It’s great to see your attention to detail in audio production. Understanding Spotify’s Loudness Normalization is crucial for achieving professional audio quality.
In short, Spotify’s loudness normalization adjusts the playback volume of your audio to a target of approximately -14 LUFS. This feature is not a compressor; rather, it balances out volume differences by raising quieter tracks and lowering louder tracks to create a consistent listening experience across the platform.
The key is to master your audio in a way that minimizes the need for this automated adjustment. When your -16 LUFS mastered file is played on Spotify, it will simply be boosted by 2 dB to meet the -14 LUFS target. Conversely, a file mastered at -12 LUFS would be attenuated by 2 dB. Importantly, this adjustment only affects volume and does not introduce new compression or limiting, preserving the dynamic range you’ve carefully crafted in your mix.
For optimal results, master your final audio file to -14 LUFS yourself. This ensures that Spotify’s normalization process applies no gain adjustment, presenting your audio to listeners exactly as intended. Also, ensure that your true peak levels stay below -1.0 dBTP to prevent clipping in case positive gain is applied by the platform.
While this technical aspect is crucial, it’s also part of your broader content strategy. Consider incorporating these specifications into a style guide for your show to maintain consistency, particularly when collaborating with other editors or producers.
It’s worth noting that this standard isn’t exclusive to Spotify; major video platforms like YouTube also adhere to a similar loudness target. By mastering your audio to the -14 LUFS standard, you ensure a consistent and professional sound across various platforms, whether it’s an audio-only podcast, a snippet on social media, or a full video podcast on YouTube.
Best regards,
Sean