Understanding Loudness

LUFS are a way of measuring loudness in your audio production.
Let's find out why they're important.
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[@andrewhuang]

nice! lots of good info!

[@RedMeansRecording]

Lufs love you too, Andrew

[@God-eu6sz]

have you been hit by an uninsured driver?

[@linnik2649]

two of my favorite youtubers... this is awesome.

[@BIGpony777]

hes secretly like fuck off whyd u gotta tell em all

[@VERSATILE8S]

Yoooooooo

[@JC-bf9zm]

I love it when you go all professor on us. Seriously, please do this anytime you want to.

[@florianinside5666]

This is reference quality

[@Aemyn]

+1

[@hiqwertyhi]

I think you mean "I LUF it when you go all professor on us"

[@chad2687]

+1

[@elijahjflowers]

J Corbett trueee

[@mikewillsmusic]

Oh my god, you single handedly just saved my new album, holy shit. No wonder why it sounds so wrong on my own speakers, I totally killed the dynamics in the studio. I can't thank you enough

[@GabrielXDrums]

You sure it’s not the songs itself? HAAAAAAAAA I kid I kid

[@afterthewar54]

This is possibly the single most useful youtube video I've ever seen. And I previously used youtube to learn how to tile for my bathroom renovation.

[@omarnomad]

I will sell my soul in order to get a full production / audio engineering course from this man. Thank you! Very valuable content!

[@foxintheboxdan]

I've been mastering my own stuff for the past year now and diving so deep, and you've just dropped my entire year's education into 11 minutes, plus the true peak thing I had no clue on! This is a damn good video and I'd LUF to see more of these

[@SteveGibbsMusic]

I can't recommend Youlean Loudness Meter enough. The developer is always adding new features and open to suggestions too. As well as measuring loudness, it also measures dynamic range (PSR), so you can easily see on the graph if any parts are being over-compressed.

[@KadeKalka]

Quick tip: go to loudness penalty (just look it up) and their service will tell you how your master will react to the normalization that KZbin, Spotify, etc. apply. It's been pretty helpful to me.

[@bradswim]

Been using youlean for a year now, my tracks have never sounded better. Fuck the loudness wars, lufs are the future.

[@mimori.com_]

This presentation is best for me to understand LUFS from basic vocabrary of the preriquisite and to the industry standard the reason why it needed. Specially using Important Terminology and its breif definition on the screen using large font is very much understandable for non native English people like me to be able to temporally stop the movie and read the text many times till understand and then play to go next step. Your step by step guide logically takes me to the the true reason the LUFS is used in this streaming digital networking world. Thanks!

[@JosephBartolotta]

This video is a bit misleading. you could have a mix that is totally overcompressed and still hit your -14 lufs target by adjusting the output level of your compressor/limiter. This is because there are generally 3 types of lufs meters, momentary, short term and integrated (though terminology may bary by manufacturer) some meters will also give you a range which is typically the difference between momentary and short term loudness. Momentary acts like a traditional dbfs peak meter, short term acts like a dbVU meter (rms), integrated is the average of the entire length of the program or the duration of program which youve fed into the meter. Range measurements will give you a sense of how much louder your transient peaks are than your sustained content. And depending on the timescale youve chosen for short term and integrated the difference between quiet and loud sections of the program. Typically, if you were say mixing for a -24 lufs target, you would want to mix the track so that the integrated loudness is -24, the problem with only looking at integrated lufs is you could have an extremely quiet program with a few loud bursts that make the average -24, or a program that is hard limited at -24 and have no dynamic range at all. You have to pay attention to your momentary and short term meters to really know whats going on. If there is little difference between short term and momentary than your audio is extremely compressed, and difference between them and your integrated loudness would only be from differences in loudness between song sections. There isnt a hard and fast rule for this all but a good thing to look for would be that your maximum momentary lifs level is +3, maybe +6 (or more if the music is extremely dynamic) over your short term lufs. Basically momentary lufs is the same as peak with a different calibration, short term is rms, integrated is average of the whole song. Rms is almost the same as VU same as short term lufs. If youre hitting a target of -24rms, 0dbvu, or -24 short term lufs, dipping a couple on quiet sections, maybe going over a little at the climaxes, while seeing numbers on your peak/momentary lufs which are quite a few lufs higher, chances are your mix isnt overcompressed and all of your tracks will have the same consistency of volume. If you want it turbo squashed get momentary, short term and integrated to be pretty much all the same reading.

