--- title: "EBU R 128 s1 — Loudness for Adverts, Promos and Idents" description: "R 128 s1 governs adverts, promos and idents: −23.0 LUFS programme loudness, a Maximum Short-term Loudness of −18.0 LUFS (+5.0 LU relative), and −1 dBTP true peak." canonical_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128-s1" type: "Article" date_modified: "2026-09-19T02:06:04.588Z" publisher: "Elephant Audio" publisher_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk" source_kind: "published-standard" source_url: "https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128s1.pdf" source_fetched_at: "2026-09-19" entities: - name: "Lahore" type: "City" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11739" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore" - name: "Pakistan" type: "Country" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q843" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan" author: name: "Abu Bakar Zahid" role: "Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio" url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/founder" same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" person: "Abu Bakar Zahid" person_same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" --- # EBU R 128 s1 — Loudness for Adverts, Promos and Idents ## What loudness spec applies to a television advert? EBU R 128 s1 governs short-form content. Programme Loudness normalises to −23.0 LUFS as in R 128, but s1 adds a Maximum Short-term Loudness of −18.0 LUFS, which is +5.0 LU on the relative scale, with true peak not exceeding −1 dBTP. Quality-control tolerances are ±0.2 LU and +0.2 LU respectively. −23.0 LUFS Programme Loudness (as R 128, ±0.2 LU for QC) · −18.0 LUFS Maximum Short-term (+5.0 LU on the relative scale) · −1 dBTP Maximum True Peak (measurement tolerance ±0.3 dB) · V3 current version (Geneva, August 2020) Why a separate document exists for adverts at all: R 128 controls a programme with Programme Loudness and Maximum True Peak. Loudness Range, the measure that describes how much a mix moves, is derived from the distribution of Short-term loudness values taken over three-second windows. The supplement explains its own reason for existing in one line: for commercials and promos that method “leaves too few data points”. A thirty-second advert simply does not run long enough for the statistic to mean anything. So short-form is controlled a different way — not by describing its range after the fact, but by capping how loud the loudest three seconds may be. The recommendation, as written: Transcribed from the numbered clauses, 2026-09-19: - b) Programme Loudness Level shall be normalised to a Target Level of −23.0 LUFS, with a tolerance of ±0.2 LU allowed in quality-control environments for measurement error. - d) Short-term Loudness Level, measured per EBU Tech 3341, shall not exceed −18.0 LUFS — that is +5.0 LU on the relative scale — with a tolerance of +0.2 LU allowed for measurement error. - g) True Peak Level shall not exceed −1 dBTP. The measurement tolerance is ±0.3 dB for signals bandwidth-limited to 20 kHz. ⚠️ The version trap, which is the practical value of this page: The document history records that version 2, January 2016, was a simplification that removed the Maximum Momentary Loudness option. A Maximum Momentary limit has therefore not been part of this recommendation for a decade. Any source quoting a Momentary figure for adverts is quoting a superseded version. Version 3, August 2020, is the current one, and what it added was the two quality-control tolerances above — not a new limit. What this changes about mixing a spot: The programme figure is unchanged from R 128, so a spot that measures −23.0 LUFS integrated is no less correct than it was. What s1 adds is a ceiling on the loudest sustained moment, and that is the constraint a dense advertising mix runs into first. A spot can integrate correctly and still exceed −18.0 LUFS across its loudest three seconds — typically the end-line, the product shot, or the music hitting full arrangement under a voice. Meeting both numbers is a mix decision about where the peak energy sits, not a mastering decision taken afterwards. Sources: - EBU R 128 s1 — Loudness Parameters for Short-Form Content (PDF) — Supplement 1 to R 128, Geneva, August 2020, V3. Every figure here. Read 2026-09-19.: https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128s1.pdf - EBU publication page for R 128 s1 — Version history, including the removal of the Max. Momentary option at V2.: https://tech.ebu.ch/publications/r128s1 ## Frequently asked questions ### Does an advert have a different loudness target from a programme? No — the target is the same, −23.0 LUFS. What differs is the extra constraint: short-form must also keep Maximum Short-term Loudness at or below −18.0 LUFS, a limit the main recommendation does not impose on long-form. ### What does '+5.0 LU on the relative scale' mean? It is the same figure expressed the other way round. Relative to the −23.0 LUFS target, −18.0 LUFS sits five loudness units above it. Meters set to a relative scale show it as +5.0; meters set to absolute show −18.0. Both are the same ceiling. ### Is there a Maximum Momentary limit for adverts? Not since January 2016. Version 2 of the supplement removed the Maximum Momentary option as a simplification. Sources still quoting one are working from a superseded revision. ## Related - [The main recommendation this supplements](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128/raw) - [UK programme delivery, which is tighter still](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/uk-dpp/raw) - [Delivery specs versus playback normalisation](https://elephantaudio.pk/guides/broadcast-loudness-specs/raw) - [Audio for ads and digital campaigns](https://elephantaudio.pk/services/ads-digital/raw) ## Studio - **Studio:** Elephant Audio — Lahore, Pakistan - **Founder:** Abu Bakar Zahid — Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio - **Website:** https://elephantaudio.pk - **Contact:** abubakar@elephantaudio.pk