS.
Listener volume levels (Premium): Loud -11 LUFS, Normal -14 LUFS, Quiet -19 LUFS. Albums are normalized as a whole.
Source: Loudness normalization on Spotify, Spotify for Artists. The full explanation is in our Spotify loudness normalization guide.
How to master your track for Spotify
Upload your mix
Create an account (no card needed), then drag and drop your WAV, FLAC or MP3 file into Quantara Studio. Supports files up to 500MB.
Select Spotify preset
Click the Spotify target. The mastering chain starts from a -14.0 LUFS reference with tone, dynamics and stereo width tuned 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 Spotify master in the format your plan includes (WAV, FLAC or MP3), normalised toward -14.0 LUFS with true-peak limiting at -1 dBTP.
Genres to pair with Spotify
Genre starting points to pair with the Spotify target: Pop, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Rock, Indie. Each genre has its own frequency balance and dynamics, so treat the preset as a starting point and fine-tune by ear.
Why master Spotify with Quantara?
A mastering engineer brings trained ears to a release. Quantara gives you a fast, transparent mastering chain tuned for Spotify: try it with a free account (1 export with a watermark), then unlimited on the Pro plan at €8.99/month. It is a strong, measurable starting point, not a replacement for a trained engineer's ears on a critical release.
Quantara Music masters with its own engine — no AI model. The Spotify starting point is fully adjustable in real time, and every change shows on real LUFS, true-peak and gain-reduction meters, so you can verify what it does.
Quantara Music gives you full control: adjust every control in real time, hear the difference with A/B bypass, and export when you're satisfied. Mastering runs entirely in your browser: your files are not uploaded for mastering.
FAQ — Spotify mastering
Yes — master and preview in the studio; a free account includes 1 export with a watermark, no credit card. Exports without a watermark come with Pay Per Track, Pro or Studio. Unlimited exports are available 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 streaming platforms normalise playback, so the reference matters more than chasing a loud number.
Upload WAV, FLAC or MP3 up to 500MB. Export WAV, FLAC or MP3, depending on your plan, normalised toward the Spotify reference with true-peak-safe limiting.
Yes. Spotify for Artists says it adjusts tracks to -14 dB LUFS according to the ITU 1770 standard and recommends mastering to -14 dB integrated LUFS.
Below -1 dBTP. If your master is louder than -14 LUFS, Spotify recommends keeping true peak below -2 dBTP to avoid extra distortion when the track is encoded.
Ready to master your track for Spotify?
Free account: 1 export with a watermark — no credit card required
Open Quantara Studio →