[@RedMeansRecording]

Good info

[@Feanarth]

I learned a lot today. Thank you for making these kinda videos, you make music production feel less crypric and more like magic, both at the same time.

[@iNerdier]

Come on, you didn’t wish us a LUFly day? It was right there!

[@erikb.8125]

As an amateur/hobbyist, I’d never even heard of LUFS. Fantastic knowledge to share, thanks so much!

[@camtwan1]

Can you PLEASEEE, do a mastering video. Watching this video made me realize a LOT of problems I have with my production. If you did an in depth video on the basics of mastering, like what the track needs to be before mastering and then how to master correctly it would be a HUGEEE help

[@fizu8990]

i never got to understand lufs but now i do thank you very much sir

[@WassupFred]

Great Video here... Would love to see more... more on this subject.

[@musixmylyfe]

Homie, I have my EP all mixed and was like, time really get into mastering and this was just waiting for me when i got here. This is a just a long convoluted way of me trying to say thanks for posting this :)

[@Tw0Sevenths]

More! Of! This! PLEASE!! This is really wonderful content and I learned a lot!

[@clintfuller101]

Great video, very thorough explanation and well said!

[@cepiloyo]

This is great information!!! Everybody should see this video!!! I'm just a listener, but I've been fighting the loudness wars for a long time now. You mention that you master for streaming services at -13 or -14 LUFS, which is great. But I still buy CDs, and they are still being mastered to 0 LUFS (apparently), still super compressed. That's why I switched back to vinyl, because it's not as compressed. I hope engineers would just master to -14 LUFS across all media (streaming, CDs, vinyl) and give us the best sounding version!!!

[@TitansTracks]

Holy shit that's the reason people prefer vinyl!? Thanks to this guys video and your anecdote, I now understand where audio people are coming from. The music sounds more dynamic and it doesn't fuck up everyone's ears! Good stuff! 💎

[@taffynay]

Holy crap! Your shilling alert almost gave me a fit!

[@RedMeansRecording]

Sorry :(

[@boarthefighter]

Excellent video! I've been using Youlean for about a year now and it's super helpful! Bought the pro version of it couple of months back to support them.

[@gimmickmusic8827]

This is, hands down, the best explanation that I have seen for LUFS that I have been able to find. Thank you for the great video.

[@groovedaddy24]

Love my Clarity meters. Using hardware meters saves my cpu as well cuz I used to leave them open and now I don’t need them taking up screen space. Great vid! 👍

[@the_foe]

thank you, now all my previous tracks sound like garbage. You're a savior.

[@richthisguy1215]

This is exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.

[@DJVIESTA1]

DAD TALKS. I needed this, thank you ♥

[@UpliftedProductions]

Super grateful for this video man! Really clarified a lot of the mysteries about LUFS and loudness metering. Thanks!

[@Skrenja]

For electronic genres I shoot for -6 to -5 LUFs. For a very subbass heavy song I aim for -7. Youlean loudness meter is a great tool for this.

[@ThePhiCode]

You`ve explained this better than I learned it in college

[@IsaiahSugar]

I NEED more videos like this, it's soo informative without being boring, or hard to watch at all. JEREMY I NEED YOUR KNOWLEDGE

[@AnguzBeef]

Wow these two hands are really articulate and knowledgeable

[@User173]

dear god yes! thank you for this. I'm new to music production and still learning. I find some of my tracks to be muddy and sometimes the drums just aren't punchy enough in the mix. So your ableton breakdowns and this video are immensely helpful. thank you!

[@TROGULAR10000]

Exactly what I wanted to find out about, you gave all the answers in ten minutes. Thank you very much

[@MartinYamMoller]

Excellent 👍now for a tut on LUTS

[@dinosirius]

Awesome and useful video. Thanks Jeremy ! Subscribed 👍🏻

[@michaelkelly6583]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@leviathe_]

this is the best video on Lufs I have seen. thank you

[@2B87]

Very informative and easy to follow and understand. Thanks Jeremy, I really appreciate your content. Keep it up!

[@WalkinonSunshyne]

This video was so informative. Concise aswell. Loved it. Cheers.

[@misterhotsoup]

Hope it's cool that you are basically becoming my music teacher.

