What Is LUFS?
LUFS, or Loudness Units relative to Full Scale, is the standard unit for measuring the perceived loudness of audio, used by broadcasters and streaming platforms to keep playback levels consistent. Unlike peak meters, LUFS reflects how loud material actually feels to listeners, measured over time rather than at a single instant.
LUFS in Practice
The unit comes from broadcast: the EBU R128 recommendation, adopted across European television from 2010, set a common target of -23 LUFS and ended the era of adverts blasting louder than programmes. Streaming brought the same logic to music, with Spotify normalising playback to around -14 LUFS by default, so a master pushed louder gains nothing and simply loses dynamic range. Clients increasingly ask about LUFS directly, and with good reason: it determines how a sonic logo or brand track will actually sound next to everything else on a platform. Delivering brand audio at sensible loudness targets, rather than chasing maximum volume, is now basic craft.
Famous Example
Spotify’s playback normalisation to around -14 LUFS
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- Shepard Tone
- Skeuomorphic Sound
- Sonic
- Sonic Audit
- Sonic Brand Guidelines
- Sonic Branding
- Sonic DNA
- Sonic Identity
- Sonic Logo
- Sonic Palette
- Sonification
- Sound Branding
- Sound Design
- Sound Effect (SFX)
- Sound Symbolism
- Sound Trademark
- Sound-alike
- Soundscape
- Spatial Audio
- Startup Sound
- Stem
- Sting
- Sung Slogan
- Sync Licensing
- Synthetic Voice
A memorable jingle is one tool within a brand’s wider sonic branding.
