The Short Answer
Every master landed within 0.7 dB of the -14 LUFS streaming target. Every true peak came out at -1.0 dBTP or lower. Five of the ten source files peaked at or above 0 dBTP before mastering. Punch, measured as crest factor, was kept on normal mixes and recovered on loud ones.
The Results
Each row is one track, before and after mastering with the Streaming target. Loudness is integrated LUFS, true peak is in dBTP, and crest factor is the whole-file peak-to-average ratio in dB (higher means more punch).
| Track | Loudness (LUFS) | True peak (dBTP) | Crest factor (dB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home rock mix A | -14.0 → -14.0 | -3.8 → -1.1 | 11.4 → 15.2 |
| Home rock mix B | -14.0 → -13.8 | -0.1 → -1.1 | 16.7 → 15.5 |
| Home rock mix C | -13.1 → -13.8 | +0.2 → -1.0 | 15.6 → 15.5 |
| Home rock mix D | -14.0 → -13.8 | -0.1 → -1.0 | 16.2 → 15.5 |
| Home rock mix E | -14.0 → -14.3 | -0.1 → -1.1 | 16.9 → 15.9 |
| Band mix F | -12.2 → -14.0 | -0.1 → -1.1 | 14.4 → 15.6 |
| Loud demo | -10.6 → -14.0 | 0.0 → -2.1 | 13.0 → 14.6 |
| Quiet demo | -15.9 → -14.7 | 0.0 → -1.1 | 18.2 → 15.8 |
| Loud EDM release | -7.9 → -14.0 | +0.5 → -2.2 | 10.6 → 14.8 |
| Very loud metal release | -4.4 → -14.0 | +3.0 → -4.4 | 8.9 → 12.3 |
What the Numbers Show
1. Loudness lands on target. The ten masters ranged from -13.8 to -14.7 LUFS.
2. True peak is controlled. The source files ranged up to +3.0 dBTP. All ten masters are at -1.0 dBTP or lower, the ceiling streaming services recommend.
3. Normal mixes keep their punch. Across the six home and band mixes, crest factor moved between -1.2 and +3.8 dB.
4. Loud sources get their punch back. The loud EDM release went from 10.6 to 14.8 dB and the very loud metal release from 8.9 to 12.3 dB.
What This Does Not Prove
- It is ten tracks. Seven are our own recordings and two are finished releases, so read it as a measured demonstration, not a study.
- The loud tracks gained punch mainly because they were turned down. Mastering them to -14 LUFS leaves room for the peaks. That is the honest result of mastering to a streaming target.
- One quiet demo finished 0.7 dB under target (-14.7 LUFS), the one miss in the set.
- Numbers are not the same as sound. Hear it on your own track with the A/B before you pay.
Hear it on your track: every master has a full A/B against your mix before you pay. Master a track →
How We Measured
Each file was mastered in the live LuvLang app with the Streaming target and exported at 44.1 kHz, 24-bit. We measured the source and the master with ffmpeg: integrated loudness and true peak with the ebur128 filter, and crest factor from the astats filter (whole-file peak minus RMS). The methods are described on our methodology page. For how new releases compare, see has the loudness war ended.