Delivery specs
Audio targets, per platform
The loudness, true-peak, and codec floor I hit before delivery. Every platform has its own normalization curve; mastering for one is not mastering for all.
| Platform | Loudness | True peak | Range | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social video | ||||
| TikTok Phone speakers are the venue. Headroom matters more than peak loudness; the platform will pull you down. | -14 LUFS-i | -1 dBTP | 4-6 LU (narrow) | AAC-LC 256 kbps · 48 kHz · stereo |
| YouTube Mix once, deliver once. YouTube negotiates the codec at playback from the same upload. | -14 LUFS-i | -1 dBTP | 6-10 LU | AAC-LC 384 kbps · 48 kHz · stereo (Opus accepted) |
| Instagram (Reels / Stories) Same family as TikTok. Slightly different curve, same posture. | -14 LUFS-i | -1 dBTP | 4-6 LU (narrow) | AAC-LC 256 kbps · 44.1 kHz · stereo |
| Audio-only | ||||
| Podcast Wider LRA than music streaming. Dialogue should breathe; do not crush voice for loudness parity with music. | -16 LUFS-i (stereo) / -19 LUFS-i (mono) | -1 dBTP | 8-12 LU (wide) | AAC-LC 128 kbps mono / 192 kbps stereo · 44.1 kHz |
| Spotify Mix to one truth and let normalization land it. Submitting a brick master only loses you headroom. | -14 LUFS-i (Loud) / -19 LUFS-i (Quiet) | -2 dBTP (for AAC) | 6-9 LU | Submit 16-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV; platform encodes to Ogg Vorbis / AAC |
| Apple Music Sound Check is on by default for most listeners. Mastered for iTunes metadata adds a hint of headroom; not required. | -16 LUFS-i (Sound Check anchor) | -1 dBTP | 6-9 LU | ALAC 24-bit / 48 kHz (lossless); AAC 256 kbps fallback |
| Tidal Subscriber base skews audiophile; do not over-compress. | -14 LUFS-i | -1 dBTP | 6-9 LU | FLAC 16/44.1 (HiFi); MQA / FLAC 24-bit for HiFi Plus |
| Broadcast | ||||
| Broadcast (TV / radio) QC will reject for true-peak overshoot before they reject for loudness. Pick EU R128 or US A/85 by delivery territory. | -23 LUFS-i (EBU R128) / -24 LKFS (ATSC A/85) | -2 dBTP (R128) / -2 dBTP (A/85) | 5-15 LU (program-dependent) | PCM 24-bit / 48 kHz (BWF); Dolby E for surround chains |
| Cinema | ||||
| Theatrical Mix on an X-curve-calibrated stage at reference level. LUFS metering is the wrong tool here; SPL and dialogue intelligibility win. | Dialogue at 85 dB SPL (C-weighted, slow) @ -20 dBFS RMS | -3 dBTP (headroom for projection chain) | Wide (no LUFS target; calibrated to the room) | PCM 24-bit / 48 kHz · 5.1 or 7.1 print master |
| Atmos (home delivery) Renderer-side trim handles binaural / 5.1.2 / 7.1.4 fold-downs. Mix the bed, then audition the renders before locking. | -18 LKFS dialogue anchor (Dolby Atmos spec) | -1 dBTP | 10-15 LU | ADM BWF (Dolby Atmos Master) · 24-bit / 48 kHz |
| Streaming VOD (Netflix / Amazon / Apple TV+) Dialogue-gated loudness, not program-loudness. Netflix Sound Mix Spec v1.5 is the canonical reference. | -27 LKFS dialogue anchor (integrated, dialogue-gated) | -2 dBTP | Up to 18 LU (program-dependent) | PCM 24-bit / 48 kHz · 5.1 print master + 2.0 fold-down |
| General | ||||
| Safe master (lands anywhere) When you do not know the destination yet. Survives streaming normalization without obvious damage; not optimal for any single platform, but never embarrassing. | -16 LUFS-i | -1.5 dBTP | 8 LU | PCM 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV (transcode to AAC 256 as needed) |