Why other mixes sound bigger than yours on Spotify

Why “other mixes” sound louder on Spotify (even after loudness normalization)

The video explains that Spotify normalizes track loudness. So even if two different mixes measure as the same loudness numerically, they can still feel different to listeners.

A demonstration uses two versions of the same song (“Believe in Me” by Prinsblunder, mixed by the speaker):

• Trick takeaway: one mix can feel “bigger/louder” to the ear, but Spotify measures both mixes as the same loudness number. As a result, Spotify applies the same gain reduction to both.

How Spotify measures loudness (and what gets ignored)

Spotify’s simplified aim is to bring tracks to -14 LUFS. The video also describes a more detailed measurement behavior:

1. Remove silence / very quiet sections below -70 dB.
2. Compute an average loudness.
3. Ignore sections that are more than 10 LU below that average (very quiet parts may be excluded from the measurement).

Example given:

• A master measured around -7.9 integrated LUFS
• Spotify would turn it down by about -6.1 dB to reach -14 LUFS

Dynamic movement can change how Spotify turns the track down

Because Spotify uses average loudness, changing the balance between verses vs choruses can affect the computed average:

• If you lower verses, the average loudness drops (e.g., -7.9 → -8.3 LUFS).
• Spotify then turns it down slightly less (e.g., -6.1 dB → -5.7 dB).

Net result: the loudest parts (often the chorus) can be perceived as louder due to greater contrast between sections.

Warning: too much contrast can backfire

If the quiet parts (like atmospheric breakdowns) are too far below the average, Spotify may effectively ignore them—so the loudness average may represent mostly the louder drops.

Conceptual example from the video:

• A track with extreme verse/breakdown quietness might measure around -6.9 LUFS
• Spotify then turns it down more (e.g., -7.1 dB vs -6.1 dB if left “alone”)
• Outcome: the song can end up sounding quieter on Spotify because the loudness decision is skewed

Mixing tactics to make a track feel louder on Spotify

Even if tracks measure similarly in LUFS, arrangement and mix choices can change perceived loudness.

1) Kick + bass relationship (sidechaining strategy)

A “bad” kick/bass balance can produce a higher loudness measurement than expected, causing Spotify to reduce gain more.

Demonstrated approaches:

• Regular sidechain compression
• Stronger sidechain using a volume shaper

Measurement/visual difference mentioned:

• One method: loudest frequencies peak around -6.7 to -6.9 dB
• Other method: loudest frequencies peak around -9.8 dB

Practical takeaway: how you duck/shape bass against the kick can noticeably affect what Spotify treats as loud/average loudness.

2) Stereo width (mono vs wider)

The video tests the same mix with different stereo width settings:

• Mono vs wider stereo (example mentions 0% width vs 19% width)

Spotify measurement difference is small (about 0.2 dB), but the wider version can feel much louder.

Takeaway: making elements wider may not increase Spotify’s loudness metric much, but it can increase perceived loudness.

3) Fletcher–Munson / equal-loudness perception

The speaker references the Fletcher Munson curve: at the same SPL, mid/high-mids often feel louder than the low end.

Summary of the idea:

• To match perceived loudness, low frequencies may need more presence/boost than you’d expect.

Mix guidance given:

• Keep low end clean
• Ensure main elements have enough presence in the mid/high-mid area
• The examples used include:
  • boosted mid/high-mid area on main chords
  • compressed/brightened high end on vocals
  • background chords made to cut through better

Why Spotify mastering guidelines aren’t followed by big artists

Spotify’s cited suggestion:

• Master to -14 LUFS with 1 dB headroom

The speaker argues big artists often don’t follow this fully (and demonstrates why):

• If you master exactly to Spotify’s target, Spotify may apply less or no gain reduction when normalization is enabled.
• But big songs can still sound loud because listeners can change behavior:
  • In Spotify settings, users can turn normalization off
  • Or set volume to “Loud”, which can keep tracks louder even with normalization enabled

Another reason mentioned:

• They want consistent sound across platforms; for example, YouTube/SoundCloud do not normalize the same way, so they release one master that works everywhere.

Tooling / tutorial aspect: BluPrint plugin “Spotify check” feature

The video mentions the BluPrint plugin (bigzstudios.com/bluprint), including a “Spotify check” feature:

• Added by double-clicking the volume meter area to do a final check for Spotify-related behavior.
• It can show:
  • how the mix may sound on Spotify
  • stereo width vs a reference
  • master dynamics (PLR) vs a reference
• Includes a note about:
  • 14-day free trial
  • checking for updates to get the latest feature

Main speakers / sources

• Speaker: the video creator / mixing engineer (mixed Prinsblunder’s “Believe in Me”; uses BluPrint)
• Music mentioned: Prinsblunder — “Believe in Me” (mixed by the speaker)
• Technical reference mentioned: Fletcher–Munson curve
• Product mentioned: Spotify loudness normalization (targeting -14 LUFS, including described measurement behavior)
• Software/tools mentioned: BluPrint plugin (bigzstudios.com/bluprint)