[@ginocordone349]

damn dude, you know your stuff. Awesome video, super interesting info. I remember when commercials would be so loud you would literally have to turn down the TV every commercial break...

[@SendyTheEndless]

Thank god for this! I hate it when music is mixed to sound loud when it's quiet. You try turning it up to immerse yourself and enjoy it, and you get that horrible blatty overcopressed, overly-sustained in your face high-midrange horribleness.

[@atomicmoon]

This is some game-changing information. I've always wondered why my mixes always sound quieter on streaming services and now I'm almost certain that it is because I am mixing too loud (I've been mixing at about -10 to -8 LUFS). Thank you for making this video

[@RedMeansRecording]

You'll find different genres are mixed to different lufs so treat this as a guide at best!

[@salamandersm]

Lovely tute and well presented- thanks so much!

[@seazenbones6945]

Informative? It was exactly what I needed. Exactly what I needed. Many Thanks 🙏

[@jamesdemongey2100]

Great video. Thanks!

[@WasabiNoise]

I luf this video! Amazing research and information here. I guess most people must think "why do I care, I only want to make music" but this is super useful information. Thanks for taking the time and putting this together! It may never reach a million views (I hope I'm wrong) but people that do care will relish it.

[@danielleanderson6371]

This is tangentially related but I remember one time I wanted to play an entire album as one track on Audiosurf. I went into Audacity, stitched the songs together into one massive audio file, and then uploaded it to Audiosurf. After the fifteen or so minutes it took to process the track, I started it up and it was completely boring the whole way through. You see, the thing about Audiosurf (a game where you upload music and play it kind of like a driving game) is that it adjusts the intensity of the track according to its loudness relative to the loudest part of the track. The album that I uploaded had a single massive explosion in one of the interlude tracks, something you would never ever think to play by itself in Audiosurf, and that completely ruined the game's perception of the loudness of the rest of the album, making it kind of the same low intensity throughout, except for during that one explosion.

[@kayjepdamanbulll80]

Thank you Sir !!!!!

[@TheOfficialCzex]

Look... I'm not done compressing until the mix is one long fettuccine noodle. /s

[@bradswim]

topkek

[@dwilliams4142]

This is so absolutely wonderful. Thanks tons for sharing!

[@sincerelydanielkeith]

Wow, this was wildly helpful for me. It’s so hard to find mastering information that’s clearly put together like this!

[@averydeloach]

I really appreciate that you make videos like this that don't necessarily target a broad audience for the views/likes! Very awesome to have high quality, informative content on a topic that (until now) I had no idea was making my mix sound like total doggy DOODOO

[@treehann]

"I hope you bring LUFS into your life." Are you saying we should LIVE, LAUGH, LUFS???

[@absoluthoerer]

Thanks for the great detailed explanation of all the loudness jargon that exists! Mastering to -13/14 LUFS makes little to no sense because the final stages (clipping and/or limiting) make a huge contribution to the sound, because these radical compressors add the finalizing polish. Besides, next to a commercial mix (pop and rock, around -8-10 LUFS), a master down at -13/14 will sound "unfinished" and unable to compete, as well. Sure, streaming services utilize loudness normalization but this is mainly a tool for equalizing loudness differences on the platforms. It is not, however, a substitute for proper finalization and shall not detract from crafting masters that sound finished properly. If you get it up to -8LUFS and it still sounds too crushed or distorted, you need to address the low-end and low-mids and shape those more accurately. Hope that helps!

[@RedMeansRecording]

Sure

[@miketkong2]

I like your style G. Thanks for the crispy lil vid. 👍

[@mrlighthou5e796]

The fucking Dolphin saying'Fuuuuuuck!" was hilarious!

[@QauntumCellist]

Great video! Would love to see a video about your interpretation of how to properly add dynamics to a mix to really make it shine. Also, off topic, maybe make a video about mitigating GAS ( Gear acquisition syndrome)? With you're editing skills, I think that could be a really funny yet informative video! Lots of ideas here if ya need em'

[@VegaMaiden95]

amazing video! more people should learn about volume and you taught everything in a very concise, easy to understand way. Less loudness wars, more LUF!

[@MrFedemoral]

Thanks dude!, super practical and useful

[@DevinC_]

excited to try this out in my next song.

[@erickshi2701]

Great video! Maybe a lesson on FM synthesis next?

