How does Normalize AIFF Loudness decide the right level?
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Concretely, R128 loudness analysis drives an exact gain applied to the PCM, so a whole album can be brought to one target level with the relative dynamics inside each track untouched. The file is measured first and the correction follows from the measurement, rather than a fixed gain being applied and hoped for.
What is the difference between this and just turning it up?
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A volume change applies a number you chose. Normalisation measures how loud the file actually is and computes the gain needed to hit a target, so ten files recorded at ten different levels all arrive at the same one.
Does the source format affect normalisation?
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It does. AIFF is Apple's uncompressed PCM format — the Mac-side equivalent of WAV, same size, same fidelity. That determines whether the corrected audio can be written back exactly or has to be re-encoded.
Anything specific to AIFF here?
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Yes — AIFF is big-endian PCM where WAV is little-endian; the audio is equivalent, and the choice is really about which ecosystem opens it without complaint. Worth knowing when the goal is a consistent set rather than one file.
What loudness target should I aim for?
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About -14 LUFS is what the major streaming platforms normalise to, -16 LUFS is the usual podcast target, and -23 LUFS is the broadcast standard. Going louder than the platform target gains you nothing — the platform simply turns it back down.
Does normalisation compress the dynamics?
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No. It is a single gain adjustment for the whole file, so the relationship between the quiet and loud parts is untouched. Compression and limiting are separate operations and are not applied here.
