How to Master a Song on Linux (No Install Needed)
Published · by Loopin
The fastest way to master a song on Linux is to not install anything: upload the WAV, pick a feel, download a streaming-ready master. If you want to do it by hand, Audacity or ffmpeg plus a free limiter gets you there in ten minutes.
Take the zero-install route first
Most commercial mastering software doesn’t ship for Linux, and fighting Wine for one plugin isn’t worth it. Instead, open Loopin’s free online mastering on Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, Arch or anything else, drop in your WAV or MP3, and you get a finished master with no account and nothing to install.
Pick a feel: Warm, Punchy, Crisp, Wide, Vintage, Club, Lo-fi or Cinematic. Flip the loudness-matched Original/Mastered A/B so you’re judging tone, not volume, then download a 16-bit WAV at about −14 LUFS with a −1 dBTP ceiling. That’s the whole job for a demo, a single or a beat.
Export the mix with headroom
Whichever route you take, the input decides the output. From Ardour, Reaper, Bitwig or LMMS, export a stereo WAV at the project sample rate, 24-bit if you can, with peaks around −6 to −3 dBFS. Take any limiter off the master bus; doubling up on limiting is the most common reason home masters sound squashed.
Name the file with the song and version, like song-mix-v3.wav. You’ll want to compare masters from different mixes, and on Linux file managers it’s easy to lose track of which export is which.
Or do it by hand in Audacity
Audacity is in every major distro’s repositories and as a Flatpak or AppImage. The order: 1) Filter Curve EQ for a gentle 1–2 dB cut wherever it sounds muddy, usually 200–400 Hz. 2) Compressor with a low ratio (2:1) and slow attack if the song needs glue. 3) Effect → Volume and Compression → Loudness Normalization, set to perceived loudness at about −15 LUFS.
4) Limiter set to a −1 dB ceiling to catch the peaks the normalisation created. Aim for the limiter shaving 1–3 dB at most; if it’s working harder, lower the normalisation target. Note the default in Loudness Normalization is −23 LUFS, which is a broadcast target and far too quiet for music. Our Audacity mastering guide walks through each dialog.
Use ffmpeg or LV2 plugins if you live in a terminal
ffmpeg’s loudnorm filter follows EBU R128 and can target integrated loudness and a true-peak ceiling. Run it twice: once to measure, then again with the measured values for linear normalisation, targeting I=-14 and TP=-1. It’s a loudness tool, not an EQ, so treat it as the last step after the mix sounds right.
For a proper limiter in Ardour or Carla, the free x42-limiter (x42-dpl) LV2 plugin has a true-peak mode; set its threshold to −1 dB. The LSP plugin collection adds EQ and multiband compression if you want a full chain without leaving free software.
Check the result before you upload
Measure the final file with a loudness meter (x42-meter or ebumeter work well on Linux) and confirm integrated loudness between −15 and −13 LUFS and true peak at or below −1 dBTP. Then play it on a phone and a laptop speaker, not just your studio headphones.
If the hand-made master sounds worse than the automatic one at matched loudness, that’s useful information, not failure. Master the track free for the release and keep practising the manual chain on the next song.
Frequently asked questions
How do I master a song on Linux without installing software?
Use Loopin's free online mastering: upload a WAV or MP3, pick one of eight feels, and download a 16-bit WAV at about -14 LUFS with a -1 dBTP ceiling. No account needed.
Can Audacity master a song on Linux?
Yes. Use Filter Curve EQ, a gentle compressor, Loudness Normalization at about -15 LUFS, then a Limiter at -1 dB. Don't use the -23 LUFS default; that's a broadcast level.
What ffmpeg settings master to -14 LUFS?
Use the loudnorm filter with I=-14 and TP=-1, in two passes: measure first, then apply with the measured values for linear normalisation.
Is there a free true-peak limiter for Linux?
The x42-limiter (x42-dpl) LV2 plugin has a true-peak mode. Set its threshold to -1 dB as the last plugin on the chain.
What loudness should a Linux-made master hit?
The same as any other: about -14 LUFS integrated with true peak at or below -1 dBTP for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Do I need Wine to master on Linux?
No. Skip Windows plugins entirely: use free online mastering with nothing to install, or native tools like Audacity, Ardour, ffmpeg, x42 and LSP plugins.