Mastering for Radio Airplay
Published · updated · by Loopin
Radio stations run their own broadcast processing on every track that airs, which changes how you should think about mastering for it — chasing extreme loudness is largely pointless, since the station re-processes it anyway.
Understand what radio does to your master
Broadcast chains apply their own compression and limiting to keep consistent loudness across every song, commercial and DJ break in a broadcast — regardless of how loud or quiet your delivered master was. This means an extremely aggressive master gets processed again on top of whatever you already did.
The practical result: chasing maximum loudness in your own master mostly just costs you dynamic range, since radio's own processing will normalize the perceived loudness anyway.
Master for a clean signal, not a maximally loud one
A master with clean transients and a reasonable dynamic range gives broadcast processing better material to work with than one that's already squashed flat. A track mastered to a moderate −9 to −11 LUFS with real dynamics intact often translates better through a broadcast chain than one hammered louder.
This runs counter to the instinct to make everything as loud as possible, but it's the more accurate approach for how radio actually processes audio.
Get the mono compatibility right
AM radio and some FM broadcast chains still collapse to mono in certain conditions, and a track with poor mono compatibility can lose low end or sound phasey when that happens. Fold your master to mono during the final check and confirm nothing important disappears.
This is a low-effort check that catches a real, if less common now, broadcast issue that's otherwise invisible in normal stereo playback.
Watch the intro and outro specifically
Radio programming often talks over the very start and end of a song, or needs a clean edit point for time. A clear, well-defined intro without a long ambient fade-in, and a definite ending rather than an extended fade-out, is more practical for radio use even if it's not strictly a mastering decision.
This is worth mentioning to whoever's handling song structure, since it affects how usable the track is in a broadcast context regardless of how well it's mastered.
True peak still matters, maybe more than usual
Broadcast processing is sensitive to peaks, and a −1 dBTP ceiling in your master gives it clean material to work with rather than material that's already flirting with clipping. This is one loudness-related discipline that genuinely carries through to how the track performs on air.
Get this right regardless of what integrated loudness target you choose — it protects the signal at every stage after you deliver it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I master a track as loud as possible for radio?
No. Radio stations apply their own broadcast processing that normalises loudness regardless of what you deliver, so an extremely loud master mostly just costs you dynamic range without gaining anything on air.
What LUFS should a radio master target?
A moderate -9 to -11 LUFS with real dynamics intact often translates better through broadcast processing than a heavily limited, maximally loud master.
Why does mono compatibility matter for radio mastering?
AM radio and some FM broadcast chains still collapse to mono in certain conditions. A track with poor mono compatibility can lose low end or sound phasey when that happens, so it's worth checking before delivery.