![]() Normalization is the process of setting some particular metric of a track-typically peak level or integrated loudness-to a specific, predetermined level. They use oversampling to attempt to show the actual peak level that will come out of a digital to analog converter-or DAC-which can help avoid clipping. Meanwhile, a metal song that’s full-on all the way through, might have an LRA measurement of just 3–4 dB.įinally, True Peak measurements are meant to be an improvement on traditional sample peak measurements. A classical recording, with wide variations between soft, pianissimo sections, and loud fortissimo sections, could have a very high LRA-perhaps 20 dB or more. Loudness Range-or LRA-is quite complex, but essentially you can think of it as a measure of musical dynamics. When we talk about normalization, it will be this integrated measurement that we’re interested in. In other words, if the integrated measurement is -12 LUFS, portions of the signal below -22 LUFS will no longer contribute to the loudness measurement. Additionally, there is a measurement “gate.” This means that very quiet signals-below -70 LUFS-do not contribute to the loudness measurement, and once that threshold is crossed, signals 10 dB below the measurement also don’t count. The Integrated metric is essentially a K-weighted measurement of a whole song, built up from the Momentary measurements. They are K-weighted, as described above, and Momentary uses a 400 ms time-scale, while Short Term uses a 3 second time-scale. Momentary and Short Term measurements are both essentially RMS measurements. Let’s walk through them to quickly explain what each one shows us. The next thing to understand is that most meters use “EBU Mode” to show five different loudness metrics, as shown above in Insight. Loudness meters, like those found in the Loudness panel of Insight, are a modern way of measuring perceived loudness in a digital environment, and the unit they measure is known as LUFS-loudness units, full scale. ![]() Is loudness intrinsic to a file? Or is it dependent on the sound pressure level-SPL-in the air? Where do user volume controls factor in, and what about tonal balance and the personal hearing traits of the listener? You can read more about some of these complexities about loudness in this article, but for our discussion here, we’ll think about loudness as it relates to so-called “loudness meters.” ![]() Loudness seems like it ought to be a simple enough concept, but if we pry a little we can uncover some of its complexities. Let’s start by bringing some definition to those terms. One of the core questions we’ll need to address is, “how loud should I master?” To answer this though, we’ll need to have a good understanding of loudness, LUFS measurements, and the concept of normalization.
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