# Loudness target

Edit / Sound / Music and mix. Checked 2026-11-13.

The video sits at the level of its neighbours in the feed and does not distort.

- Use when: Every export.
- Phrase: export at -14 LUFS integrated with the true peak at or under -1.5 dBTP
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/sound/loudness-target
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/sound/loudness-target.json

## Watch out

- Measured across nine reference edits: integrated loudness runs from -18.7 to -8.2 LUFS, and six of them sit between -15.2 and -14.1. (measured; Director Chair measurements of published shorts (nine entries, measured 22 and 23 Oct 2026))
- -14 LUFS is a common convention for social video, not a figure the platforms publish for uploads. The true peak matters most. (practitioner; Director Chair field notes on editing)
- Our own spec ad was exported at -8.2 LUFS with a true peak of +0.4 dBTP, over full scale, which clips. (measured; Director Chair measurement of a published short, 22 Oct 2026)

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a sound brief: what to record or pick, where it sits on the timeline, the levels, and what to check before export, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is loudness target: the video sits at the level of its neighbours in the feed and does not distort. How it works: export at -14 LUFS integrated with the true peak at or under -1.5 dBTP. It is right for: every export. Measured across nine reference edits: integrated loudness runs from -18.7 to -8.2 LUFS, and six of them sit between -15.2 and -14.1. -14 LUFS is a common convention for social video, not a figure the platforms publish for uploads. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Six-stage voice chain: https://directorchair.ai/sound/voice-chain
- Music bed under the voice: https://directorchair.ai/sound/music-under-voice

## Source

Own words from Director Chair field notes on editing

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.