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Audio engineering

LUFS

LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) measures perceived loudness — integrating level over time with an ear-modeled frequency weighting — and is the unit behind every platform loudness target.

Integrated LUFS describes a whole program; −16 LUFS is the common podcast recommendation, −14 the common music-streaming reference. One LU equals one decibel of level change.

Peaks and loudness are independent: a −16 LUFS master still needs its true peak kept under the ceiling.

Related terms

Loudness normalizationLoudness normalization adjusts audio to a target perceived loudness, measured in LUFS, rather than to peak lev… True peakTrue peak measures the actual analog waveform maximum after digital-to-analog conversion, which can exceed the… Decibel (dB)The decibel is the logarithmic unit of audio level: +6 dB is roughly double the signal amplitude, and every 10…

Frequently asked

What is LUFS?

LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) measures perceived loudness — integrating level over time with an ear-modeled frequency weighting — and is the unit behind every platform loudness target.

Why does LUFS matter?

Integrated LUFS describes a whole program; −16 LUFS is the common podcast recommendation, −14 the common music-streaming reference. One LU equals one decibel of level change.

What terms are related to LUFS?

Closely related concepts: Loudness normalization, True peak, Decibel (dB) — each has its own entry in this glossary.