Single mastering for Spotify, YouTube, Apple, ... ?!

[Chamar]

Do professional producers really export for each platform singly with special settings?

https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/l ... nd-youtube

This means uploading like 10 same songs (with different export settings) to the distributor etc.

[osiris]

No I do -12 because that's about in the middle and Spotify wants -14 so I let them figure that out. Have never been told anything different so I'll keep it like that.

[ChanceB]

No. Most of the pro songs I have downloaded and checked,at least within dance music genres are around -7 to -6 lufs integrated or louder and usually peaking above 0db. If you turn off Spotify’s volume normalization and Apples Soundcheck like I do, they will stream at their normal volume, except a song that someone mastered to stay under a streaming services normalization ceiling , those songs are going to be quiet. Just make your music as loud or quiet and as dynamic or compressed as you want it to be.

[jamcat]

Do professional producers really export for each platform singly with special settings?

https://www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/l ... nd-youtube

This means uploading like 10 same songs (with different export settings) to the distributor etc.

Yes. Just like mastering engineers master separately for each physical medium being targeted for distribution. That is THE reason mastering exists.

So professionals are going to want to absolutely optimize the master for each delivery format.

[BertKoor]

If you outsource the mastering to a pro: nope never. It's expensive enough, why pay even more?

If you DIY master: sure. Your own time isn't worth a thing, so knock yourself out.

[osiris]

CD quality is -9, so I wouldn't stress.

[BertKoor]

CD quality is -9

Where did you get that nonsense from?
Don't tell me... There's info floating on the internet for aspiring mastering engineers stating which streaming service has what target, and that states "CD: -9dB". Absolute utter bollox. Constant white noise normalised to 0dBfs peaks full blast has a level of -10dB RMS/LUFS already.

The thing with CD releases is that nobody is policing it. The true problem is that nobody bloody cares any more. Listener puts CD in the player and adjusts the volume himself to taste. The mastering volume is not relevant any more. So why not make it sound as good as you can with the least compromises, so lowest distortion?

You may release a CD at level +3dB LUFS if you really want to. Technically it can be done, but don't ask what it sounds like. It's not music any more, just distorted noise.

You may give that master to Spotify. No problem. They'll just reduce the volume to what their target is. -14 I think it was. So that will be a reduction by 17dB.

Why give away 17dB of dynamics headroom. Just to be loud, louder that the previous CD in the tray?
Y'all need your heads examined.

Or it's because I'm a pacifist that I refuse to fight in the Loudness Wars....

[osiris]

I get that from what I read and what it says on my Mastering software because they have all the levels marked. CD -9, Spotify -14, Soundcloud -8 to -13, Apple is -16 etc, etc, etc...
Distribution service also says this.