How to make an MP3 louder online (without distortion)

Making a file louder sounds simple — turn it up — but turn it up too far and the peaks clip, which sounds like crackling. The clean way is to raise the file to a target loudness and let a limiter catch the peaks.

Make a file louder in your browser

1. Open the free Audio Normalizer. Your file is processed on your device — it isn't uploaded.
2. Drop in your MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A or OGG file.
3. Choose Loudness (LUFS) and a target: −14 LUFS for music on streaming services, −16 LUFS for podcasts and voice, or higher (up to −6 LUFS) if you just want it as loud as possible.
4. Preview it, then export as MP3 or WAV.

What is LUFS?

LUFS measures loudness the way ears hear it, not just the height of the waveform. Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music all measure songs in LUFS and turn loud ones down, so making a song louder than about −14 LUFS won't make it louder on those services. Check any file with the free LUFS meter, and see how much each service would turn it down with the loudness penalty tool.

Why it doesn't distort

When the target pushes peaks past full scale, a look-ahead limiter turns them down smoothly a few milliseconds before they happen, instead of chopping them off. Read more in why volume boosters distort.

Mastering a song?

For music you're releasing, loudness is only part of it. AI Mastering also balances the tone, dynamics and stereo width, and lets you compare versions at matched loudness.