LUFS for Instagram Reels
Published · updated · by Loopin
Instagram normalises audio and re-encodes it, often more than once. That makes the loudness target less interesting than what survives the trip.
Target −12 to −14 LUFS
Reels normalises loud audio downward, so an aggressively limited upload gains nothing and arrives with its transients already gone. Between −12 and −14 LUFS integrated puts you level with the feed and keeps the attack that makes a hook land.
The one loudness mistake that costs you is being noticeably quieter than surrounding clips. Nobody raises the volume for a stranger, so a clip taken from a quiet verse starts at a disadvantage no edit fixes.
Export the video with high-bitrate audio
This matters more than the LUFS figure. Most editing apps default to a low audio bitrate for social export, and Instagram then re-encodes whatever it receives. Two lossy passes over a stereo mix audibly smears cymbals and reverb.
Set audio export to AAC at 256 kbps or higher, 48 kHz, before it leaves your editor. It costs nothing and it is the single largest quality difference available on the platform.
Check the 500 Hz to 5 kHz band
A phone speaker produces almost nothing below 500 Hz. If the part of the song that makes people stop lives in the sub-bass, it does not exist on Reels — a very common and very invisible problem.
Test on your own phone at half volume with a tap running. Whatever is still recognisable is what a viewer gets. This is a content decision about which section to clip, not something mastering can solve after the fact.
Ceiling at −1 dBTP
Two re-encodes make inter-sample overshoot considerably more likely, and on a phone speaker the resulting distortion reads as a bad recording rather than as a loud one — which is the worst possible impression for a snippet whose job is to sell the record.
One decibel of headroom prevents it and costs nothing perceptually, since normalisation is setting the level anyway. The same true peak rule applies everywhere the delivery is lossy.
Use the same master as the release
Bouncing a separate hotter version for social is wasted work: it gets normalised, and it means the eight seconds that hooked somebody are not the eight seconds they find when they look the song up.
One master, used everywhere. Consistency between the snippet and the record is worth more than a decibel the platform takes straight back.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should I use for Instagram Reels?
Around -12 to -14 LUFS integrated. Reels normalises loud audio down, so a hot upload arrives with its transients gone and no loudness advantage.
How do I improve audio quality on Reels?
Export from your editor at AAC 256 kbps or higher, 48 kHz. Most apps default lower, and Instagram re-encodes on top — two lossy passes audibly smear cymbals and reverb. This matters more than the loudness target.
Why does my song sound weak on Instagram?
Phone speakers produce almost nothing below 500 Hz. If the hook lives in the sub-bass it does not exist on Reels. Test on your phone at half volume with background noise and clip a different section if needed.