Sound & signal
dBFS
dBFS means decibels relative to full scale — the digital measurement where 0 is the loudest a file can be and everything else is negative. A track at −10 dBFS sits ten decibels below the ceiling.
Measured in our catalog
Nothing in the catalog reaches the ceiling: the loudest master we hold sits at -2.80 dBFS, the quietest at -85.23, and the median at -10.68 across 443,242 tracks.
An 82.4 dB span between the extremes sounds enormous and mostly is not: the far end is a near-silent file rather than a quiet record. The half of the scale that matters to a DJ is narrow, which is why gain-matching is a small, precise adjustment rather than a big one.
0 dBFS
The ceiling
-2.80
Loudest master held
-10.68
Catalog median
-85.23
Quietest reading
Measured on 11 August 2026 across public tracks carrying an analysed loudness value, in dBFS.
Why it matters
It explains why every level you see in DJ software is a minus number, which looks alarming until you know the scale has no positive half. Nothing can exceed 0 dBFS; a signal that tries is clipped rather than made louder.
It also explains why decibel differences feel smaller than they look. The scale is logarithmic, so a 6 dB gap is roughly twice the amplitude and a 3 dB gap is what two identical signals produce when summed — which is exactly what happens when you open a second channel.
Frequently asked
Why are all audio levels negative?+
Because dBFS measures distance below the maximum a digital file can hold. Zero is the ceiling, so every real signal sits below it and reads as a negative number.
What is the difference between dB and dBFS?+
dB on its own is a ratio between two levels. dBFS fixes one of them at digital full scale, which turns it into an absolute measurement for digital audio.
How much is 3 dB?+
Roughly what you get from summing two identical signals — noticeable but not dramatic. Six decibels is about twice the amplitude, and ten is what most people would call "clearly louder".
Related terms
Loudness
Loudness is a track’s average level in decibels below full scale, so every value is negative and closer to zero is louder. It decides how far you move the gain, not how hard the record hits.
Gain
Gain sets how hot a track arrives at the channel before anything else touches it. It is a correction for how the record was mastered, not a volume control for the room.
Headroom
Headroom is the gap between where your signal is sitting and the point where it distorts. It is the room left for the loud parts, and for whatever you do to the channel next.
Clipping
Clipping is what happens when a signal exceeds the maximum a system can carry: the peaks are cut flat, adding harsh harmonics. In digital audio the ceiling is 0 dBFS and there is nothing above it.
Explore: Loudness · How the analysis works · Gain · All DJ terms