Quick Glossary: Key Mastering Terms

New to mastering? Here's every term you'll see in LoudCraft, explained in plain language.

New to mastering? Here's every term you'll see in LoudCraft, explained in plain language.

Term | What it means Mastering | The final step before releasing music - optimizing loudness, tone, and clarity so it sounds great everywhere LUFS | Loudness Units relative to Full Scale - how streaming platforms measure perceived volume. Lower number = quieter (-14 is quieter than -7) True Peak (dBTP) | The highest point of the reconstructed waveform, including peaks between samples. LoudCraft keeps it at or below -1 dBTP for streaming targets, and -2 dBTP for masters louder than -14 LUFS (as Spotify advises) and for cinema and ATSC targets LRA | Loudness Range - the spread of short-term loudness between the 10th and 95th percentile (EBU Tech 3342). Higher = more dynamic, lower = more consistent EQ | Equalization - boosting or cutting specific frequencies to shape the tonal balance (more bass, less harshness, etc.) Compression | Reducing the gap between loud and quiet parts. Makes the track more consistent and punchy Limiter | A ceiling that prevents audio from going above a set level. Essential for preventing distortion Headroom | The space between your loudest peak and 0 dB. Leaving some (peaks around -3 to -6 dB) makes sure your mix arrives unclipped and unlimited - LoudCraft sets its own gain staging from there Clipping | Distortion caused by audio exceeding 0 dB. Sounds harsh and crackly - always bad Bit depth | 16-bit (CD), 24-bit (studio standard), 32-bit float. Higher = more detail. Always export at 24-bit for mastering Sample rate | How many times per second audio is captured - 44.1 kHz (CD) or 48 kHz (video). Either works for LoudCraft Dithering | Tiny noise added when reducing bit depth (24→16 bit). Not needed when exporting for mastering at 24-bit Stereo width | How "wide" the sound feels in headphones or speakers. More width = more immersive, but too much can cause mono problems Mono compatibility | Whether your track still sounds good when played through a single speaker. Matters for phones, single Bluetooth or smart speakers and some venues QC Score | Quality Control score (0-100). LoudCraft's automatic check. 70+ passes, 80+ is strong, 90+ is excellent Genre tier | LoudCraft groups genres into 4 tiers. In Auto mode each tier has its own loudness target: Delicate (-14), Conservative (-12), Moderate (-11), Aggressive (-9) LUFS

Tip: You don't need to memorize any of this. LoudCraft handles the technical decisions automatically. This glossary is here so you can understand what it's doing and why - not so you have to do it yourself.

Key takeaway: Bookmark this page. Come back whenever you see a term you don't recognize - no shame, everyone starts here.