Audio & playback
Video audio too quiet? Measure the level, then raise it safely
Short answer
Quiet audio is usually a quiet mix, not an upload bug: platforms may turn loud tracks down, but Spotify's own help says it only lifts quiet ones as far as the track's headroom allows, and many players do not normalize at all. Measure the integrated loudness and the true peak of the exported file, then raise the level with a loudness normalizer and a limiter so the peak stays under about -1 dB. A target of -14 LUFS is Spotify's published level and a reasonable general default for short video.
Key takeaways
- Measure first: integrated loudness (LUFS) and true peak (dBTP) of the exported file.
- Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS and keeps 1 dB of headroom for lossy encodes, so a quiet master with a high peak is not lifted all the way.
- The Spotify web player and third-party devices such as TVs and speakers do not use loudness normalization.
- Raise level with a loudness normalizer plus a limiter, not by pushing gain until the waveform clips.
- Check with headphones and a phone speaker, because quiet speech and loud music need different checks.
What the numbers mean
| Measure | What it tells you | Healthy range for short video |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated loudness (LUFS) | Average loudness over the whole file | Around -16 to -14 |
| True peak (dBTP) | Highest reconstructed peak | Below -1 |
| Loudness range (LU) | How much the level moves | Under about 11 for speech-led clips |
Treat the ranges as editing guidance for short clips; Spotify's page publishes the -14 LUFS and -1 dB true-peak numbers for music.
Find your case
| What you see | What it usually means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Whole video is quiet next to other videos | Integrated loudness is well below about -16 LUFS | Normalize and limit (steps 1 to 3) |
| Voice is quiet, music is loud | Poor balance between dialogue and music bed | Duck the music 10 to 15 dB under speech (step 4) |
| Quiet only on one device or app | That player does not normalize or the device volume is low | Compare the file on two devices (step 5) |
| Quiet after exporting from an editor | Export preset lowered gain, or a track was left muted or set low | Check track levels before export (step 4) |
| Waveform is tiny in the editor | Recorded too low (mic gain or distance) | Normalize, then fix gain at the source next time |
Fix it step by step
Measure the file
Run
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -af loudnorm=print_format=json -vn -f null -and read input_i (integrated loudness in LUFS) and input_tp (true peak in dBTP). Loudness is measured to the ITU-R BS.1770 method.Pick a target
Spotify adjusts tracks to -14 LUFS and recommends a master near -14 integrated LUFS with true peak below -1 dB. Use that as a default for short video unless the destination states another level.
Normalize and limit
Apply a loudness normalizer with a true-peak ceiling. With ffmpeg:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -af loudnorm=I=-14:TP=-1.5:LRA=11 -c:v copy -c:a aac -b:a 192k out.mp4. Keep the video stream untouched with -c:v copy.Fix the balance, not just the volume
If speech is quiet under music, lower the music 10 to 15 dB while someone is talking instead of raising the whole mix; raising everything pushes the loud parts into the limiter.
Test on two devices
Play the exported file on a phone speaker and on headphones. A file that is fine on both has the right level; a file quiet on only one is a device or player issue.
Why some platforms do not turn it up
Spotify says negative gain is applied to louder masters so they play at -14 LUFS, and positive gain to softer masters only up to the headroom the track allows. It also says the web player and third-party devices such as TVs and speakers do not use normalization. A quiet file can therefore stay quiet, which is why the fix belongs in your export.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should my video be?
Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS and recommends masters near -14 integrated LUFS with true peak under -1 dB. Other platforms publish their own levels or none; -14 is a safe general target for short video.
Why is my video quieter than others on the same app?
Other videos are mastered louder. Apps that normalize turn loud videos down but do not always lift quiet ones, because lifting needs headroom.
Does Spotify make quiet songs louder?
It applies positive gain to softer masters up to -14 LUFS but leaves 1 dB headroom, so a track with a high true peak is only lifted partway. For example a -20 LUFS track with a -5 dBFS true peak is only lifted to -16 LUFS.
Does normalization use a limiter?
On Spotify, Loud mode (-11 LUFS, Premium) applies a limiter at -1 dB with a 5 ms attack and 100 ms decay to prevent clipping.
How do I raise volume without distortion?
Normalize to a target loudness with a true-peak ceiling instead of adding gain. If the peaks hit the ceiling first, compress or limit the loud parts so the quiet parts can come up.
Sources
- Spotify for Artists: Loudness normalization on Spotify (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- ITU-R BS.1770: Algorithms to measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio level (official, checked 2026-10-06)
- FFmpeg Filters Documentation: loudnorm and volumedetect (official, checked 2026-10-06)
Reviewed 2026-10-06. Steps not attributed to a source are general video practice or computed above.