Loudness Range

General

• Also Called LRA

• Loudness Range Information in LU 

• Reflects the Difference between the Highest and Lowest Signals (Not to be Confused with Dynamic Range / Crest Factor)

• i.e. a Statical Measure of Loudness Variation of an Entire Track

• is a Longterm Reading will Give you an Idea of Difference in Volume  between Different Sections of your Track (e.g. Verse vs Chorus etc.)

• the Lower the Number the Less Loudness Variation your Track has

• Stay Above Above 5 LU to Distinguish Different Parts in your Song (e.g. Verse vs Chorus etc.), e.g. when the Chorus Does Not Jump Out Enough and you have a Low LRA then Use Automation to Lift the Chorus etc.

• LRA is Mostly Displayed as a Simple Value, but also Meters have “Brackets” that Indicate the Overall Loudness Range

Compare

• The Loudness Range Display (means really Only the Display and No Change in Target Scale) on a Meter can often be changed “On the Fly” between:

dB Linear = Shows Equal Spaced dB Range (same Distance of dB Blocks)

dB Non-Linear = The Meter is magnified in the “Key Areas” 

BS.1771 = American Broadcast Standard (in Fact also a Non-Linear Display )

EBU +9 = European Broadcast Standard with +9dB (in Fact also a Non-Linear Display )

EBU +18 = European Broadcast Standard with +18dB (in Fact also a Non-Linear Display )

PPM6 = UK has PPM6 (which gives a Headroom of -10dB FS) as Standard and Elsewhere it is often -9dB FS (which gives a Headroom of 9dB)

• a Headroom of 9dB / Respective 10 dB is usually No Problem, but with all the Different Standards we Need to Make “Loudness Normalisation” instead “Peak Normalisation”

• as the Peak Audio Level will Go Up and Down within a Program, the “Inter Sample Clipping” is Much More a Matter than before and we Need to be more Precise