Why I Built the Loudness Targets PDF

I didn't get the chance to study audio engineering formally — that path was financially out of reach where I come from. I studied communications, naturally specialized in audio because that's what pulled me, and built the rest from work in radio, studios, festivals, and events. Most of what I know about loudness, mastering, and delivery I learned from books, scattered tutorials, and the rare engineer who took the time to explain instead of gatekeep.

When I read papers from the Audio Engineering Society, I admire them deeply — they're rigorous, made for people at the top of their craft. But for a long time, my reality was different. What I needed in those moments wasn't more depth. It was a bridge into the depth.

So I built the document I needed when I was figuring this out — the one I never quite found.

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The everyday problem

Every aspiring audio engineer, producer, and artist who cares about streaming quality faces the same dilemma: once the master is finished, what exactly should be delivered? Every platform has its own set of specifications, conventions, and technical hurdles.

I'm sure someone has put all of them in one place before — but in years of looking, I never found a reference that fully convinced me. Maybe this one won't convince you either. If it does, it's for you.

For years I kept those specs in a paper notebook — pen and ink, accumulating across pages, equal parts notes-to-self and accumulated misinformation. The moment that pushed me to fix it was when I caught a spec I'd been using for over a year that turned out to be wrong. Small mistake on paper. Real consequence in delivery.

The decision

The Delivery Specs Pack is built on three principles.

Every number is verified against the platform's own official documentation. Not blogs. Not forum posts. Not YouTube.

Sources are visible. The last page is a Sources & Verification table — every platform with the URL I checked it against, plus a "Last verified" date. No black box.

Free. No email-gate. No upsell. This is the kind of reference the community needs.

Two formats, same content: a printable PDF for the wall and the studio, and the LUFS Explorer — the interactive companion that lets you hover any platform and compare side-by-side.

Who this is for

For engineers — the working reference you keep next to your DAW. The PDF also walks through practical scenarios when your master doesn't match the target: too high, too low, peak over the ceiling, or that "something's still off" feeling. Concrete steps, in context.

For artists and producers — a way to understand what happens to your music after you upload it. You don't have to be the engineer to follow these decisions, and the more you understand them, the better the conversations with your engineer go.

How to use it

Download the PDF (free, no email needed) and keep it next to your DAW or your phone. Or open the LUFS Explorer when you want to compare platforms quickly.

If you find a spec that looks wrong, tell me. It gets corrected and re-published as soon as possible.

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If you found this useful, share it with someone who needs it. The whole point of putting this in the open is that the next person trying to figure out what to deliver to which platform doesn't have to start from a Reddit thread the way I did. Simple, accurate, and free isn't a small thing — it's the door I wanted opened when I was the one knocking.

— Andrés 🫀