Gain Staging Basics
- Set proper source levels
- Avoid clipping at every stage
- Leave mix bus headroom
📈
Gain Staging & LUFS
Cheat Sheet for Spotify
Core Principles
Rule of Thumb
- If it sounds good quieter, it will sound louder later
- Balance first, loudness second
Master Targets
- Integrated: around -14 LUFS
- True peak ceiling: -1.0 dBTP
Ideal Peak Levels
| Stage | Target |
|---|---|
| Individual tracks | -18 dBFS |
| After plugins | -18 to -12 dBFS |
| Groups / buses | -12 to -6 dBFS |
| Main bus pre-master | -6 dBFS max peaks |
| Master true peak | -1.0 dBTP |
Quick Checklist
- No red clipping on tracks or buses
- Peaks follow target ranges
- Integrated LUFS matches genre target
- Reference against pro mixes regularly