Volume normalization


Userlevel 4
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Sonos needs volume normalization. Even services that have it such as Spotify pandora and Apple Music are not normalized when playing on Sonos.

142 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +19
Hi there, Tampadoug. Thanks for posting and welcome to the Community. I am happy to forward this along to the team for consideration and visibility. Thanks again for the feedback and keep it coming.
Userlevel 1
I'd just like to second this one. It would be really useful.
Userlevel 1
I third this...almost woke up the kids switching from TV to Spotify. Volumes vary from source to source but feel like my speakers should normalize for the fluctuations!
Userlevel 1
Fourth here ... same problem here ..
Userlevel 2
Please add this feature!
Userlevel 2
It has been a year since this request. Has it been implemented?
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Volume normalization is very much needed, whether playing a spotify playlist or sonos playlist with songs across several app. This really needs consideration! I cant imaging it is a difficult feature to add. So annoying to constantly be adjusting volume all the time.
Userlevel 2
Struggling with the same here. This seems such a simple feature. Why is it not there yet?
Userlevel 2
Struggling with the same here. This seems such a simple feature. Why is it not there yet?

It has been a year since this request. Has it been implemented?

Hi there, Tampadoug. Thanks for posting and welcome to the Community. I am happy to forward this along to the team for consideration and visibility. Thanks again for the feedback and keep it coming.



???????

Idk honestly how complex the solution would be to volume normalization, but I’m annoyed that Sonos has neither fixed the problem, nor even responded to multiple requests over such a long time span.

Somehow I managed to buy a house full of Sonos speakers in the last couple of years....wasn’t hard to accomplish even though I have an extraordinarily busy life.

If Sonos isn’t interested, maybe I should reconsider.....

If Sonos isn’t interested, maybe I should reconsider.....


It's on the music services to integrate volume normalization which might not be a possibility on third party platforms like Sonos, due to technical or legal restrictions.
Userlevel 2

“It's on the music services to integrate volume normalization....”

Is that true Smilja? Idk how Spotify and Sonos work together.

Is that true Smilja? Idk how Spotify and Sonos work together.


Since Spotify is the source of the music, it would stand to reason that any volume normalization values would have to originate with Spotify.
Userlevel 1
At least for Spotify, their normalization does not cross onto their web player or third party apps/speakers/etc. Why? I'm not that smart and have no idea. But this is from Spotify's website:

What is Loudness Normalization and why is it used?

Audio files are delivered to Spotify from distributors all over the world and are often mixed/mastered at different volume levels. We want to ensure the best listening experience for users, so we apply Loudness Normalization to create a balance.
It also levels the playing field between soft and loud masters. Louder tracks have often been cited as sounding better to listeners, so Loudness Normalization removes any unfair advantage.
Note: The web player and Spotify apps integrated into third-party devices (such as speakers and TVs) don’t currently use Loudness Normalization.

Source: https://artists.spotify.com/faq/mastering-and-loudness#my-album-is-deliberately-mastered-to-have-some-tracks-softer-than-others

Could Spotify and Sonos work together to make it happen? Prolly? Hopefully they'll find a way because even when playing from a Spotify playlist, some songs are very quiet and some are very loud and fiddling with the volume control all the time is annoying.

Hopefully they find a solution!
Userlevel 2
Thanks AGH 🙂
I have to wonder if there isn’t enough memory available on older speakers to implement something like this.
Normalisation has been operative for local library tracks -- after a rather incomplete fashion -- since the very earliest players. Memory isn't a factor. What's missing for tracks streamed from online services is the requisite gain factor to make the volume adjustment. Either it isn't in the stream metadata or Sonos has no agreed way to extract it.
Huh, was completely unaware of that. Thanks, sir, for the additional information!
When I switch on my Sonos-system from the TV to a radio-station and then to a Spotify-playlist and then to a Sonos-playlist and then to a podcast, I HAVE TO CHANGE THE SONOS VOLUME EVERY TIME. CHILDREN OR NEIGHBOURS ARE WOKEN UP IN THE FEW SECONDS WHILE CHANGING VOLUME.

This is something that Sonos has to solve, not the providers.
If Sonos detects the minimum and maximum during a certain service, they can start the new service with the same minimum and maximum. The user can change if he wants, but the change of service will not be detected by the neighbours!

Please SONOS dev team add this feature!!!

Just bought a 5.1 Sonos setup and was very surprised to see the volume normalization is not implemented. Very annoying and I hope Sonos will soon figure out how to add this feature. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +23

If Sonos detects the minimum and maximum during a certain service, they can start the new service with the same minimum and maximum. The user can change if he wants, but the change of service will not be detected by the neighbours!

Um Sonos don’t have a time machine, so they have no idea what the volume for a given stream will be in the future. Normalization can only be done when all track volumes are known in advance (eg local library) or metadata is present from the service provider (which it isn’t). There is certainly no way to do it between disparate source (eg TV and Spotify). Same problem with ads on broadcast TV, for example.

christmas day and my playlist is al over the place volume-wise - come on sonos, when we going to see this actioned?  it doesnt matter what the level is set at - just need some consistency

Userlevel 1
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christmas day and my playlist is al over the place volume-wise - come on sonos, when we going to see this actioned?  it doesnt matter what the level is set at - just need some consistency

Same. Wife asked me to rebuild xmas playlist with albums/songs that had consistent volume. Really big difference in some tracks. Notice it with the Apple music ‘Pure Pop’ playlist too. It’s very loud sometimes, and normal others.

Userlevel 1

I just joined what is supposed to be the premium listening experience of Sonos, and am very surprised that you have not worked out this basic issue with Spotify, after what I see is *years* of complaints about the issue (volume normalization). Hundreds of thousands of your customers are using Spotify with your speakers. Spotify's volume normalization works great with other speakers and wireless headphones. Sonos, stop washing your hands of your responsibility to work out this very obvious, annoying failure of the Spotify/Sonos integration, and pick up the phone and call Spotify today and work it out. I think you both can afford to do this. Thank you.

Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Thanks for the additional feedback, everyone. No further news to share at this time but we will be sure to reiterate the need for this functionality with the necessary department. Thank you. 

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