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Metal Mastering Guide

Guitar density, drum separation, brick-wall power

CA
Reviewed by Collins Asein · April 2026

Exact LUFS targets, EQ profiles, and compression settings for mastering Metal music on every major streaming platform — from Spotify and Apple Music to Beatport and Audiomack.

12 platform guides · 6 AI source fixers

Metal LUFS Targets — All Platforms

PlatformLUFS TargetTrue PeakDynamic RangeFull Guide
🟢Spotify
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🍎Apple Music
-16 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
▶️YouTube
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🌊Tidal
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
☁️SoundCloud
-11 LUFS-0.5 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🎵TikTok
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🎧Audiomack
-13 LUFS-0.5 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🎛️Beatport
-9 LUFS-0.3 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🎨Bandcamp
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
📸Instagram / Reels
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
📦Amazon Music
-14 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →
🎶Deezer
-15 LUFS-1 dBTP4-7 LUFull spec →

Metal EQ Profile Overview

Core EQ principles for Metal mastering. Platform-specific adjustments are in each guide below.

EQ 01

Guitar density: Scoop 200–400 Hz slightly to reduce muddiness from heavy downtuned guitars.

EQ 02

Presence: Boost 2–5 kHz for guitar presence and vocal intelligibility through the density.

EQ 03

Kick clarity: High-pass kick at 50 Hz. Boost 60–80 Hz body and 2–4 kHz click for punch.

EQ 04

Bass clarity: Cut 200–300 Hz from bass guitar to separate it from the guitar low-mid density.

Metal Mastering — Platform Guides

Metal Mastering FAQ

What LUFS for metal on Spotify?

-14 LUFS integrated. Metal can push hard — a 4–7 LU dynamic range at -14 LUFS is competitive and powerful. Over-limiting at -8 LUFS will be normalized down anyway.

How do I prevent the mix from sounding muddy in the master?

Cut 200–400 Hz with a multiband compressor or EQ to clear guitar mud. This is the most common metal mastering problem. Also ensure bass guitar has its own frequency space by cutting its 200–300 Hz slightly.

How does heavily compressed metal sound on Spotify?

Spotify normalizes to -14 LUFS, so an over-limited -8 LUFS metal master gets turned down to the same volume as a well-mastered -14 LUFS version, while sounding squashed and fatiguing. Master at the target LUFS with maximum 7 LU dynamic range.

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