For anyone who hasn't see this, here is a 2020 summary of True Peak Limit (dBTP) and LUFS-I and Dynamic Range for various streaming platforms.
I came across this table while investigating how to use Reaper's limiter to reduce digital clipping of peaks while expanding the volume of the overall. Reaper's dynamic plugin "JS: Loudness Meter Peak/RMS/LUFS (Cockos)" is excellent for giving real-time feedback on clipping and various LUFS data. It is perfect for visualising output. When placed on the Master Track after a mastering plugin, this Loudness Meter plugin works well with any mastering tool (e.g. Ozone).
This is the Kenny Gioia video that I was watching (in case anyone is interested).
I've used the target of -14 LUFS for many years; it seems to work out well. I did not put my commercial music on most of these platforms; CD Baby did, so I don't know what settings they used (and it was almost 20 years ago for most of my serious recording).
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
I only have a few songs on Soundcloud. I'm way behind on all this information so I'm giving myself a crash course. The resources that are available on the internet these days (Youtube expecially) are incredible. I'm learning lots as I go along.
Thank you Noel - this is the second thing I have learned today - I didn't know LUFS existed, but it makes sense. This is yet another reason I am seriously considering focusing on Reaper (I have Cakewalk Sonar as well). Andrew
I've been using Reaper for a long time now. It has become very popular. I noticed just recently that there are heaps of videos on Youtube. One of the best sites is Kenny Gioia's site called Reaper Mania. He's been very prolific and focuses on teaching people about the software. His videos are great.
My experience has been that 14 LUFS is very quiet for SoudCloud. They are apparently one of the few platforms that make no adjustments to what you upload.
I'm a big fan of loundnesspenalty.com - free and no signup required and very fast. It only takes a few seconds to see how and if your song will be altered by the platforms. I use this as a basis for all my mastering.
A LOT of the forum songs would require huge changes by the platforms as many are very loud. And the changes made my the platforms can introduce artifacts IMHO.
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
My experience has been that 14 LUFS is very quiet for SoudCloud. They are apparently one of the few platforms that make no adjustments to what you upload.
I'm a big fan of loundnesspenalty.com - free and no signup required and very fast. It only takes a few seconds to see how and if your song will be altered by the platforms. I use this as a basis for all my mastering.
A LOT of the forum songs would require huge changes by the platforms as many are very loud. And the changes made my the platforms can introduce artifacts IMHO.
Thanks Bud - excuse my questions in ignorance - I've only learned of LUFS existence due to Noel's thread and still learning DAW and mixing stuff as I go. I had wondered why my songs posted had different volumes on different sites. Do you aim for a LUFS target before checking with loudnesspenalty.com, or do you go by experience and feel and then just check it with loudnesspenalty.com before posting? If it's too loud, do you use a limiter on your master track final mix? If you do target LUFS, is it the 'integrated' measure, or do you use short range measure for the peak section of the track? Andrew
My experience is that you can use these charts and tools to get it close to the way each streaming service wants it, but you do not have control; they do. If you are just a hair over their limit they will make adjustments you may not like.
Many years ago I learned you cannot predict what an individual radio station will do to squash the dynamic range out of your song, only that it will. This streaming environment still unfortunately has some of that and it has been the Wild West as far as moving standards, if my experiences over the past six years are still true.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
There’s a 10W radio network called K-LOVE that squashes your mix to an extreme not found anywhere else — yet some tracks still sound good. How?
We who know use brickwall limiters to suck all the dynamics out of our clients’ tracks in advance. Our mixes are unchanged when broadcast. Some things really are that simple.
BIAB 2026 Audiophile Mac 24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia/Tahoe, M1 & M5 MBAir, 2012 MBP Digital Performer11, Logic, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScore/Notion/Overture
Since no one has yet mentioned the Youlean Loudness Meter, I will. The free version is fully functional. The Pro version adds a ton of useful features, including presets for a lot of different streaming platforms. The YLM is a plugin that you put at the end of your signal chain in BiaB or in your DAW. You can configure the free version for any streaming platforms requirements, or use the simpler Pro version preset. I upgraded to Pro many years ago to support the dev. He has continuously upgraded it (all upgrades are free for life), adding Pro version user requests. Highly recommended.
My experience has been that 14 LUFS is very quiet for SoudCloud. They are apparently one of the few platforms that make no adjustments to what you upload.
I'm a big fan of loundnesspenalty.com - free and no signup required and very fast. It only takes a few seconds to see how and if your song will be altered by the platforms. I use this as a basis for all my mastering.
A LOT of the forum songs would require huge changes by the platforms as many are very loud. And the changes made my the platforms can introduce artifacts IMHO.
Thanks Bud - excuse my questions in ignorance - I've only learned of LUFS existence due to Noel's thread and still learning DAW and mixing stuff as I go. I had wondered why my songs posted had different volumes on different sites. Do you aim for a LUFS target before checking with loudnesspenalty.com, or do you go by experience and feel and then just check it with loudnesspenalty.com before posting? If it's too loud, do you use a limiter on your master track final mix? If you do target LUFS, is it the 'integrated' measure, or do you use short range measure for the peak section of the track? Andrew
Firstly I try to adjust my limiter (final fx in my mastering chain) to leave plenty of dynamics including peaks that some folks would squash. We like open/airy mixes irrespective of the genre we are working with. Also we've learned to trust what we hear on our Kali monitors (8" woofer). I'll listen to the mix on the "big" living room system but nearly always go with what we heard on the monitors. And unlike many folks I never mix or master with headphones. I want a sound like I'm sitting in the center of the third row of a live band in a good hall.
I then use Logic Pro's Loudness Meter to look at the LUFS. Depending on the tune 10-12 integrated works for us. The 14 thing is not written in stone. And the 10-12 typically results in a file that is little altered by the platforms.
Like mixing, mastering is rarely "finished" ... just abandoned. One can parse things out until all the joy is sucked out of the process.
You will get many opinions on my process with a lot of folks saying all I typed above is dead wrong.
Oh one other thing I forgot. I frequently use a reference song. Meaning I'll listen to a similar tune that I think is well done several times during mixing and mastering. This is to keep the notion in my old brain of how I would like for the production to sound. Works for me.
A truckload of FWIWs and YMMV's.
Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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This Free Bonus PAK includes:
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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