Have you ever listened to a song on Spotify and had to turn up the volume really high just to hear it properly? Or maybe you’ve noticed that some songs sound much louder than others when shuffling through your playlists. This inconsistent and potentially ear-damaging volume is exactly what Spotify’s new “Loud & Clear” initiative aims to fix.
In this post, we’ll break down what Loud & Clear is, why Spotify is implementing it, and how it could improve your listening experience.
What is Loud & Clear?
Loud & Clear is an initiative by Spotify to normalize audio across the platform. In simple terms, it aims to make the volume levels consistent across all songs, albums, and playlists.
The volume of songs on streaming platforms has traditionally been all over the place. Some tracks are mastered to be really loud and grab your attention, while others are far quieter. This means you constantly have to adjust your device’s volume up and down as you skip between songs.
Loud & Clear uses clever audio processing technology to measure and adjust loudness. Songs that are mastered loudly will be turned down, and quieter ones will be bumped up. The end result should be a much more uniform volume across the platform.
The Problem With Inconsistent Volume
Inconsistent loudness has been an issue across the music industry for decades now, but streaming has exacerbated it. With endless playlists and shuffle functionality, jarring volume differences between songs are more noticeable than ever.
There are a few reasons why Spotify and other streaming services have enabled these inconsistencies up until now:
- The Loudness War – Music labels and artists have engaged in a competitive battle to make their songs as loud as possible to grab listener’s attention. This leads to over-compression and loss of dynamic range.
- Listener Normalization – Streaming services like Spotify have algorithms that automatically adjust gain to a level they think sounds right. But this normalization isn’t perfect and varies across devices.
- No Audio Standard – Unlike broadcast radio, there is no industry-wide audio standard for streaming. Platforms take different approaches, meaning volume isn’t aligned between services.
This has created a poor listening experience for users. Having to constantly change your speaker or headphone volume is irritating. Even worse, sudden loud songs can damage hearing when played through headphones.
Loud & Clear finally takes aim at fixing these problems.
How Loud & Clear Works
Spotify’s new initiative measures and adjusts the loudness of all songs on the platform according to the LUFS standard. LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a modern unit used to measure audio perceived loudness.
Here is a simple 2-step explanation of how Loud & Clear will work:
- Measure LUFS – Spotify will analyze the loudness of every track and playlist using sophisticated algorithms. This gives each song a LUFS reading that represents its average loudness level.
- Normalize Audio – Tracks that measure higher than Spotify’s LUFS target (likely around -14 LUFS) will be turned down via processing. Likewise, quieter songs will have their gain gently boosted. This aligns the loudness of all content to the same standard.
In this way, loud and dynamically compressed songs will be turned down to be approximately equal in loudness to quieter, more dynamic songs. No more sudden volume spikes!
Spotify is also reportedly working directly with record labels and artists to implement the changes smoothly. But the company will move ahead aligning all content to its standard, regardless of whether creators are on board or not.
Benefits of Loud & Clear
This initiative stands to significantly improve the Spotify listening experience:
- Prevents Ear Fatigue – Our ears get tired very quickly from constant loud sounds. By limiting volume spikes, Loud & Clear should reduce ear strain.
- Better Dynamics – With overly-loud songs turned down, the natural dynamics of softer songs can shine through. You’ll hear more subtle details.
- No More Constant Volume Adjustments – Normalized volume means your speaker, headphone or device volume can stay consistent during listening sessions.
- Hear Music as Intended – Artists and producers often get sucked into the loudness war, mastering tracks much louder than they would like. Loud & Clear gives control back to creators to have music heard as intended.
- Works Across Platforms – Since Spotify is aligning to the universal LUFS standard, the normalized volumes should translate more consistently across listening devices.
For listeners, Loud & Clear should make playlists, albums and radio streams a much more pleasant and seamless experience.
When Will Loud & Clear Launch?