[@MultiTea]

That OwO at 6:56 came out of nowhere 😂 Great explanations, I understand it better know !

[@BirdL762]

Hey thanks for dropping this knowledge on a noob and thank you for the free meter link!

[@v0Xx60]

I've actually been learning these terms and ways of measuring sound at work, fun that you bring it up around the same time.

[@paweltatar3425]

The thing is that majority of record labels master their music louder than -14 LUFS simply because it gives music that specific sound. When I mastered my track for -14 LUFS and uploaded it to Spotify it sounded "unfinished" and a little bit quieter when comparing to commercial releases. I guess it probably depends on a genre but keep that in mind especially when you produce electronic music.

[@rogerfurer2273]

Thanks. I've been hearing about LUFS for a while, but never heard it explained so well. Very informative!

[@farty555]

This is an important video. Thank you Jeremy!

[@lelluc]

Amazing! Love your videos, keep it up 👍

[@MPanalog]

Very informative first part, but :) *LUFS is just a standard, DO NOT let standards dictate what you do with your music.* The final loudness - Peak/RMS the track should have is the one that the track *Needs* to sound the best it can. Afterwards, you can check how much LUFS you hit, either you're lower or higher the platforms will compensate. Always mix and master with what the track needs in mind, not numbers. It's a common mistake that many beginners do and it does bring a lot of confusion. One of the other reasons no one should ever target a specific LUFS or whatever is that in 3 months, Spotify/youtube can and may change these guidelines which ultimately beats the purpose of trying to achieve the loudness that is currently set... Instead of playing cat & mouse and having 300 different versions just master your track the BEST you can.

[@RedMeansRecording]

Yup yup

[@MPanalog]

@@RedMeansRecording :) Thank you for the great content and music!

[@jakewelch.design]

i literally needed this today. God bless you

[@alfonsemusic]

Really useful stuff, thanks.

[@stevenstavropoulos8858]

incredible content !!!!!!

[@miltosschimatariotis3906]

Great explanation of the LUFS situation

[@nicholasbohannan1673]

You’re so awesome Jeremy.

[@PacifierMusic]

Excellent video. This really demystified a lot for me. I appreciate it so much.

[@yokrammusic]

Awesome video!! thank u for linking the free option for LUFS meter. Izotope would be nice but not until a couple paydays from now hahah

[@marekstora]

Thanks a lot Jeremy :) I think I might have been overmaximizing my tracks a bit by not measuring LUFS during mixing. Will see if I hear a difference in future projects.

[@ajn2747]

Well done, sir. Easy to follow, and really liked the recap that you did at the end. I learned about LUFs today and for that I am grateful. Well edited video too. Thumbs up

[@dr.feelicks2051]

mastering gospel. Yay! sensible talk. One thing to add: mastering mixed tracks is an art form that takes some time to get good at. Some powerful tools, take care.

[@simonhodapp665]

Excellent vid

[@GabrielPerboni]

Very informative indeed! Thanks

[@UtanahWood]

This is an amazing video! Had a lesson on metering in uni and it was nowhere near as clear and concise as yours. Thanks Jeremy!

[@tonyogar6936]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@jezwinski]

LOVE LUFS. Thank you for this!

[@pacman22XD]

It's not necessarily true that a higher sample rate creates more "fidelity", just more room for higher frequencies. But we can't hear them anyway so it doesn't really matter. Higher bitrate does give you more dynamic range for volume but really CD bitrate is good enough for almost everything in my opinion. Apart from that I really liked the video!

[@strangersun7721]

Excellent breakdown of an easily misunderstood concept. Thanks so much.

[@sylkiri]

This is so so so helpful. Thank you very much, Jeremy.

[@Mr.Meowgical]

Thank you for spreading LUFS and awareness!

[@djwillcaine]

Really informative, thank you!!

[@MrAlmostFly]

There you go, you learn something new every day with Jeremy! Any ios master plugins Love LUFS that you know of?

[@Aemyn]

This helped solidify a few things about LUFS and I'm going to see if I can learn how to level things properly

[@xeananoz]

Lufs is all around... Thank you Jeremy.

[@dankahara6263]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@Thelulz]

wow this cleared up so much stuff that i've been confused about recently

[@ChuckNoise]

What an amazing video - ty!

[@blueslsd]

Really nice info, many thanks.

[@goodboid]

Thank you thank you thank you!