The Myth of -14 LUFS: What levels to master to? [005]
The whole -14 LUFS thing is well-intentioned, but it's more internet chatter than practical advice. Instead of chasing this myth, let's focus on what truly matters: making your music sound incredible
Hey there,
Remember when you spent hours meticulously mastering a track, aiming for that elusive -14 LUFS? But here's the thing: it might be a bigger myth than Bigfoot himself.
I see some producers online stressing about hitting the -14 LUFS mark for streaming platforms like Spotify. But the truth is, most artists do that end up with unintended consequences for their music.
Have you ever heard a truly quiet song on your favorite playlist, even with loudness normalization turned off? It's rare, right? Because most artists, including your favorite artists, aren't mastering to -14 LUFS.
Here's why:
Normalization isn't everywhere: Many platforms, like Spotify web player and TV apps, don't even have loudness normalization. So, your -14 LUFS track will sound whisper-quiet compared to others.
Normalization isn't perfect: Even with normalization on, many report their -14 LUFS masters still sound quieter in playlists. Plus, different platforms have different targets (Apple Music is -16!), and they can change them anytime. Talk about a moving target!
Multiple masters, multiple headaches: Some suggest making multiple versions for different platforms, but that's a hassle and extra cost through digital aggregators.
The whole -14 LUFS thing is well-intentioned, but it's more internet chatter than practical advice.
Instead of chasing this myth, let's focus on what truly matters: making your music sound incredible. Master to a level that balances dynamics and loudness without going overboard. Trust your ears, not the internet hype.
Create one master that sounds professional, dynamic, and impactful. Let streaming platforms handle the rest. It won't affect the quality of your music, just the volume.
My prefered Lufs Levels
For Techno, House, and Hip-Hop genres, I usually aim for a loudness target between -7 LUFS and -10 LUFS (integrated). However, I mainly check the short-term LUFS measurement and set my target between -6 LUFS and -9 LUFS.
By the way, for mastering ambient or singer-songwriter productions, LUFS values between -10 and -14 LUFS are perfectly acceptable, as dynamics take precedence.
The Difference: Short-Term vs. Integrated LUFS
The integrated LUFS provides the average loudness of the entire audio track. It considers the overall loudness from start to finish.
On the other hand, the short-term LUFS value focuses on specific segments of the music track, such as the loudest part with sudden volume peaks. It measures loudness over a 3-second window.
PS: It's easy to get caught up in the technical details of mastering tracks, like hitting a specific LUFS number. But at the end of the day, what really matters is the emotion and feeling that your music evokes in your listeners.
They want to be moved, to feel something deep inside, and that's what you should aim for. So don't forget to let your creativity run wild and to infuse your tracks with excitement and confidence.
I can't wait to hear what acoustic adventures you create next.
Cheers, Marcus.
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