Netflix loudness spec: −27 LKFS dialogue

What Netflix asks for

Netflix's sound delivery specs set programme loudness at −27 LKFS ±2 with a maximum true peak of −2 dBTP. On paper that looks like a broadcast spec a few dB quieter than ATSC A/85. The difference is in how the −27 is measured.

Broadcast specs like EBU R128 and ATSC A/85 are usually measured across the whole programme. Netflix measures loudness dialogue-gated: only the parts where someone is speaking count. The reading reflects how loud the dialogue is, not the average of dialogue, music and effects.

Why dialogue gating exists

With a full-programme measurement, a film with a huge score and long battle scenes has to pull everything down to hit the average, dialogue included. A quiet two-hander can play its dialogue much hotter. Viewers then ride the remote between titles.

Anchoring the measurement on dialogue keeps speech at a consistent level from one title to the next, and leaves the mixer free to make the action loud and the quiet scenes quiet. That's also why −27 is lower than broadcast numbers: dialogue sits under the peaks of a cinematic mix, and the spec leaves room above it.

What a full-mix meter tells you

MixOutpost's meter, like most loudness meters, measures the whole mix to ITU-R BS.1770. It has no dialogue detection. So the Netflix target in the app carries a note: Netflix measures dialogue only; this is the whole mix.

• Action-heavy content: the full-mix reading tends to come out louder than the dialogue-gated figure, because music and effects add energy outside the dialogue.
• Sparse, dialogue-led content: the two readings tend to be closer, since most of the programme is speech.
• Long quiet ambiences: can pull a full-mix reading down while the dialogue-gated figure doesn't move.

Use MixOutpost's Netflix verdict as a guide while you mix, and for spotting scenes that jump. Confirm the final number with a dialogue-gated meter before delivery. If your session has a dialogue bus, putting a second MixOutpost plugin on it gives you a speech-only reading to compare, though it still includes the pauses between lines, so it isn't the same as dialogue gating.

What to aim for

1. Set dialogue level first and build music and effects around it. It's what the spec anchors to.
2. Keep true peak under −2 dBTP across all channels, with a true-peak limiter on the print master.
3. Watch loudness range. A cinematic LRA is fine on Netflix, but viewers on TV speakers and phones will still reach for the remote if the explosions are far above the dialogue.
4. Work from Netflix's current specs. They cover much more than loudness: formats, channel layouts, stems and deliverables.

Checking a Netflix mix with MixOutpost

MixOutpost measures on your iPhone from exactly what your Mac sends, so you can check while you mix and listen on the phone the way many viewers do.

1. 01

   Stream the print master

   Insert the MixOutpost plugin last on the master bus and press Start Sharing. Pair your iPhone once with a QR code.

2. 02

   Open Loudness and pick Netflix

   Under TV and film delivery, choose Netflix. The app shows within spec, or too loud or too quiet by how many dB, with the note that this is a whole-mix reading.

3. 03

   Reset per reel or episode

   Play from the top and read the result at the end. Readings are taken before Listen as, Dim, Mute or phone volume. Treat the verdict as a guide, and confirm with a dialogue-gated meter.

Netflix compared with other delivery specs

See every target, including music streaming and podcasts, on the loudness targets page.