Mastering for YouTube
YouTube lowers louder videos to a common level, so a master pushed to the limit gains nothing there. Here is the measured number, where it comes from, and how to master a track that sounds right on YouTube.
What YouTube does to your master
Measurements of the “Stats for nerds” readout point to a reference of about −14 LUFS. A louder track is played quieter by the difference. Based on those measurements, YouTube does not turn quieter tracks up.
That has two consequences. A very loud master is turned down anyway, so you gain nothing but lost dynamics. And a quiet master stays quiet, so do not leave a track far below the reference. Since the service can change this at any time, treat the number as a guide.
YouTube loudness target
Checked 7 November 2026. YouTube publishes no figure. The −14 LUFS number is a measurement published by MeterPlugs in 2019, not an official YouTube statement.
- Plays at
- −14 LUFS
- Quieter tracks
- Not turned up
- Source
- MeterPlugs: YouTube changes loudness reference to −14 LUFS, 2019-09-18 (Measured, not official)
YouTube publishes no figure; measured from “Stats for nerds”.
Want to hear what YouTube does to your master? The loudness penalty checker shows the change in dB and plays your track at YouTube’s level. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Master for YouTube in three steps
1 Upload your final mix
Drop in a stereo mix as WAV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF, M4A or OGG. No account is needed to start.
2 Set it up and listen
Choose an engineer style and set Loudness and Ceiling as below. You hear a 30-second mastered preview next to the original.
3 Check, then download
Measure the result with the free LUFS meter, then download the full track with Unlimited or Unlimited Plus.
The settings that matter for YouTube
- Loudness: Balanced. A clean level close to the measured reference. Loud, Aggressive and Crushed mostly get turned down on YouTube.
- Ceiling: -1 dB. Leaves headroom for the lossy conversion that streaming services apply after upload.
- Engineer style. Avery keeps a mix as it is. Rio is loud and bright for hip hop and EDM. Theo leaves dynamics for acoustic music.
- Music and video together. If the audio sits under a video, listen on phone speakers and headphones, since that is where most people watch.
Related pages and tools
- Mastering for Spotify: the same job for the biggest music platform.
- How loud should I master for streaming?: LUFS and true peak explained.
- Loudness penalty checker: hear your master at each service’s level.
Questions
Measurements point to about −14 LUFS as YouTube’s reference. YouTube publishes no figure, so treat it as a guide and listen with the loudness penalty checker.
Based on the measurements we cite, no: it turns louder tracks down and leaves quieter ones alone. YouTube does not confirm this.
No. It comes from MeterPlugs’ 2019 measurement of the “Stats for nerds” readout. Only Spotify and the EBU publish their own figures in our table.
Listening is free: upload and hear a 30-second preview with no account. Downloading the full track needs Unlimited or Unlimited Plus.
Services convert uploads to their own lossy formats. Paid plans download WAV 24-bit and MP3 320, so you can upload the highest quality you have.
Master your track for YouTube
Hear it in about a minute, with no account. Download only if you like it.