Two Voices Set to Equal LUFS Levels Doesn’t Guarantee Identical Perceived Loudness Levels

There are many apps that can be used to loudness normalize an audio file to a specific LUFS loudness level. Many podcasters and producers use this process to equalize the volume level of each participant in podcast episodes.

In most cases this works well; all the voices set to the same LUFS level will be almost the same exact perceived loudness level compared to each other, which provides a good mix and allows the listeners to hear each participant equally.

But many times, probably half the time (or more?), even though each voice is set to the same LUFS level they won’t sound like they’re at the same loudness level – your ears will perceive that one voice is noticeably louder than another, and vice versa. This is due to many factors including each audio files EQ curve, each participants proximity to the microphone when recording, how dynamic each participant is, how much compression is being used on each, and more.

The moral of the story: Always use your ears as the final judge in all phases of audio production. Period.

It’s totally fine to use LUFS loudness normalization or/or auto-leveling, just be sure to use your EARS to make the final evaluation on volume levels in your mix.

What is your experience with LUFS leveling?

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