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For a speech-led story stream, use −18 LUFS integrated per complete episode as a defensible starting point. Measure each finished episode consistently, adjust gain toward that target, check true peak, and listen to transitions between episodes. This is distribution guidance—not a child-specific hearing-safety level—and the final result should be checked through the stream’s actual playback chain.
What loudness normalization does—and why peak matching is not enough
Loudness normalization adjusts a recording’s overall gain so its perceived program loudness is closer to a chosen target. It does not simply make every episode’s highest sample peak match. ITU-R BS.1770 defines methods for measuring programme loudness and true peak; LUFS expresses loudness on a scale referenced to full scale. See the ITU-R BS.1770-5 recommendation.
Two episodes can have similar peaks but sound substantially different in average loudness. Conversely, raising a quiet episode to a target can push its peaks too high. Track integrated loudness and true peak together, and listen for changes introduced by any limiting.
Choose a target that matches the destination
For mostly narrated stories, AES AESTD1008 recommends −18 LUFS for measurable speech and gives −18 LUFS for drama examples in radio-style streams. That makes it a useful starting point for internet distribution, not a universal rule for every platform or a specific target validated for children’s programming. AES also notes that speech normalized to the same integrated loudness as music may be perceived 2–3 dB louder, so mixed speech-and-music programming may need listening checks beyond the meter.
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| Guidance | Published figure | Applies to | Use for a continuous story stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| AES AESTD1008 (2021) | −18 LUFS for measurable speech; drama examples also −18 LUFS | Internet audio distribution, including streams and podcasts | A grounded starting point for narration-led episodes; validate it in your playback chain. |
| EBU R 128, version 5.0 (2023) | −23 LUFS | Broadcast programme loudness | Useful context, but not the default target for an internet story stream. |
| Apple Podcasts for Creators | Around −16 dB LKFS ±1 dB; true peak at or below −1 dB FS | Apple podcast audio preconditioning and playback | Relevant when delivering to Apple Podcasts; it does not govern every continuous stream. |
These figures belong to different distribution contexts and should not be treated as interchangeable. The EBU R 128 S2 streaming supplement provides additional broadcast-sector streaming context. None of these sources establishes a special loudness target or pediatric exposure limit for children’s story content.
Normalize each episode with a repeatable workflow
- Write down the target and what it measures. For a mostly narrated catalogue, start at −18 LUFS integrated per complete episode. Record the measurement method and keep it unchanged across the catalogue.
- Measure the full rendered episode. Use a meter compliant with BS.1770 and record integrated loudness and true peak for every file. Measuring the complete episode makes results comparable; a short excerpt can miss quieter or louder sections.
- Calculate and apply gain. Raise or lower the episode toward the target. Before raising a quiet file, check whether its true peaks will become excessive. Use limiting only if needed, then listen for distortion, flattened dynamics, or other audible changes. AES cautions that peak limiting can alter content.
- Measure the final encoded file again. Do not assume a production master and its encoded version will behave identically. Apple’s figures—around −16 dB LKFS ±1 dB and no more than −1 dB FS true peak—are Apple-specific podcast recommendations, not universal limits for this stream.
- Listen across episode boundaries. Check adjacent episodes at representative playback levels, paying particular attention to quiet openings, loud effects, music beds, pauses, and shifts from one narrator or mix to another. A meter cannot tell you whether a transition feels abrupt.
- Keep a quality-control record. For each episode, log source and final integrated loudness, true peak, gain applied, any limiter use, and the meter or measurement method. Loudness metadata can support playback gain adjustment when a format and player honor it; do not assume every stream player does. See the EBU ADM loudness-metadata guidance.
Preserve the storytelling while controlling level swings
The aim is consistent episode-to-episode presentation, not identical dynamics inside every story. Avoid crushing a dramatic whisper, musical swell, or intentionally quiet pause merely to make the meter reading uniform. Inspect particularly quiet openings and loud effects, and assess music and narration together. AES’s reported 2–3 dB perceived difference between speech and music at the same integrated loudness is a reason to evaluate mixed material by listening, rather than applying a speech-only assumption to every element.
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