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Each platform has a target. Above their target → turned down. Below → unchanged but quiet.
What you're seeing
Platforms normalize loud audio down to a target LUFS. They generally do not turn quiet audio up. Mixing too quiet wastes dynamic range; mixing too loud gets squashed.
Targets in 2026: YouTube -14, Spotify -14, Apple Music -16, Tidal -14, podcasts -16 to -19,
broadcast TV -23. Two-pass ffmpeg loudnorm filter or DAW R128 plugin to measure/match.
★ KEY TAKEAWAY
Platforms normalize loud audio down to a target (-14 to -16 LUFS). Quiet audio is NOT boosted — you lose dynamic range.
▶ WHAT TO TRY
- Slide your mix LUFS — see which platforms turn you down vs leave alone.
- YouTube, Spotify: -14. Apple Music: -16. Podcasts: -16 to -19.