Loudness consistency between normal / preview on desktop, W10

[Zephosbl1]

I've had some issues regarding preview mode and volume as well, on my android.  I'd accept preview being always full volume as an intended behavior, but on my end, it's being very inconsistent with regards to obeying the normalization setting.

Flipping through, some tracks would have a spike in volume within the first second, before the normalization kicks in and brings it back to the target volume.  Others would disregard it completely, playing much louder (or in rare cases quieter) than expected, until it finishes the first playthrough of the preview and goes back to the first behavior.  I can't imagine either of these behaviors as intended or desirable.

The desktop version of this feature hasn't rolled out to me yet, so sadly I can't compare.

For reference, this is on Spotify Premium, version 9.0.42.529 on a Google Pixel Pro XL.

[Novy]

Hey @Zephosbl1,

Thanks for reaching out. Hope you don't mind us moving your post to a separate thread, since your issue is on Android.

Would you mind sending over a video or a screen recording where we can take a better look at the issue? You can attach it to your next response or upload it to another platform like YouTube or Google Drive and send a link to it. Make sure to hide any personal or sensitive information, and to give it the relevant permissions if you decide to upload it somewhere else.

Also, let us know if you've tried any troubleshooting steps.

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[Zephosbl1]

I don't mind at all!  Whatever helps to troubleshoot this.

Though I did just try to replicate the issue with Android Auto and a different pair of Bluetooth headphones, and can't seem to get the normalization behaviors I described.  Must be something related to the headphones I was using before.

On everything else I'm not hearing the normalization effect at all.  So some tracks from some albums are slightly louder and quieter than others, but it's not nearly as jarring as I first described.

Sorry I'm not in a position to be more helpful with recorded video, but I'll try to provide as soon as I'm able.

[Zephosbl1]

I think I found my answer for the more dramatic unwanted behaviors, and it's just a weird use case on my part.  I didn't take into account that I had a third-party EQ app with a preamp, so what I thought was Spotify normalization being weird was actually just that EQ app having some difficulty routing the audio properly in preview mode, and the preamp kicking in either late or not at all as a result.

That leaves my only issue being that normalization in general isn't applying to preview mode.  I'd still like that!

[Dessi · Accepted solution]

Hey @Zephosbl1,

Thanks for the reply and happy to hear you found the cause!

When it comes to the volume normalization for previews, we can confirm that this was reported to our tech folks in this thread, but it's currently expected behavior. We’re regularly looking for opportunities to enhance the user experience for everyone, so your input is greatly appreciated!

The Community is here if there's anything else you need assistance with.