Apple Music LUFS: How Loud Should Your Master Be?

Your track is going out to every platform, and you've probably already tuned your master for Spotify's -14 LUFS. Then you read that Apple Music plays things quieter, and you start wondering if you need a second master. Short version: you don't. Here's what Apple actually says about loudness, what Sound Check does with your song, and how to check your file before you upload it.

Short answer: how many LUFS for Apple Music?

  • Apple Music uses Sound Check to play songs at roughly the same volume. Louder tracks get turned down, quieter tracks get turned up.
  • The commonly cited target is -16 LUFS. Apple's own mastering guide doesn't print a LUFS number, but the -16 LUFS level was widely reported when Apple moved Sound Check to LUFS-based measurement, for example by Production Expert. That's 2 dB quieter than Spotify's -14 LUFS.
  • Leave at least 1 dB of headroom. That one is straight from Apple, to avoid clipping when your file is encoded.
  • Don't make a separate Apple master. Master for how you want the song to sound, keep your peaks safe and upload one file.

What Sound Check does to your song

Apple explains Sound Check in its Apple Digital Masters guide. In short:

  1. Apple measures the loudness of your track.
  2. That measurement is stored in the file's metadata.
  3. During playback, the volume is raised or lowered based on that metadata, so listeners don't get a sudden jump in volume on shuffle.

Apple also says Sound Check can set the volume per album instead of per song. So when someone plays your EP front to back, the level differences between your tracks can stay intact. That's one more reason to master an EP as a whole, not every song to its own loudness.

One line in that guide is worth remembering: songs that were mastered loud get played back at a lower volume, which Apple says can make them actually sound weaker. In other words, squashing your master to win the loudness war doesn't win you anything on Apple Music.

Listeners can turn Sound Check off

Sound Check is a listener setting. According to Apple Support, you'll find it here:

  • iPhone or iPad: Settings > Apps > Music > Sound Check.
  • Mac: open the Music app, choose Music > Settings, click the Playback tab and select or deselect Sound Check.

So some of your listeners hear your master normalized and some hear it exactly as you delivered it. Your master has to work in both situations. That's why "sounds good" beats "hits a number".

Apple Music vs Spotify: does -16 vs -14 matter?

A little, but not in the way people fear. If your master sits at -9 LUFS, which is common for loud trap and drill, Spotify turns it down by about 5 dB and Apple Music by about 7 dB. Both platforms turn it down. The only question is how much.

What you'll notice is the difference between a dynamic master and a crushed one. After normalization, both play at a similar level, and the crushed one can come across flatter, with smaller drums and less punch from the 808. On a platform that plays quieter, that comparison is just a bit easier to hear.

Most distributors send the same audio file to every store anyway, so one solid master is the realistic approach. Want to see all the platform targets side by side? Check LUFS for streaming: targets per platform. For the Spotify details, read how many LUFS for Spotify.

Headroom and inter-sample clipping

This is where Apple is most specific. In the Apple Digital Masters guide, Apple warns that a file sitting at 0 dBFS can clip when it's oversampled during encoding, even if it never clipped in your DAW. Apple's advice:

  • Leave at least 1 dB of headroom.
  • Check for inter-sample clipping, the peaks that fall between samples.
  • Avoid clipping the signal at all.

In practice: put a limiter last on your master, use its true peak mode if it has one, and set the ceiling to -1 dB or lower. That lines up with Spotify's -1 dBTP advice too, so one ceiling works for both. If true peak still sounds vague, read what true peak is and how to control it.

What file should you deliver?

For Apple Digital Masters, Apple asks for 24-bit sources and the highest-resolution master you have. Apple also says not to upsample files beyond their original resolution. So if you mixed and mastered in 24-bit, deliver that 24-bit WAV through your distributor, and check your distributor's own upload specs. More on this in 16-bit vs 24-bit: which bit depth to export.

Check your master for Apple Music in 4 steps

  1. Export your final master as a WAV, with nothing after the limiter and no normalize option in your export window.
  2. Drop it into the free Master Checker. It runs in your browser and nothing gets uploaded.
  3. Read three numbers: integrated LUFS, true peak and loudness range. The tool also shows roughly how much Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music turn your track up or down.
  4. Fix only what's actually wrong. True peak above -1 dBTP? Lower your limiter ceiling. Master sounds flat or distorted? Back off the limiter. Master quieter than you expected? Compare it with a reference before pushing it louder.

Want to know if your master holds up next to the songs you're aiming for? Master Checker Pro compares loudness, true peak, dynamics and tonal balance with a reference track, and checks a whole EP in one go.

Common mistakes

  • Making a quieter "Apple version". It's extra work, your distributor usually sends one file to every store, and Sound Check adjusts the level anyway.
  • Setting the limiter ceiling to 0.0 dB. Apple specifically warns about clipping during encoding. Leave at least 1 dB.
  • Trusting only your DAW's peak meter. It usually shows sample peaks and can miss inter-sample peaks. Measure the exported file.
  • Mastering every song on your EP to a different loudness. When Sound Check works per album, those differences stay audible.
  • Measuring an MP3 instead of your master. Always check the exact file you upload.

Rather have someone else master it?

When you've heard your own song a hundred times, it's hard to judge the final master. You can get your track mixed and mastered by NameOnTheBeat, for vocals only or for vocals and beat.

FAQ

Is -16 LUFS an official Apple number?

Apple doesn't state a LUFS target in its Apple Digital Masters guide. The -16 LUFS figure comes from industry reporting on Apple's switch to LUFS-based Sound Check. Treat it as a guideline for what to expect, not as a delivery spec.

Is Sound Check on by default?

Production Expert reported in 2022 that Sound Check is on by default on iOS devices. Listeners can still switch it off in their settings, so plan for both.

Will Apple Music make my quiet master louder?

Apple says Sound Check raises or lowers the volume of each track based on its loudness. A very quiet master can get turned up, but keep your peaks in check so there's room for that.

Should I master to -16 LUFS for Apple and -14 for Spotify?

No. One master, made for how the song should sound, with a true peak at -1 dBTP or lower, works on both. Apple itself says to master for your intended sound, regardless of playback volume.

What's the best LUFS for rap on Apple Music?

There's no single best number. A loud rap master will be turned down on Apple Music, so focus on a punchy, clean mix and safe peaks rather than maximum loudness.

More free tools for your release, like a BPM and key finder, audio converter and streams calculator, are in our free music tools.

Sources: Apple, "Apple Digital Masters" guide (apple.com); Apple Support, "If music in Apple Music sounds quiet" (support.apple.com); Production Expert, "Apple Choose -16LUFS Loudness Level For Apple Music" (2022); Spotify for Artists, "Loudness normalization" (support.spotify.com).

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