Why is LUFS used to measure audio loudness in Voicemachine?

Different audio measurement methods answer slightly different questions. Some aim to reflect how loud audio is perceived by a listener, while others describe the average signal energy over time. Both approaches are valid, but they are not interchangeable.

LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a standardized loudness measurement defined by international broadcast standards. Its purpose is to represent perceived loudness as consistently as possible across different types of content. To achieve this, LUFS measurements:

• apply frequency weighting to approximate human hearing sensitivity

• measure loudness over time rather than instant peaks

• use gating to reduce the impact of very quiet passages and long silences
  

This makes LUFS particularly well suited for spoken-word content, music, and mixed material. Long pauses between sentences or chapters don’t disproportionately lower the loudness value, meaning LUFS closely matches how loud a listener experiences the program overall.