How to mix using integrated LUFS / R128

[DFN]

Hey Guys,

I am wanting to mix a short 2 min doc, mainly voice and little background noise or FX, to -23 LUFS with a True Peak limit of -1dB. I am using NuGen ISL and VisLM.

If mixing to -23LUFS is it good practice to only pay attention to the integrated loudness and more or less ignore the short term and momentary? For example, should I allow the short term and momentary values to fluctuate around -23LUFS, i.e. + or - 1dB, but more importantly ensure that the integrated value never exceeds -23LUFS?

Dan

[DFN]

I have resolved this issue. After a little bit of research I have gone and downloaded LM-Correct. This normalises a track to an LUFS value as well as true peak - making everything R128 compliant with ease. This was the plug-in I was looking for.

[tom_lowe]

Originally Posted by DFN

I have resolved this issue. After a little bit of research I have gone and downloaded LM-Correct. This normalises a track to an LUFS value as well as true peak - making everything R128 compliant with ease. This was the plug-in I was looking for.

Some broadcasters specify max momentary and short-term levels along with LRA, but the DPP spec doesn't currently. Just mix and aim for an LRA of 15 or so.

Great as all Nugen stuff is, don't rely on LM-Correct unless you're only a few LUFS off, it can alter the dynamics of your mix if you do anything too extreme.

It's called LM-Correct, not LM-Automix for a reason.

[DFN]

Thanks Tom, you've answered a few questions for me and it's been great!

The broadcaster I am mixing for does not specify a short term or momentary loudness, however, they do ask for a programme loudness of -23LUFS + or - 1LU.

Firstly, am I correct in assuming this is the integrated loudness? Secondly, if I ensure a programme loudness of -23LUFS, and the broadcaster doesn't outline a specific momentary or short term value, can I more or less ignore these? For example, if I ensure an integrated loudness of -23LUFS is it then ok if the short term and momentary loudness fluctuated and exceeded -23 by any amount?

Dan

[tom_lowe]

Programme and integrated loudness are the same thing.

I thought Programme loudness was the gated from the short-term not momentary reading?

[DFN]

All sounds good and things are way clearer now.

Does anyone know where I can download an examples of a mix that adopts EBU R128? Perhaps there is a website or maybe it's hidden somewhere on the EBU page?

[tom_lowe]

Originally Posted by kdarbyshirebryant

A popular misconception (or translated: I thought that too and I've heard others state it) however:

The measurement parameters for ‘EBU Mode’ are:
1. The momentary loudness uses a sliding rectangular time window of length 0.4 s. The measurement is not gated.
2. The short-term loudness uses a sliding rectangular time window of length 3 s. The measurement is not gated. The update rate for ‘live meters’ shall be at least 10 Hz.
3. The integrated loudness uses gating as described in ITU-R BS.1770-2. The update rate for ‘live meters’ shall be at least 1 Hz.

The ‘integrated loudness’ shall be measured using the gating function specified in ITU-R BS.1770-2, summarised as follows:
1. using an absolute 'silence' gating threshold at -70 LUFS for the computation of the absolute-gated loudness level;
2. using a relative gating threshold, 10 LU below the absolute-gated loudness level;
3. The measurement input to which the gating threshold is applied is the loudness of the 400 ms blocks with a constant overlap between consecutive gating blocks of 75%.

Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense that they use that for integrated and short term for LRA.

[tom_lowe]

Originally Posted by DFN

All sounds good and things are way clearer now.

Does anyone know where I can download an examples of a mix that adopts EBU R128? Perhaps there is a website or maybe it's hidden somewhere on the EBU page?

A mix is a mix, just it's loudness is -23LUFS. You have all the info you need, not sure what you'd gain from listening to an EBU R.128 mix as it would be different content. Most UK TV is now R.128.

As for the suggestion to find something that sits around -23LUFS, you could take some audio and normalize it to -23LUFS to get an idea of comfortable listening levels, or calibrate you speakers to around 79dB SPL which should suit most rooms for TV mixing.

If it's for 4oD, are you sure they want R.128, that's for broadcast, there's a chance that they may want a louder mix for web.

[antonis]

I find for me a handy practice to be having my first passes, roughly levelling up to -23LUFS Short Term, and then "see the bigger picture" and mix according to pic and aesthetics looking at the integrated -23 LUFS.

As mentioned about, do not rely on LMCorrect for your mixes.

If you know your room, with calibrated speakers you'll find that your mixes hit that +/- 1 LUFS mark without even looking at the histogram. This latter is subject not to be the case - at least for me - on highly dynamic scenes.

[DFN]

Hey Everyone,

I mixed to a programme loudness at -23LUFS and tried to keep my momentary loudness to hover around the -23 mar. I took a screen shot of the resulting history chart. Does this look normal if trying to comply with EBU R128?