Media Strategy Lab

Free editing tool

LUFS Reference
platform targets and the ducking gap

Every platform normalises loudness to its own target, which means mastering louder gains you nothing and costs dynamic range. This reference gives the target and true peak ceiling for each destination, plus the music level you should duck to under dialogue.

Last updated · Reviewed by the Media Strategy Lab edit team

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Benchmark data from our 1.2B+ view dataset

Aggregated from short-form campaigns produced by Media Strategy Lab in 2025-2026.

38%

median hook retention

22%

3-sec drop-off

31s

avg. watch time

problem-statement or pattern-interrupt

best hook type

2.1 cuts per 10s

cut density

Format and pacing profile

dominant format

Talking head + supporting B-roll

shot length

2-4 seconds

B-roll ratio

40:60 B-roll to face

pacing note

Lead with the hook, cut on breaths, use text reinforcement at 3-5s intervals.

Clean dialogue with a music bed ducking -20 LUFS under voice.

Technical specifications

TikTok-14 LUFS, -1 dBTP
Instagram / Reels-14 LUFS, -1 dBTP
YouTube-14 LUFS, -1 dBTP
LinkedIn-16 LUFS, -1.5 dBTP
Podcast stereo-16 LUFS, -1 dBTP
Podcast mono feed-19 LUFS
Broadcast / OTT (EBU R128)-23 LUFS, -2 dBTP
Music under dialogue6 LU below speech

Buyer context and objections

who buys

Marketers, editors and founders planning video work

typical budget

Free tool — retainers from $2,495/mo

common objection

Do I need a vendor at all for this?

failed prior attempt

Planning video budgets and schedules from guesswork

Our 5-step process

  1. 01

    Brief and audit — we review your goals, past performance and raw material before touching a timeline.

  2. 02

    Hook extraction — every asset is scanned for the highest-retention 1-3 second opener.

  3. 03

    Native edit — pacing, captions, safe zones and sound are tuned to the destination platform.

  4. 04

    Revision rounds — two included rounds with timestamped comments, no ticket queue.

  5. 05

    Delivery pack — masters, verticals, captions, thumbnails and a posting brief in one drop.

Case example

A podcast client was delivering the same -14 LUFS master to both audio feeds and YouTube. Splitting into a -16 LUFS stereo audio master and a -14 LUFS video master removed listener complaints about volume jumps between platforms within one episode.

Keep going: Video Editing for Coaches — built for transformation, authority and enrolment, Instagram Reels Editing — that stops the scroll and builds the feed, Video Editing Cost — what you actually pay in 2026.

Pricing anchor

Our monthly retainers start at $2,495/mo for 15 shorts and scale to $3,995/mo for 30 shorts plus long-form support. Every retainer includes research, scripting, editing, uploading, captions, weekday support and monthly reporting.

View packages

Normalisation means loud does not win

Platforms turn loud uploads down rather than turning quiet ones up beyond a point. A master crushed to -9 LUFS is played back at -14 with all its dynamics squashed out, so it sounds flatter than a properly mastered file at the same perceived level.

Mix to the target, keep true peak at -1 dBTP to survive lossy encoding, and let the platform do nothing.

The 6 LU gap

The single most useful number in this reference is the gap: music sits roughly 6 LU below dialogue while someone is speaking, and can come up to about 3 LU below in gaps. Absolute fader levels vary per track; the gap is what the ear judges.

Pair it with an 80 to 150 millisecond attack and 300 to 500 millisecond release and ducking becomes inaudible, which is the whole point.

Loudness (LUFS) reference and ducking calculator

Interactive, no email required. Numbers come from our own production data.

TikTok-14 LUFS / -1 dBTPNormalises up; thin mixes sound weak.
Instagram / Reels-14 LUFS / -1 dBTPDialogue-forward, music bed -20 LUFS.
YouTube-14 LUFS / -1 dBTPLouder masters get turned down, not up.
LinkedIn-16 LUFS / -1.5 dBTPMost plays are muted — captions carry it.
Podcast (audio)-16 LUFS / -1 dBTPMono -19 LUFS for spoken-word feeds.
Broadcast / OTT-23 LUFS / -2 dBTPEBU R128 delivery standard.

Dialogue: -14 LUFS

-20 LUFS

Duck the music bed to this level under speech (a 6 LU gap), with a 120 ms attack and 400 ms release.

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Frequently asked questions

What LUFS should social video be?

Minus fourteen LUFS integrated with true peak at -1 dBTP for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. LinkedIn sits nearer -16 LUFS. Mastering louder than the target achieves nothing because platforms normalise playback downward.

What is true peak and why -1 dBTP?

True peak measures inter-sample peaks that appear after lossy encoding, which a normal peak meter misses. Leaving 1 dB of headroom prevents the distortion that appears once your file is re-encoded by the platform.

How loud should music be under dialogue?

About 6 LU below the dialogue while someone is speaking, rising to around 3 LU below in gaps. Set the gap rather than a fixed fader level, since perceived loudness varies significantly between tracks at the same level.

Do podcasts and video need different masters?

Yes. Audio feeds target -16 LUFS stereo or -19 mono; video platforms target -14. Using one master for both causes noticeable volume differences between your feed and your YouTube upload.

What about broadcast delivery?

EBU R128 requires -23 LUFS with a -2 dBTP ceiling, which is far quieter than social. Never repurpose a social master for broadcast delivery, or a broadcast master for social — both will be rejected or sound wrong.

Which meter should I use?

Any ITU-R BS.1770-compliant loudness meter — Youlean, the built-in meters in Resolve and Premiere, or iZotope Insight. Measure integrated loudness across the whole programme, not momentary peaks.

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