Distributing your music with inconsistent volume levels means listeners have to constantly adjust their volume knobs. Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube solve this by normalizing all uploads to a target loudness measured in LUFS. If your track is too loud, they turn it down; if it is too quiet, they may limit it or leave it quiet.
Audiobrain's Loudness Fix tool lets you target the exact LUFS values of major platforms. It analyzes your audio files, calculates the integrated loudness, and applies precise gain correction locally on your Mac — ensuring your files sound optimal when published.
Why LUFS Normalization is Essential
Streaming Compliance
Deliver masters that hit the exact standard of Spotify (-14 LUFS) and Apple Music (-16 LUFS) to ensure your music matches the volume of surrounding tracks. If your files are in different formats, batch convert them to WAV before normalising for a lossless workflow.
Podcast Master Consistency
Ensure that all episodes of your podcast hit a standard dialogue loudness level (usually -16 LUFS for stereo, -19 LUFS for mono). Consistent loudness is also a prerequisite when feeding audio into ML pipelines — audio embedding models produce more accurate vectors when input loudness is standardised.
Broadcast Deliveries
Fulfill strict broadcast specs like EBU R128 (-23 LUFS) and ATSC A/85 (-24 LUFS) for TV and radio airplay exports.
Sample Pack Leveling
Level a whole library of loops and samples so they share a consistent perceived volume, creating a more cohesive user experience. Normalised loops also work significantly better when used with the seamless audio looper — consistent gain means cleaner crossfades.
Pre-Master Gain Staging
Prepare raw tracks and stems for mixdown or mastering by bringing them to a consistent starting gain level.
Client Demos and Previews
Level different song drafts so your clients can compare mixes side-by-side without being fooled by minor level discrepancies.
Loudness Fix Settings & Standards
| Target Standard | Target LUFS | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify / YouTube | -14 LUFS | Commercial pop, rock, electronic music streaming releases. |
| Apple Music | -16 LUFS | Apple Music tracks, stereo podcasts, and mobile media platforms. |
| Podcast Mono | -19 LUFS | Speech-only, single-channel podcast exports. |
| Broadcast (EU) | -23 LUFS | Television and radio broadcast deliveries (EBU R128). |
| Broadcast (US) | -24 LUFS | North American TV and film delivery standards (ATSC A/85). |
How to Normalize Audio to LUFS on Mac — Step by Step
Open Audiobrain and click the Loudness Fix tool from the side panel.
Drag individual audio files (MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, M4A, or AAC) or an entire folder of tracks into the drop zone.
Select your desired target loudness level (e.g. -14 LUFS for streaming or custom LUFS settings).
Choose whether to keep original formats or select a target format. The tool applies clean digital gain without re-compressing uncompressed WAV/FLAC files.
Click Normalize. Audiobrain processes the batch locally, writing the normalized copies to a new folder so your original files remain untouched.
FAQ
What is LUFS in audio metering?
LUFS stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale. It is an international standard metering system designed to measure the perceived loudness of audio files over time, ensuring a consistent volume level across different audio clips without distortion.
What LUFS target should I use for streaming platforms?
Most major streaming platforms normalize audio to specific targets: Spotify and YouTube target -14 LUFS, Apple Music targets -16 LUFS, and broadcast media (EBU R128) targets -23 LUFS. Audiobrain allows you to set your target precisely to match these standards.
Does Loudness Fix change the dynamic range of my mix?
No. Audiobrain uses clean linear gain adjustments to raise or lower the overall volume of your track to hit the target LUFS. It does not compress, limit, or modify the relative dynamics of your mix.
Can I normalize multiple audio tracks at once?
Yes. The Loudness Fix tool supports batch processing. Drag a full folder of audio tracks, choose your target LUFS (e.g. -14 LUFS), and Audiobrain will analyze and adjust every track in one pass.
Does this tool work completely offline?
Yes. Like all tools in Audiobrain, the Loudness Fix runs 100% locally on your Mac using our bundled engine. No files are uploaded to any server, keeping your masters completely secure.