Loudness targets · Broadcast
EBU R128: −23 LUFS, −1 dBTP
EBU R128 is the European Broadcasting Union's loudness recommendation. A programme should measure −23 LUFS integrated, with true peak no higher than −1 dBTP. Unlike a streaming reference, this is a delivery requirement: the mix itself has to land there.
What EBU R128 asks for
EBU R128 is the recommendation that moved European broadcasting from peak normalization to loudness normalization. Before it, programmes were aligned by peak level, so heavily compressed content (adverts, promos) could sound much louder than the drama next to it. R128 aligns programmes by how loud they sound instead.
The core of it:
- Programme loudness −23 LUFS, measured over the whole programme with the gated integrated measurement of ITU-R BS.1770.
- Maximum true peak −1 dBTP, measured with an oversampling true-peak meter.
- Loudness range (LRA) measured and reported, to describe how much the loudness varies through the programme.
MixOutpost uses a tolerance of ±1 LU around −23 LUFS, so a programme reading from −24 to −22 LUFS shows as within spec. R128 and the broadcasters' own specs based on it can be stricter for normal programmes and allow more for live content. Your delivery spec is what counts.
Loudness range: the number R128 made standard
Integrated loudness tells you the average. LRA tells you the spread. It's derived from the distribution of short-term loudness across the programme, ignoring the quietest and loudest extremes, and reported in LU.
- Low LRA (a few LU): news, talk, heavily compressed promos. Easy to hear in a noisy room, not much contrast.
- High LRA (well into double figures): film and drama with quiet dialogue and loud action. Great in a quiet room, hard work on a TV speaker in a kitchen.
Some broadcasters set LRA limits for certain types of content. Even when yours doesn't, LRA is a quick sanity check on whether a mix will translate to small speakers at home, and to a phone.
What to aim for
- Mix to the target, don't normalize at the end and hope. Dropping a loud mix by 8 dB at the end lands on −23 but leaves the peaks and balance that came from mixing louder.
- Keep true peak under −1 dBTP with a true-peak limiter on the master. Sample-peak meters can miss inter-sample overs.
- Watch short-term loudness in context. The integrated figure can hit −23 while a single scene jumps well above it. Viewers notice the jump.
- Read the broadcaster's spec sheet. Tolerances, peak ceilings, LRA limits and the measurement for short-form content vary.
Specs vary by broadcaster
R128 is a recommendation that broadcasters implement in their own delivery specs, and the EBU revises its supporting documents from time to time. The numbers here match the EBU R128 target built into MixOutpost. For a delivery, follow the spec you were given.
Checking EBU R128 with MixOutpost
MixOutpost's meter is built to EBU R128 (momentary, short-term, integrated, LRA, true peak and maxima) and passes the EBU test cases. It runs on your iPhone, fed by exactly what your Mac sends.
- 01
Stream your master bus
Insert the MixOutpost plugin last on the master and press Start Sharing. Pair your iPhone once with a QR code.
- 02
Open Loudness and pick EBU R128
Under TV and film delivery, choose EBU R128 (Europe broadcast). The app shows within spec, or too loud or too quiet and by how many dB outside the tolerance.
- 03
Reset and play the whole programme
Integrated loudness and LRA accumulate from the reset. Readings are taken before Listen as, Dim, Mute or phone volume, so you can listen quietly while it measures.
EBU R128 compared with other delivery specs
| Spec | Integrated | Tolerance | True peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBU R128 (Europe broadcast) | −23 LUFS | ±1 LU | −1 dBTP |
| ATSC A/85 (US broadcast) | −24 LKFS | ±2 dB | −2 dBTP |
| Netflix (dialogue-gated) | −27 LKFS | ±2 dB | −2 dBTP |
See every target, including music streaming and podcasts, on the loudness targets page.
Questions
What is the EBU R128 loudness target?
−23 LUFS integrated over the whole programme, with a maximum true peak of −1 dBTP. MixOutpost treats a reading within ±1 LU of −23 as within spec. Individual broadcasters publish their own delivery specs based on R128, sometimes with a tighter tolerance or a lower peak ceiling, so check the one you were given.
What's the difference between LUFS and LU?
LUFS is an absolute level: loudness relative to digital full scale. LU is a difference between two loudness values; 1 LU equals 1 dB. So −23 LUFS is a level, and ±1 LU is a tolerance around it. Loudness range (LRA) is also in LU.
Does EBU R128 specify loudness range?
R128 asks that loudness range (LRA) be measured and reported, and the EBU's supporting documents describe how. It doesn't set one LRA value for every programme; broadcasters may set limits for particular types of content.
Is −23 LUFS too quiet for music?
For a music release on streaming services, yes: they play around −14 to −16 LUFS, and some won't raise a quiet track. R128 is for broadcast programmes, where −23 LUFS with generous headroom is normal and everything else on the channel sits at the same level.
Hear your mix on your phone
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