--- title: "EBU R 128 s2 — Loudness in Streaming" description: "EBU R 128 s2 says programmes should be streamed unchanged at −23.0 LUFS. Where metadata is not used, it permits an interim Distribution Loudness Level of −20.0 to −16.0 LUFS." canonical_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128-s2" type: "Article" date_modified: "2026-09-23T00:59:09.381Z" publisher: "Elephant Audio" publisher_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk" source_kind: "published-standard" source_url: "https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128s2.pdf" source_fetched_at: "2026-09-23" 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 s2 — Loudness in Streaming ## You deliver at −23 LUFS, so why does streaming say −14? EBU R 128 s2 recommends that programmes be produced to R 128 and streamed unchanged at −23.0 LUFS, with loudness metadata indicating the actual programme loudness. Where metadata is not employed, it permits an interim Distribution Loudness Level higher than −23.0 LUFS, in the range −20.0 to −16.0 LUFS. −23.0 LUFS streamed unchanged (the recommended default) · −20.0 to −16.0 interim distribution window (in LUFS, only without metadata) · 2023 document year (Loudness in Streaming) The question this document exists to settle: Anyone delivering both broadcast and streaming hits the same apparent contradiction. European broadcast normalises to −23.0 LUFS. Consumer streaming platforms normalise playback toward figures more than eight units louder. Both are correct, and nothing in R 128 itself explains how they relate. s2 is the EBU's own answer, and it is not the answer most articles give. It does not say to master louder for streaming. What it actually recommends: Transcribed from the numbered clauses, 2026-09-23: - d) that programmes shall be produced or prepared according to EBU R 128 and EBU Tech 3343. - e) that programmes should be streamed unchanged, that is at −23.0 LUFS. - f) that Loudness Metadata should be used, correctly indicating the actual Programme Loudness. - g) that, unless metadata is employed to manage device gain and the dynamic properties of content, the Distribution Loudness Level may be higher than −23.0 LUFS prior to streaming — and in that case the interim value should be in the range of −20.0 to −16.0 LUFS. ⚠️ The louder window is a fallback, not a target: Read clause g) carefully, because the ordering matters. The recommendation is to stream unchanged at −23.0 LUFS and carry metadata. The −20.0 to −16.0 LUFS window applies only where metadata is NOT being used, and the document calls that value interim. So it is not a streaming loudness target. It is what a broadcaster may do when it cannot rely on the device to handle gain and dynamics, and wants to keep control of the result rather than leave it to whatever the player does. Why the conflict exists at all: The document sets out two streaming situations with, in its words, conflicting requirements. One is playback with sufficiently high gain and headroom and low background noise — it names television receivers and smart speakers — where a dynamic programme reproduces faithfully at its original level. The other is playback with lower gain and headroom, or higher background noise, and it names smartphones and personal music players. That is the listening situation that pushes distribution louder, and it is the reason a single number cannot serve both. The practical consequence for anyone delivering to both worlds: produce once to R 128, and treat the streaming level as a distribution decision made downstream rather than a mix decision made at the master. Sources: - EBU R 128 s2 — Loudness in Streaming (PDF) — Supplement 2 to R 128, 2023. Every figure and clause here. Read 2026-09-23.: https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128s2.pdf ## Frequently asked questions ### Should a programme be mastered louder for streaming? Not according to s2. It recommends producing to R 128 and streaming unchanged at −23.0 LUFS with metadata carrying the actual programme loudness. A louder distribution level is a fallback for when metadata is not used, and the document describes that value as interim. ### Does the −20.0 to −16.0 LUFS window replace −23 LUFS? No. It is the Distribution Loudness Level — what may be applied before streaming, downstream of production — and only where metadata is not employed. Production still targets −23.0 LUFS under R 128. ### How does this relate to Spotify's −14 LUFS? They are different layers. Spotify normalises playback for consumer music. s2 is the European broadcaster's position on how broadcast programmes should reach a streaming device. Neither is a mastering instruction, and neither cancels R 128. ## Related - [The main recommendation](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128/raw) - [The short-form supplement, for adverts](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128-s1/raw) - [What a consumer platform does on playback](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/spotify/raw) - [Delivery specs versus playback normalisation](https://elephantaudio.pk/guides/broadcast-loudness-specs/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