E · AUDIO LOUDNESS
Loudness range (LRA)
How much your loudness varies — and when viewers reach for the volume.
By Thomas Linck, founder · Updated June 2026
Loudness range, or LRA, measures how much the loudness of a program varies from start to finish, in LU (loudness units). It is defined alongside EBU R128, the same standard behind LUFS. For speech-driven online video, a comfortable range is about 4–8 LU.
WHY IT MATTERS
A wide loudness range feels cinematic in a quiet room and exhausting on a phone. Once the gap between your quiet and loud stretches passes about 10 LU, viewers start riding the volume button — up to catch the words, down when the music hits. Keeping speech-driven video around 4–8 LU is not flattening it: dynamics should come from your delivery, not from level swings.
TARGET · STANDARD
| Loudness range | ≈ 4–8 LU | speech-driven online video |
| Past ~10 LU | too wide for phones | viewers ride the volume |
| Fix | light compression | even the swings, keep the delivery |
How CutScore measures it
CutScore runs an EBU R128 meter over your file and reports loudness range next to integrated loudness and true peak. If the range runs wide, it flags the quietest and loudest stretches with timestamps — so you know exactly which swings to even out.
QUESTIONS
Frequently asked.
For speech-driven video, about 4–8 LU. That keeps the quiet and loud stretches close enough that viewers never have to touch the volume, while leaving room for natural delivery.
No. A low LRA means the level is consistent, not that the video is lifeless. Energy and contrast should come from your delivery and your edit — not from level swings the viewer has to chase.