I regularly one science channel on YT.
You'd think quite regardless of what anyone else is doing they'd get the levels on their own channel at least roughly the same but NO! I'm not talking about some one man outfit either, they got $100,000 from YT to get them started and they have a production company that does all the work. What makes it so annoying is everything else about their production is great but all ruined by the glaringly and annoyingly obvious :(

Bob.

Kelley, lufs/lkfs represent integrated loudness, not peak gain.
Peaks are normalized to -1dBFS, just like many commercial recordings and CDs.

The reason peak levels above -1dBFS are risky is a phenomenon known as intersample peaks, which only TP meters can catch, and which cause distortion if allowed to slip through. -16 Integrated LUFS is actually pretty loud.

youtube could use some auto leveling. I'm so sick of watching YT videos from VIDEO GUYS where the music is SLAMMIN' then their speaking is -30, then the music slams again, then more low speaking.... come on, video guys, get your AUDIO act together!

here's a free INTERSAMPLE PEAK METER for everyone:
http://www.solid-state-logic.com/music/X-ISM/

and a super simple MAXIMIZER, that is idiot proof, and distortion free:
http://loudmax.blogspot.com/

I have not tested the Intersample in Vegas yet, but LOUDMAX works great.

I know the loudness wars suck, and music has gotten crushed beyond human tolerance, but, like TEAL AND ORANGE grading, LOUDNESS is here to stay. I have a volume control that I can turn it down.

I see YouTube as an opportunity where the cream has the ability to rise to the top. Those of us who are good in our craft can easily stand out - and do. YT has taken the loudness wars to a whole new extreme with compressors and limiters being used like weapons of mass destruction. Let 'em go.

Rather than have "standards" that most can't understand or utilize properly (just like in broadcast TV), simply use it as a venue to show your best. Will the viewers who are seeking out new cat videos or ball-crunching injury videos even care about what we're discussing? Nah.

Will the viewers who are seeking out new cat videos or ball-crunching injury videos even care about what we're discussing? Nah.

Neither will teenagers. I have two daughters and they don't care at all about audio levels being all over the place on YouTube - or anywhere else for that matter. I feel that I've failed as a producer and a father when I hear them say that :)

Mike

Loudness wars are for idiots.

Will the advertisers and immature attention-seekers ever realize that society is tired of the abuse, and will turn to products and entertainment that please, rather than assault the senses?

That's a good question. I used to have faith that the market would eventually always eliminate low quality products, but ever since mp3s became the new standard for the audio industry I realize that quality doesn't mean what it used to. Too many just don't care as long as they can have it NOW.

Old fart rant: If someone had come to me in my youth while I was kicked back listening to my audiophile stereo system and asked me to listen to a song over a phone, I would have laughed them out of my room.

[I]"Old fart rant: If someone had come to me in my youth while I was kicked back listening to my audiophile stereo system and asked me to listen to a song over a phone, I would have laughed them out of my room. "[/I]

Some phone manufacturers put serious effort into the sound quality of their phones and the "younger generation" will buy the product for that feature.

From what I read it'd be wrong to assume no one cares about audio quality today. The younger generation has conversations about the quality of DACs, understands oversampling and rejects low bit rate mp3. We were no different, think back to the horrid sound systems in our cars, the horrid portable record players and transistor radios and the garbage called "AM Radio" and analogue TV.

For sure the younger generation want it NOW, the nature of society changes, there's less free time for entertainment so of course they want it when they have a timeslot in their day not when somebody decides to broadcast it. They also want a more immersive experience, more impact in a shorter period of time. It's not just louder, it's a more intimate sound, even serious orchestral works today put the listener in the orchestra, not in the audience.

Bob.

Android devices can already exceed any safe dB levels with a Settings checkbox.
i also agree it is very good quality.