Achieving the desired levels for your productions is the final stage in the creation of your music. So after all your hard work, be sure not to overlook and fall at this last hurdle. Always check the specifications required by the streaming platform/distributor. Here we’ll give you an overview of the things you need to know so you can deliver the perfect files.
Metering gives you a visual representation of how loud your audio is. There are various analyzer plugins you can use, which you’ll need to place at the end of your chain on the master bus. The signal is measured in decibels, (dB) but in several different contexts:
- LUFS: (Long term or integrated) This gives you a reading for the entire length of the song.
- True Peak: Will enable you to pinpoint the loudest parts, to help prevent clipping and distorting.
- RMS: (Root-mean-square) This is the value of the total waveform.
Here’s a useful video going into a little more depth on using these factors:
It’s important to understand how this works, as not all streaming platforms require the same loudness standards and some may even compress your audio if it breaches certain level thresholds. Currently, Spotify’s LUFS is -14, YouTube work to -13, Apple use -16, etc. These figures can be subject to change too, so always keep up to date with what’s required.
When it comes to exporting your final file, you’ll need to check the following factors:
File format: Usually stereo .wav or .flac
Sample rate: Usually 44.100 kHz
Bit depth: Usually 16 bit
Again, these can vary so be sure to do your research.
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