Cuescribe

Loudness checker and normalizer

Drop a video or audio file to measure it the way platforms do (integrated LUFS and true peak, EBU R128 / ITU BS.1770). See how far you are from the target and get a normalized copy. Nothing is uploaded.

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Questions

What loudness should a YouTube video be?

YouTube plays everything at about -14 LUFS. Louder uploads are turned down; quieter ones are left quiet. Aim for -14 LUFS with true peaks below -1 dBTP.

Why does it say it can only add some of the gain?

Raising the level also raises the peaks. When the loudest peak would pass the ceiling, it would clip. A limiter or compressor in your editor fixes that first; we tell you the honest maximum rather than distort your audio.

Is this the same as the meter in Premiere or Resolve?

It uses the same standard (ITU BS.1770 with EBU R128 gating). Expect readings within a few tenths of a dB; true peak here is estimated with 4x oversampling.