Online streaming services are turning down loud songs.

We all hate sudden changes in loudness - they're the #1 source of user complaints.

To avoid this and save us from being "blasted" unexpectedly, online streaming services measure loudness, and turn down music recorded at higher levels. We call this reduction the "Loudness Penalty" - the higher the level your music is mastered at, the bigger the penalty could be. But all the streaming services achieve this in different ways, and give different values, which makes it really hard to know how big the Loudness Penalty will be for your music...

Until now.

Simply select any WAV, MP3 or AAC file above, and within seconds we'll provide you with an accurate measurement of the Loudness Penalty for your music on many of the most popular music streaming services, and allow you to preview how it will sound for easy comparison with your favorite reference material.

Your file will not be uploaded, meaning this process is secure and anonymous.

Do you have any questions? Get in touch.

What do these numbers mean?

Online streaming services measure loudness, and turn down loud music to avoid "blasting" listeners with sudden changes in loudness.

We call this level reduction the "Loudness Penalty" - the lower the LP numbers, the more your music will be turned down to match other songs.

For example, a Loudness Penalty of -2.4 on YouTube means your song will be played back 2.4 dB quieter than its original loudness.

However, these numbers are not targets. Streaming services apply loudness normalization so we don’t have to. Use them to Preview your music and compare with suitable reference material.

If the results sound good, you don’t need to take any action. However, you may decide you’d like to experiment with lower levels to see if you prefer a more dynamic sound. We do!

Why are there different LP numbers?

Each streaming service chooses their own method of measuring loudness, and how loud the loudest songs should be played (the Distribution Loudness). This means there is a slightly different Loudness Penalty for each service. For more insight into the different ways each streaming service implements the Loundess Penalty, request more information below.

What have you got against loud music?!

Nothing! We love loud, aggressive genres as much as anyone else, but users complain about unexpected changes in loudness, and the streaming services want to avoid this.

LEARN MORE

We've tried to make the Loudness Penalty site simple and intuitive, but online loudness is a complex topic. To help you take maximum advantage of what Loudness Penalty scores can tell you, we've put together a short series of emails to tell you everything you need to know about how LP will affect your music and how to get the best results.

Find out:

• Why LP values are different for each platform
• Which streaming services use compression or limiting
• What to do if you see LP values above zero
• When you might choose to ignore LP values
• The ideal LP value for maximum playback loudness
• How to improve your LP scores

Just enter your email and click "TELL ME MORE." It's completely free!