[FAQ]

I’m mastering my podcast episodes and I’m trying to make sure my audio levels are perfect for Spotify, since that’s where a lot of my audience listens.

I know that Spotify uses loudness normalization, so I want to deliver my audio at their target level to avoid the platform making any unwanted volume changes to my final mix.

What is the specific integrated LUFS target that Spotify normalizes audio to in 2025? And is the recommendation different for a spoken-word podcast versus a music track?

Any help on this specific number would be great. Thanks!

[Jeff Bullas]

That is a crucial technical question. Mastering your audio to the correct loudness standard is a key step for ensuring your content sounds professional on any major audio platform.

For Spotify, the integrated loudness target is approximately -14 LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale). This means Spotify’s loudness normalisation process will analyse your uploaded track and adjust its playback volume so that the average perceived loudness for a listener is around that -14 LUFS level.

Here is what that means for you in practice. First, if you upload a podcast episode that is mastered much louder than -14 LUFS, Spotify will simply turn it down. If your episode is significantly quieter than -14 LUFS, Spotify will turn it up, which can also have the unwanted effect of increasing the volume of any background noise or hiss in your recording.

Second, the professional best practice is therefore to master your audio so that its integrated loudness is right at or just below the platform’s target. This ensures that the final mix you hear is as close as possible to what your audience will hear, with minimal unexpected volume changes applied by Spotify’s system.

Third, while -14 LUFS is the general target on Spotify, particularly for music, it is worth noting that for spoken-word podcasts, mastering to a slightly quieter level of around -16 LUFS is also a very common and safe industry practice. This level still sounds excellent on Spotify and also translates well to other podcast platforms which may have slightly different normalisation standards.

And fourth, in addition to the overall loudness, you should also ensure your audio’s true peaks do not go above -1.0 dBFS (decibels full scale). This helps to prevent any potential clipping or distortion issues that can occur when your audio file is converted into different streaming formats by the platform.

In summary, aim for around -16 LUFS for your spoken-word podcast. This is a professional standard that will ensure a consistent and high-quality listening experience for your audience on Spotify and other major platforms.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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