Spotify officially announced this initiative in April 2022. However, they have not set an official launch date yet.
Implementing loudness normalization at Spotify’s scale is no simple task. With over 80 million tracks on the platform, the audio analysis and processing requires huge computing power.
However, Spotify has indicated that listeners will start hearing the volume changes rolled out gradually over 2022 and 2023.
We expect it to launch sooner rather than later, as improving audio quality aligns with Spotify’s current priorities. Streaming services are locked in an “arms race” as they compete on audio formats, like lossless streaming, surround sound, and now loudness consistency too.
As a Spotify user myself, I’m excited to hear Loud & Clear in action soon! It can’t come fast enough in my opinion.
What This Means For Listeners
As a Spotify listener, what can you expect from Loud & Clear? Here are some key points:
- You’ll stop having to adjust volume constantly. Just set it once and leave it.
- Playlists and radio will have smooth, seamless transitions between songs and podcasts.
- Extreme volume spikes will be reined in to protect your hearing.
- Details previously drowned out in loud mixes can become audible.
- Short-term loudness for impact will still be possible, only sustained loudness reduced.
However, a potential side effect is that some songs might sound a bit quieter than you’re used to. This is by design though, aiming to undo the effects of the loudness war and over-compression.
Also be aware that Loud & Clear will roll out progressively, so you may not notice a change overnight. But over time, the platform’s volumes should become much more consistent.
What This Means For Artists/Labels
For those on the creation side – musicians, producers, and record labels – what does this initiative mean?
Firstly, some may be worried this constitutes overreach by Spotify, interfering with their creative product. However, Loud & Clear should only impact sustained, excessive loudness. Short punchy moments can still have impact.
Secondly, there’s a valid concern this could negatively impact streaming metrics and royalty payments in the short term. A song hitting less hard could potentially result in fewer listens.
However, as listeners adjust to the new normalized experience, they may begin valuing dynamics and clarity over pure loudness in deciding what to stream.
Lastly, Loud & Clear will allow subtleties and nuances previously drowned out to shine through once again. For many artists, this will be a welcome change after feeling forced to brickwall master just to be heard.
Ultimately, for the majority of music fans and creators, Loud & Clear should have a positive effect. But it may take some time to adjust to this new sonic environment.
Common Questions about Loud & Clear
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Spotify’s Loud & Clear initiative:
Does this mean all songs will be at the exact same volume?
Not quite. The goal is to bring volumes much closer together, not precisely identical. Short bursts of loudness will still come through, just overbearing sustained loudness reduced.
Will songs that are mastered quietly get turned up and sound worse?
They will be gently boosted but always within reasonable limits. Well-recorded soft songs should retain their clarity and not get pushed to uncomfortable levels.
Will tracks aligned to -14 LUFS sound noticeably quieter?
It depends on what you are used to! If you regularly listen to ear-bleedingly loud masters, then yes. But your ears adjust quickly. And you rediscover details previously drowned out by loudness.
How will this impact my Spotify royalties as an artist?
It’s hard to say definitively. You may see a short-term dip, or you may find listeners engage with your work similarly as they adjust to the new experience.
What about music mastered before the loudness war era? Won’t they sound way too quiet?
Spotify’s algorithms are actually dynamic, taking into account the era the music comes from. So they will be careful not to under-power these important recordings.
Could labels just master two versions – one for Spotify and one for other uses?
They could, but Spotify is encouraging them not to! The goal is for masters to align across platforms so the experience is consistent for listeners everywhere.
Does Loud & Clear mean Spotify limits are better than other streaming platforms now?
Potentially! It’s the first major service to take on this issue explicitly and align everything to the same target loudness. However, others may soon follow suit.
I hope this breakdown demystified what Spotify Loud & Clear is all about – the issues it aims to solve and how it will improve your listening experience. While the rollout will take time, I’m excited to finally have consistent volumes across this amazing catalogue of music. Turn it up!