LUFS Calculator
Enter your measured LUFS and choose a platform to see your target loudness and the gain adjustment needed.
LUFS Calculator
Target
-14 LUFS
±1 LU
Gain adjustment
0 dB
Within target range
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Start free trialHow to Use the LUFS Calculator
1.
Select the target platform
Choose the platform where your content will be published — YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, podcast, TikTok, or one of the broadcast standards (EBU R128 or ATSC A/85).
2.
Enter your measured integrated LUFS
Measure your audio's integrated loudness using a LUFS meter in your DAW (most modern DAWs include one). Enter the integrated LUFS value — it will be a negative number.
3.
Read the target and gain adjustment
The calculator shows the platform's target LUFS and the exact gain adjustment needed in dB. A positive number means your audio is too quiet; negative means too loud.
4.
Apply the gain and re-export
Add a gain plugin at the end of your master bus, apply the adjustment, and re-measure to confirm. Re-export and upload the corrected file.
Why This Matters for Video Creators
Loudness normalisation is the single most impactful mix decision for streaming platforms — and the one most creators get wrong. If your video is mastered at -10 LUFS and uploaded to YouTube, the platform reduces your audio by 4 LU, which can expose compression artefacts and make your content sound worse than a properly mastered competitor. Mastering to the platform target costs nothing and takes minutes, but the difference in perceived quality is significant. For video uploaded to vitelnk, we preserve your original audio — so what you upload is what your audience hears.
LUFS Target Levels by Platform
| Platform | Target (Integrated) | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | −14 LUFS | ±1 LU | Content turned down if louder; never turned up |
| Spotify | −14 LUFS | ±1 LU | Normalised per track |
| Apple Music | −16 LUFS | ±1 LU | Sound Check normalization |
| Tidal | −14 LUFS | ±1 LU | Loudness normalisation on all plans |
| Amazon Music | −14 LUFS | ±1 LU | Loudness normalization enabled by default |
| TikTok | −14 LUFS | ±2 LU | Approximate — no official spec published |
| −14 LUFS | ±2 LU | Approximate — no official spec published | |
| Vimeo | −14 LUFS | ±1 LU | Normalised on upload |
| Podcast (recommended) | −16 LUFS | ±1 LU | Industry convention — no enforcement |
| EBU R128 (EU broadcast) | −23 LUFS | ±0.5 LU | Mandatory for European broadcast delivery |
| ATSC A/85 (US broadcast) | −24 LKFS | ±2 LU | Mandatory for US/Canada/Australia broadcast |
| Netflix / Amazon / Disney+ | −27 LKFS | dialogue-gated | Dialogue-gated measurement (film/TV) |
LUFS and LKFS are the same measurement — LKFS is the broadcast terminology (ITU-R BS.1770), LUFS is the streaming/production term (EBU R128). For most content, master to −14 LUFS integrated and you will land correctly on every major streaming platform.