How loud should metal be mastered?
Short answer: there is no single correct LUFS value for metal. Streaming services play everything back at roughly -14 LUFS (Apple Music around -16 LUFS), so extra loudness is turned down. The right target is the loudest level your specific mix can reach before blast beats, cymbals and low end start to collapse.
What LUFS means and why it matters
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) measures perceived loudness over time, weighted the way human hearing works. Integrated LUFS is the average across a whole track. Streaming platforms use it to play every track at a similar level.
Peak meters only show the highest sample. LUFS shows how loud a track actually feels. Two masters can both peak at -1 dBFS and still be 6 dB apart in perceived loudness. That difference is what the loudness war was about, and why normalization changed it.
Three numbers matter when a metal master is judged for release:
- Integrated LUFS: the average loudness across the track. This is what platforms normalize to.
- True peak (dBTP): the real peak level after digital-to-analog conversion and lossy encoding. It can be higher than the sample peak.
- Crest factor / dynamic range: the difference between peaks and average level. In metal this decides whether the snare still cracks or just sits in the wall.
Streaming loudness targets by platform
| Platform | Playback reference | What happens to a loud metal master |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | -14 LUFS (Normal) · -11 LUFS (Loud) · -19 LUFS (Quiet) | Turned down to the selected level. Quiet tracks are only lifted as far as true peak allows. |
| YouTube | about -14 LUFS | Turned down. Quieter tracks are not turned up. |
| Apple Music | about -16 LUFS (Sound Check) | Turned down when Sound Check is enabled. |
| Tidal | about -14 LUFS | Turned down. |
| Amazon Music | about -14 LUFS | Turned down. |
| Deezer | about -15 LUFS | Turned down. |
| Bandcamp | no normalization | Played exactly as delivered. |
Values reflect platform documentation and widely used measurements as of October 2026. Platforms can change their reference levels. Spotify values are taken from Spotify's loudness normalization guidelines.
The practical consequence: on streaming platforms a -7 LUFS master and a -11 LUFS master end up at roughly the same playback level. The louder one doesn't win the volume contest anymore. It only gives up transient detail, unless that density is part of the sound you want.
Typical loudness ranges by metal subgenre
Commercial metal is usually mastered louder than streaming references, and that's legitimate: saturation and density are part of the genre's sound. These are rough orientation ranges, not targets:
| Subgenre | Common integrated range | What limits loudness first |
|---|---|---|
| Metalcore / Djent | around -8 to -6 LUFS | Low end below 100 Hz eating headroom in breakdowns |
| Death Metal | around -9 to -6 LUFS | Snare crack and double-kick definition |
| Black Metal | around -10 to -7 LUFS | Cymbal wash and harshness in blast sections |
| Doom / Sludge | around -11 to -8 LUFS | Sustained sub energy and loss of contrast |
| Gothic Metal / Gothic Rock | around -12 to -8 LUFS | Dynamics between quiet and heavy sections |
Orientation values from mastering practice. Individual releases vary widely, and the right value for your track depends on the mix.
Genre-specific details: black metal, death metal, doom & gothic, metalcore & djent.
True peak: the number that causes distortion
When a WAV master is converted to Ogg Vorbis, AAC or MP3 for streaming, peaks can rise above the original level. A master limited to 0 dBFS can clip after encoding even though the WAV looks clean. Loud, dense metal masters are especially exposed.
- Spotify recommends a true peak below -1 dBTP.
- For masters louder than -14 LUFS integrated, Spotify recommends below -2 dBTP.
- Checking the master through an actual codec preview reveals encoding distortion before release.
How the right loudness is chosen
At Polished, loudness isn't a fixed setting. It comes out of the audio audit that runs before every master:
- Measure the premaster: integrated LUFS, true peak, crest factor, short-term loudness of the heaviest sections.
- Compare against references from your subgenre that you choose or that fit your brief.
- Find the threshold where pushing further starts to cost snare crack, blast-beat definition or low-end control.
- Set the target below that threshold, check true peak and run a codec preview.
- Deliver the master with the measured values documented, so you know exactly what you're releasing.
If you want your track measured, send it in. The audit is included in every package, from €79 per track.