Sound Forge Loudness Meter: LUFS, R128 & True Peak

Quick answer: in the current layout, choose View > Channel Meters, right-click the meters, and select Loudness Meters in the display menu. If your workspace uses the separate meter window, choose View > Loudness Meters or press Alt+6. For Channel Meters, choose the standard under Options > Preferences > Status. In the separate window, use Options > Loudness Meters or its right-click menu. Reset, then play the complete required program. M covers 400 ms, S covers three seconds, I accumulates Integrated loudness, LRA describes gated variation, and TP max catches reconstructed peaks. Judge delivery with I and TP max together.

The destination sets the target. EBU R128 uses -23 LUFS for program loudness. The current Sound Forge loudness help lists -23 LUFS and -1.0 for the EBU preset, and -24 LUFS/LKFS with TP max -2.0 for its ATSC preset. Spotify adjusts Normal playback to -14 LUFS, but that's platform behavior and mastering guidance rather than a universal rule for music, podcasts, or video. These are different specifications, and they don't swap for one another.

This guide covers the live loudness meter and a complete playback check. For a static scan of a selection or file, the Sound Forge Statistics guide is the better fit. If the reading is already known and the file needs correction, go straight to peak, RMS, and loudness normalization.

Documentation checked September 7, 2026. Sound Forge routes and menu labels were checked against the current Boris FX 2026 help; standards and platform claims were checked against ITU, EBU, ATSC, and Spotify primary sources.

LUFS and Peak Answer Different Questions

A sample-peak meter reports the greatest absolute sample amplitude, positive or negative. It helps you watch for full-scale overloads, but cannot prove that a recording is undistorted: previously clipped audio can later be turned down. It also cannot tell you how loud a complete program feels. A sparse recording with one hard transient and a dense limited master can share a similar peak while sounding nothing alike.

LUFS describes program loudness using frequency weighting and time integration. The current published revision is ITU-R BS.1770-5, approved in November 2023. The BS.1770 family underlies EBU and ATSC recommendations, but the measurement method and gating required by the delivery specification still matter.

True peak answers a third question. It estimates peaks that can appear between stored samples when digital audio is reconstructed or encoded. A WAV file may stay below 0 dBFS on an ordinary sample meter and still exceed a delivery ceiling in dBTP. That is why a loudness pass is not complete when Integrated LUFS alone lands on target.

How to Read M, S, I, LRA, and True Peak

Momentary loudness (M)

Momentary loudness uses a 400 ms window in EBU Mode. It moves quickly enough to expose a word, drum hit, edit, or sudden level jump, but it is not an instantaneous peak meter. Treat it as a locator. It tells you where to listen, not what number an entire file should hold.

Short-term loudness (S)

Short-term loudness uses a three-second window. It is usually the clearest meter for comparing a verse with a chorus, one narration sentence with the next, or adjoining sections recorded on different days. A change in S can reflect intentional phrasing or different content. Listen first; if the jump is unwanted, inspect mic distance, clip gain, edit boundaries and dynamics processing.

Integrated loudness (I)

For a full-program reading, make one uninterrupted pass from the required beginning to the end. Sound Forge’s integrated-meter help says restarting playback resets its values; the separate-window help also describes recalculation on start, stop, seeking and direction changes. Do not assume previews or repeated choruses simply accumulate into one retained average. Reset explicitly before a controlled pass, and check its final values before starting another.

Loudness Range (LRA)

LRA is expressed in LU and summarizes the distribution of short-term loudness after absolute and relative gating. The EBU Tech 3342 specification deliberately prevents one gunshot, a long silence, or the noise floor from defining the entire range. It is therefore inaccurate to describe LRA as simply “loudest minus quietest.”

LRA is a diagnostic and editorial clue, not a universal quality score. A news read, an audiobook chapter, a classical recording, and a film mix should not share one mandatory LRA. The EBU itself cautions against using one maximum value for every program. Ask whether the variation serves the material and the listening environment before compressing it. For clips shorter than a minute, EBU R128 does not recommend LRA: there are too few three-second data points. Use the short-form measures in the delivery brief instead.

True Peak (TP max)

TP max estimates the greatest reconstructed peak during the pass. Delivery specifications call this dBTP, although Sound Forge help labels its true-peak display dB FS; record that you used the true-peak field, not the ordinary sample meter. If Integrated loudness passes but TP fails, revise output gain or the limiter setting, then remeasure both constraints. Lowering gain may take Integrated loudness below its permitted range. Renaming a meter preset or changing the LUFS target does not remove an inter-sample peak.

