How to master a Suno song: a step-by-step guide with real numbers

October 4, 2026 · All posts

A Suno export usually sounds close to finished, but not quite released. The internet's standard advice is "Suno songs are too loud, turn them down". Our measurements of 248 Suno exports say that is rarely the real problem. This guide walks through mastering a Suno song step by step, with the numbers behind each decision.

What a Suno export really looks like

Before changing anything, it helps to know where you start. We measured 248 unique Suno exports that people uploaded for mastering between July and October 2026 (full method in the Suno loudness report):

Loudness is mostly fine. The median export sits at −14.3 LUFS, right next to Spotify's −14 LUFS reference. Only 6% are louder than −10 LUFS.
Dynamics are the weak spot. The median loudness range is 5.8 LU, and 40% of exports are under 5 LU. Verses and choruses play at nearly the same level.
Peaks are not crushed. The median crest factor is 14.6 dB. The tracks are evenly loud, not brick-walled.
The sound has AI fingerprints. Metallic ringing in cymbals and sibilants, and watery, smeared highs.

So mastering a Suno song is less about making it louder and more about making it sound finished without flattening what little movement it has.

Step 1. Download the best file you can

If your Suno plan offers WAV downloads (Pro and Premier do, from the desktop site), use WAV. The free plan and the mobile app give you MP3. An MP3 works, but its encoding losses cannot be undone, and they make high-frequency artifacts harder to clean.

Do not convert an MP3 to WAV and call it lossless. The file gets bigger, the quality stays the same.

Step 2. Measure before you touch anything

Three numbers tell you what the track needs:

Integrated loudness (LUFS): how loud the whole song is on average.
True peak (dBTP): the highest point of the waveform after reconstruction. Streaming encoders can push it higher.
Loudness range (LRA, LU): how much the level moves between quiet and loud parts.

Check them free in the LUFS checker. It runs in your browser, and no account is needed.

Step 3. Pick a loudness target, and don't chase −9

For Spotify and YouTube, aim for about −14 LUFS. Apple Music plays at about −16 LUFS. Louder masters are simply turned down by the platform, as shown in Spotify loudness and streaming loudness. If you want to see what a platform will do to your number, try the mastering calculator.

Pushing a Suno song to −9 or −10 LUFS buys nothing on streaming, and it costs dynamics. On a track with 3–4 LU of loudness range to begin with, a hot master takes away the last of the difference between a verse and a chorus. For energetic genres such as rock or EDM, −11 to −12 LUFS is a reasonable ceiling. If the track already sounds dense, stay nearer −14.

Step 4. Clean the artifacts before limiting, not after

A limiter raises everything quiet, including the metallic shimmer and the watery noise of AI generation. Clean first, then shape and limit. Done the other way round, the cleanup has to fight artifacts that the limiter has already made louder. More detail in AI artifact cleanup.

Step 5. Shape gently: EQ and dynamics with a light hand

Suno mixes are already balanced for a finished sound, so big EQ moves usually hurt more than they help. Typical useful moves:

tame harsh 3–6 kHz if vocals or cymbals bite;
control the low end so the kick and bass don't boom on small speakers;
use compression to glue, not to squash. If the loudness range drops by more than 1–2 LU, back off.

A reference track you like, in the same genre, is the fastest way to judge tone and width.

Step 6. Set the true-peak ceiling at −1 dBTP

Lossy encoders (Spotify's Ogg, AAC, MP3) can create peaks higher than the original file. Keep true peak at or under −1.0 dBTP so the encoded version doesn't clip. Why that matters is explained in true peak.

Step 7. Compare at the same loudness

Louder always sounds "better" for the first ten seconds. To judge a master honestly, compare the original and the master at matched loudness, then listen on earbuds and a phone speaker, not only on studio monitors.

Common mistakes with Suno masters

Normalising to 0 dBFS and uploading as is: that means peaks right at the ceiling and distortion after encoding.
Stacking limiters, for example a Suno export plus a "loudness maximiser" plus a limiter in the distributor's tool.
Mastering stems one by one. Master the full mix. If you separated stems, clean the separation noise, then master the mix.
Judging by the waveform. A fat waveform is not a better master; the numbers and your ears are.

Doing it with Echoteka

Echoteka runs these steps in order:

it measures your file;
it cleans the AI artifacts;
it shapes the sound with one of 24 genre profiles or a reference track;
it limits at −1.0 dBTP;
it measures the result again.

You get a before/after report for loudness, true peak, loudness range, crest factor and stereo. If a target was missed, the report says so and explains why. You can master one track free every day with no account, and more details are on the Suno mastering page.

FAQ

Do I need to master a Suno song before releasing it? If it goes to Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube, yes. At minimum, check loudness and true peak and clean the artifacts. Most exports are near the right loudness, but few are release-ready as downloaded.

What LUFS should a Suno song be for Spotify? About −14 LUFS integrated, with true peak at or under −1 dBTP. Louder versions are turned down by Spotify anyway.

Why does my mastered Suno track sound flat? Usually because it was pushed too loud. Suno exports often start with a narrow loudness range, and a hot master removes what is left. Try a quieter target, around −13 to −14 LUFS.

Can mastering hide that a song was made with AI? No, and that is not its job. Mastering makes a track sound finished; it does not change where the music came from. Check your Suno plan's terms before releasing: Suno states that songs made on its free plan are for non-commercial use only.