LUFS meter

Read loudness, peaks and dynamics together

Six readings from one file

Integrated loudness describes the gated average across the file. Short-term maximum and momentary maximum show louder passages over shorter windows. Loudness range describes variation, while true peak and peak-to-loudness ratio give another view of headroom and dynamics. Read these measurements together: two songs can share an integrated value while feeling very different. This LUFS meter measures the audio you give it; it does not change gain, compress a mix or export a louder master.

Measurement with a stated method

The analysis uses K-weighting and gated loudness measurement following ITU-R BS.1770-5, with loudness range calculated using the EBU method. True peak estimates what happens between samples rather than reporting only the largest stored sample. These definitions help you compare readings with another meter using the same method. A test signal verifies one aspect of measurement; it does not guarantee identical results from differently configured meters, selected regions or differently encoded versions of a recording.

See the shape of the whole recording

The short-term graph shows how loudness changes as the track develops. A quiet introduction, a sustained chorus and a long fade can produce a reasonable average while telling very different musical stories. Use the reference line as a reading aid, then listen to the corresponding sections. The batch view also helps compare several bounces or tracks in a sequence. Its purpose is to expose differences you can investigate, rather than prescribe one loudness number for every style. For a practical comparison, keep the playback version and measurement version aligned. If you trim a long silence, add an outro or replace a compressed export, measure the new file rather than carrying over numbers from a previous bounce. A report is a record of that specific audio, not a permanent property of the song title. This is especially useful when several masters have nearly identical filenames and a collaborator needs to know which delivered version a set of readings describes.

Who benefits from measuring a finished file

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  Mix engineers checking a bounce

  Measure the actual exported mix before passing it to mastering. A bus meter inside a session may have measured an earlier playback, an incomplete section or a signal before the final export settings. Reading the file closes that gap. Compare an alternative bounce made with less limiting and look at the change in true peak, integrated loudness and loudness range. Keep the artistic decision in your ears: an extra decibel on the display does not establish which mix communicates better.

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  Artists sequencing a release

  Add several tracks when you want to understand an EP or album as a set. Differences between songs may be intentional, especially when an acoustic interlude sits beside a dense arrangement. Measure each file, listen across the transitions and decide whether a level difference supports the sequence. Use the spread as a prompt for listening rather than automatically forcing every song to match. Album playback and individual-track playback can also use different normalization behavior on the receiving service.

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  Editors preparing spoken audio

  A podcast or interview benefits from a complete-file reading because speech contains pauses, changes of speaker and occasional loud interruptions. Check the integrated figure alongside true peak, then listen to the quietest speaker and the loudest edit. The delivery guidance on the page provides useful reference points, but a distributor or broadcaster may supply a different specification. Verify the current requirement with the destination before delivery, and measure the final encoded file when compression is part of that delivery.

How to measure loudness in the browser

1. 1

   Choose the file you will deliver

   Drop a supported audio file or use the built-in demo to learn the display. For a release check, select the final bounce rather than a reference excerpt. A compressed preview can produce different peaks from the original WAV, so choose the version that matches your question. The file is read and analyzed in the browser on your device. Larger recordings require more time and working memory; keep the page open until the analysis finishes and the result appears.

2. 2

   Read the average and inspect exceptions

   Start with integrated LUFS, then inspect true peak and the short-term graph. Locate sustained loud sections as well as isolated spikes. A high true peak with a moderate integrated value can indicate a very different situation from a heavily limited song with little headroom. Check any target comparison against the intended delivery context. This page reports a measurement; a warning color is an invitation to review the audio and the specification, rather than proof the recording sounds bad.

3. 3

   Keep a report and choose a next step

   Download the CSV report when you need a record of the reading, or send the file to the mastering workspace to make an audible change. Re-measure the resulting export so you compare delivered files using the same method. If your main question is streaming turn-down, use the loudness penalty tool for its platform table. If your question is tonal balance, use the equalizer or studio. Each tool answers a different part of preparing a release.

LUFS measurement questions

Learn how

Guides and tutorials that use this tool, with real screens and real numbers.

• GuideAI masteringHow to master a track before releaseWhat mastering changes, how loud a song should be for streaming, and how to check your master the way Spotify, Apple Music and a phone speaker will play it.