Open the Loudness Meter in Sound Forge on Windows

1. Open the finished or nearly finished audio file.
2. For the current integrated view, choose View > Channel Meters, right-click the meters, and select Loudness Meters from the display menu.
3. For the separate meter window, choose View > Loudness Meters or press Alt+6.
4. Set the metering mode for the view you opened. Channel Meters uses Options > Preferences > Status; the help calls the standard selector Loudness Configuration on one page and Loudness Modus on another. The separate window uses Options > Loudness Meters or its right-click menu.
5. Choose EBU R128 or ATSC A/85 according to the delivery sheet.
6. Reset before the pass. Use Reset in the integrated display; in the separate window, use Reset Metering Engine.
7. Return to the required start and play the full program without skipping sections, pauses, credits, or the tail unless the specification excludes them.

The current Boris FX shortcut list assigns Alt+5 to Channel Meters and Alt+6 to the separate Loudness Meters window in the default keyboard setup. They are different views. The integrated-meter help calls the Channel Meters version the improved current display, while the separate-window help remains available for that layout.

These are documentation-based routes, not a newly verified installation walkthrough. The Channel Meters help documents the right-click display menu. If your build or workspace differs, the separate View > Loudness Meters window is also documented.

The Sound Forge Display Trap: LU Is Not LUFS

Sound Forge can show loudness relative to the selected target in LU or as an absolute value in LUFS. In relative mode, 0 LU means “at the target.” Under EBU R128 that corresponds to -23 LUFS; under the Sound Forge ATSC preset it corresponds to -24 LUFS/LKFS. A reading near 0 is not 0 dBFS and it is not clipping.

For screenshots, logs, and client handoff, absolute LUFS is harder to misread. Right-click the meter, inspect the range/display options, and enable the absolute display when you need the actual full-scale value. Use relative LU when riding a program around a known target.

EBU R128, ATSC A/85, and Streaming Targets

The table below separates standards from platform behavior. It is not a list of interchangeable mastering presets.

EBU R128 version 5.0 remains centered on -23 LUFS, LRA, and Maximum True Peak. The current ATSC A/85:2026-07 is more nuanced than the old one-line “-24 LKFS” summary. Its Annex M quick reference distinguishes dialogue-anchored long form, full-program short form, metadata workflows, and streaming services.

LKFS and LUFS are numerically synonymous labels here. A target of -24 LKFS is not one unit different merely because another meter writes LUFS.

A Full-Program LUFS Measurement You Can Trust

1. Read the delivery specification. Record the loudness target, tolerance, true-peak ceiling, measurement anchor, channel layout, codec, and file format.
2. Choose the matching mode. Choose the specified method, not merely a matching target number. The Sound Forge ATSC preset is not evidence of A/85:2026 dialogue-gated compliance; use a documented matching measurement path when required.
3. Check channel interpretation. For six-channel surround, check Options > Preferences > Status > Enable surround processing for files with 6 channels. The documented surround weighting affects the measurement, not the samples in the file. Confirm the intended channel order and LFE treatment with known material; do not treat six unrelated channels as a surround mix.
4. Reset the meter. Clear Integrated, LRA, and held true-peak data from previews.
5. Play the complete required program. Include the opening, pauses, credits, and tail unless the delivery specification excludes them.
6. Read I and TP first. These values usually decide pass or fail. Use M, S, the history curve, and LRA to locate the cause.
7. Correct the smallest real problem. A gain move may be enough. If peaks block the loudness target, revise dynamics or limiting instead of normalizing repeatedly.
8. Render the required file. Use the final codec and settings, not a convenient temporary format.
9. Measure the rendered file again. Encoders can change peak behavior. The file you deliver is the file that must pass.

For A/85:2026 long form containing dialogue, Annex M specifies dialogue-gated BS.1770-1 measurement without the relative-level gate, over the complete composite mix. Short form uses full-program BS.1770-3 or later. Sound Forge’s published preset description does not establish that dialogue detection is implemented. Use a meter or delivery path with documented support for the required method; selecting a -24 target is not enough.

Diagnose the Failure Before You Process

If the file needs a final dynamics stage, Wave Hammer can combine compression and limiting, but it should follow diagnosis rather than replace it. For a fuller single-file chain, use the Sound Forge mastering walkthrough.

Generate a Loudness Log: Measure at the Right Point

Sound Forge can document a pass with Tools > Generate Loudness Log; another current help page also uses the label Create Loudness Log. With no selection, it analyzes the whole file; with a selection, it reports that range. The log records the file, format, metering mode, and loudness values and can accompany a master when its measurement method matches the recipient’s requirements. A log is evidence of the measurement, not proof that every delivery requirement has passed. For the whole-file report, clear any accidental partial selection first.

