Windows Premium App TOO QUIET!!!

[Cyberluke]

Hi, I am professional premium user and I have  also my own music licensed on Spotify as Cyberluke.

Today when I played Spotify music in my studio, it seems too quiet. So I checked my RME mixer and indeed the peak does not go over -6dB in any track. Which means that Spotify makes music 6dB quieter than it should. When I play the same track on Soundcloud, the peak is at 0dB. So it is clearly a Spotify bug. Attaching a screenshot as a proof, together with Windows 10 mixer, so you can see there is 100% of the volume set.

[Cyberluke]

BTW: Spotify did install some update today and I feel this update DID broke something that was correct previously.

[Cyberluke]

**bleep**ing useless support!

[Cyberluke]

still not solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sebasty]

Hey @Cyberluke

Spotify desktop app has always been less loud than my own local library for example. Since the 0.9 versions. Youtube has become less loud too recently by the way.

You might find something useful in this Reddit thread.

Just make sure that you have disabled the same volume level for all tracks in Spotify preferences.

My local files in foobar don't reach the 0dB level either (-4 seems to be highest). Maybe due to replaygain. But honestly those higher peaks are already loud as heck.

Hope that helps!

[Cyberluke]

Yes, that's what I did for past two months. But yesterday I checked this option, because I had this problem again. Was on chat support for one hour, then she ended it. Restarted the app, updated to latest version, did turn option on and off and now it seems okay. But I wonder why it has -6dB headroom for setting the same volume. Imagine u r on powerful active speaker sound system and because of Spotify you turn it up. Then website plays notification (messenger) or you play some music on website and u get awful shock to your brain. Because -6dB means u make everything else twice as loud. I have premium Spotify, but I'm thinking I will quit because of this.

[Cyberluke]

Also even though I have Motu 828x soundcard that goes to Adam Sub8 and Adam A7X, when listening Spotify I have to increase the gain on soundcard a loooooooooooooot!

This is not good for signal to noise ratio, every sound engineer will tell you this.

You pull of quiet sound out of PC just to make it louder again in the "amplifier stage".

[Sebasty]

@Cyberluke

It's a bad issue indeed. I also have bad experience with this loudness disparity when I had Avast. Listening to music quietly and then I suddenly get a superloud TING and a message stating that antivirus things were updated. Wrecked nerves.

I don't really face this issue that sharply anymore recently. Due to external audio interface my system volume (as well as on apps) is cranked up to 100 and I toggle the volume on the interface. I'm not deafened anymore, instead sometimes the set volume is insufficient and that's also annoying.

Spotify and my local library are at the same volume level for me. Volume differences between albums is normal, but not between apps. I'm not sure what would help to control this without distorting the signal.

[Cyberluke]

When u play DJ set in radio, they always use something like 6-band maximizer (compress+limit).

In Cubase I use ASIO, so this volume is always 100% no matter what, because that's what ASIO is. Classic Windows apps use mostly DirectSound or some form of it and here I am able to set volume lower. But not higher. For Spotify it would help if I could set volume for this app above 100% like 150%, but this is not possible.

Imagine you work on music in DAW, then listen to Soundcloud/Youtube, then some local mp3, then Spotify. It is really a mess what they started doing!

They should do it the right way, connect with other companies, make some consorcium, sign as Microsoft Developers and propose Unified Sound Solution for Music Streaming and Volume Control.