Output Settings Guide
Everything you need to know about loudness normalization, LUFS, output formats, and bitrate.
Contents
Loudness Normalization & LUFS
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a measurement of perceived loudness that accounts for how human hearing works. Unlike simple peak levels (dBFS), LUFS measures how loud something actually sounds to a listener over time. It's based on the ITU-R BS.1770 international standard.
Streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube automatically normalize uploaded audio to a target LUFS level. If your audio is too loud, they'll turn it down — sometimes affecting quality in the process. Matching the platform target upfront ensures your audio sounds exactly the way you intended. Note that most platforms don't boost audio that's too quiet, so getting the level right matters.
Platform Loudness Standards
Each platform uses a different target loudness level. Matching your export to the right standard minimizes automatic adjustments at playback.
| Platform | Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | −14 LUFS | Auto-normalized. Louder audio is turned down automatically. |
| YouTube | −14 LUFS | Applies to music and video. Auto-normalized. |
| Apple Music | −16 LUFS | Recommended for music. |
| Apple Podcasts | −16 LUFS | Recommended for podcasts. |
| Amazon Music | −14 LUFS | Auto-normalized. |
| Tidal | −14 LUFS | Auto-normalized. |
| EBU R128 | −23 LUFS | European broadcast standard for TV, film, and video. |
| ATSC A/85 | −24 LUFS | North American broadcast standard. |
When in doubt, −14 LUFS covers Spotify, YouTube, and most major streaming platforms. For podcasts, −16 LUFS is the safer choice.
LUFS vs dBFS
dBFS (decibels relative to Full Scale) measures the instantaneous peak level of audio. LUFS, by contrast, integrates audio over time and applies frequency weighting to account for human hearing sensitivity — we're less sensitive to very low and very high frequencies.
Two audio files can have the same peak dBFS but very different LUFS values. A track with sustained loud content will measure louder in LUFS than one with lots of quiet passages, even if their peaks are the same. LUFS was created specifically to capture this perceived loudness difference.
Output Format: MP3 vs WAV
Audio can be exported in two main types of format: uncompressed (WAV) and lossy compressed (MP3). Each has distinct characteristics that make it better suited for different use cases.
| WAV (Uncompressed) | MP3 (Lossy Compressed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | No degradation — preserves the full audio data | Some information is discarded (minimal at high bitrates) |
| File size (1 min) | ~10MB (16-bit, 44.1kHz) | ~1–2.5MB (128–320 kbps) |
| Re-encoding | No quality loss through repeated conversion | Quality degrades with each re-encode |
| Streaming | Not typical (file size too large) | Standard distribution format |
| Best for | Master files, video editing, professional delivery | Podcasts, streaming, social media, web publishing |
Use WAV when you need to preserve maximum quality for further editing. Use MP3 for distribution, streaming, or when file size matters.
Choosing a Bitrate
Bitrate controls the quality and file size of MP3 audio. Higher bitrate means better quality but larger files. AudioBuff offers four options from 128 to 320 kbps.
| Bitrate | Quality | File size (1 min) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 320 kbps | Excellent (near-lossless) | ~2.4MB | Music distribution, high-quality podcasts, quality-first workflows |
| 256 kbps | Very high (most people cannot distinguish from 320) | ~1.9MB | General music and video, everyday use |
| 192 kbps | High (good for most listening environments) | ~1.4MB | Podcasts, narration, interviews |
| 128 kbps | Standard (some loss of high-frequency detail) | ~1MB | Only when minimizing file size is essential |
320 kbps is recommended for most uses. 256 kbps is a great balance of quality and size. Only drop to 128 kbps if file size is a hard constraint.
How Bitrate Affects Quality
MP3 compression works by exploiting psychoacoustic masking — the way certain sounds make others inaudible — to discard audio information that's unlikely to be perceived. The lower the bitrate, the more information is discarded.
At 128 kbps, the high frequency range above ~8kHz is often affected, with subtle harmonics being lost. From 192 kbps upward, the difference is hard to detect in typical listening conditions. For music distribution or any situation where audio quality matters, 320 kbps is the recommended choice.