There is an important codec detail in the Sound Forge manual: a loudness log requested during Save As is calculated after the plug-in chain but before codec encoding. Reopen and verify WAV delivery too: output format, quantization, dither or clipping can affect the saved samples. For MP3, AAC, or another compressed deliverable, open the saved file and generate the log afterward so the measurement includes any peak change introduced by encoding.

For MP3 settings and verification, follow the Sound Forge MP3 export guide. Don’t approve the encoded file from the pre-codec meter alone: check the actual exported file rather than relying on a measurement taken earlier in the chain.

Meter, Normalize, and Limiter Are Three Different Jobs

The Loudness Meter measures; it does not alter audio. Process → Normalize can make a calculated gain or loudness-normalization move. A limiter controls peaks and changes dynamics when gain alone cannot reach the target safely.

Suppose a file measures -25 LUFS and -5 dBTP against a -23 LUFS / -1 dBTP delivery. A roughly 2 LU gain increase has enough headroom and may solve the problem without compression. If the same file measures -25 LUFS and -1.2 dBTP, adding 2 dB will violate the peak limit. The peaks or crest factor need attention before that gain increase. These are gain-only estimates (-5 + 2 = -3 dBTP; -1.2 + 2 = +0.8 dBTP), not measured results: gating, dynamics and export can change the final readings.

Sound Forge’s loudness normalization can be useful for repeatable files, but always remeasure. On a folder job, build and test one representative file before applying the process through the Sound Forge Batch Converter.

Why -14 LUFS Is Not a Universal Mastering Target

Spotify currently states that its Normal setting adjusts playback to -14 LUFS under ITU 1770. It measures uploads, then applies gain during playback rather than rewriting the uploaded master. Spotify says its web player and third-party devices such as TVs and speakers do not use loudness normalization.

That does not mean every music master should be forced to exactly -14 LUFS. Genre, crest factor, distortion, album continuity, and the sound of the limiter still matter. A louder master may be turned down; a quieter, highly dynamic master may not be raised all the way if true-peak headroom runs out. Listen for flattened transients or distortion as you set the limiter, and leave the encoding headroom the destination requests. Reaching a number is not worth making the master sound worse.

For other destinations, compare the streaming loudness reference with the actual publisher specification before choosing a target.

Broadcast is different because the number can be an acceptance condition. “Spotify turns tracks down” is not an argument for sending a -14 LUFS program to a broadcaster asking for EBU R128 at -23 LUFS.

LUFS Meter FAQ

Where is the LUFS meter in Sound Forge?

Choose View > Channel Meters, right-click the meters, and select Loudness Meters from the display menu. If your layout uses the separate window, choose View > Loudness Meters or press Alt+6. Channel Meters uses the loudness settings under Options > Preferences > Status (called Loudness Configuration or Loudness Modus in the help); the separate window uses Options > Loudness Meters or its right-click menu.

What is Integrated LUFS?

Integrated loudness summarizes the measurement period using the selected method. For an EBU-style full-program result, reset and run one uninterrupted complete pass. A/85:2026 long-form dialogue measurement is different and needs its specified dialogue-gated path; a generic full-mix I value is not a substitute.

What is the difference between LUFS and LKFS?

For BS.1770-based program loudness, LUFS and LKFS are numerically synonymous labels. -24 LKFS and -24 LUFS describe the same loudness value.

Should I choose EBU R128 or ATSC A/85?

Follow the client’s specified method and target. EBU R128 uses -23 LUFS; Sound Forge’s ATSC preset uses -24 with a -2 true-peak ceiling. The preset name alone does not establish A/85:2026 compliance: long form with dialogue requires dialogue-gated measurement without the relative-level gate, rather than an ordinary full-mix average.

What is a good LRA number?

There is no universal good LRA. It depends on genre, program type, and listening environment. Use LRA to spot inappropriate variation, then listen before changing dynamics. EBU R128 does not recommend LRA for clips shorter than a minute; use the required short-form measurements instead.

Why is True Peak higher than sample peak?

True Peak estimates the reconstructed waveform between stored samples. Inter-sample peak magnitude can exceed the greatest absolute sample amplitude and may rise further after lossy encoding.

Can Sound Forge create a loudness report?

Yes. Use Tools > Generate Loudness Log, also called Create Loudness Log on another current help page, for a file or selection. For compressed delivery, generate the log from the saved encoded file because save-time logging occurs before the codec.

Should I normalize every file to -14 LUFS?

No. -14 LUFS is Spotify's Normal playback reference and mastering guidance, not a universal delivery target. Follow the destination specification and preserve sound quality.