How Loud Should Background Music Be Under a YouTube Voiceover?

For most narration-heavy YouTube videos, start with the background music roughly 18 to 24 dB quieter than the voice while someone is speaking.

Then adjust by ear.

For dense educational, finance, documentary, or information-heavy narration, you may need even more separation.

For sparse emotional music under slower storytelling, you may be able to bring the track slightly closer.

The important rule is not:

Set music to 10%.

It is:

Make the narration effortless to understand, then let the music occupy whatever space is left.

That distinction matters because a volume slider percentage tells you almost nothing about how loud two different audio files actually sound.

A music file at 10% can still overpower one voiceover.

Another track at 25% can sit perfectly underneath it.

The source files are different.

Their loudness is different.

Their frequency content is different.

Their dynamics are different.

So if you want consistent YouTube audio, stop mixing by slider percentage alone.

Mix the relationship between the narration and the music.

Quick Answer: How Loud Should Background Music Be?

For a narrated YouTube video, use this as a practical starting point:

These are starting ranges, not universal standards.

A sparse ambient pad can sit closer to the voice than:

• aggressive drums
• vocals
• bright piano
• distorted guitars
• dense orchestration
• a strong lead melody

because those sounds compete for more of the listener's attention.

If the viewer has to make even a small effort to understand the narration, the music is too loud.

The Best Starting Point We Found: About 18 LU Below Narration

While developing the audio-mixing system for OverseerOS Auto Edit, we tested different background-music balances rather than simply choosing an arbitrary slider percentage.

Our internal blind-listening benchmark settled on:

music 18 LU below the narration

during the combined mix.

That became our reference "Level 1" balance during testing.

The system measures the integrated loudness of the narration and music separately, then calculates the music gain required to preserve that relative difference.

That is much more reliable than saying:

Music should always be at 8%.

or:

Put the slider at 20%.

Those numbers depend entirely on the source file.

An already-quiet music track at 20% and a heavily mastered commercial track at 20% are not remotely equivalent.

Why 18 LU?

Because we wanted the soundtrack to remain clearly present without becoming a second foreground element.

It is not a claim that:

18 LU is the perfect YouTube mix for every video.

It is a practical engineering baseline.

And the broader guidance points in the same direction.

Accessibility guidance has long used approximately 20 dB of separation between foreground speech and background audio as an example of strong speech-to-background contrast.

For highly information-dense videos, going quieter can be even better.

The correct question is therefore not:

Is 18 the magic number?

It is:

How much separation does this specific voice, track, and video need?

Why "Set the Music to 10%" Is Bad Advice

Most editing software exposes music volume through a slider.

You might see:

• 100%
• 50%
• 20%
• 10%
• 5%

That makes it tempting to give universal advice like:

Always set YouTube background music to 10%.

But imagine two tracks.

Track A

A quiet ambient soundtrack.

Integrated loudness:

-28 LUFS

Track B

A heavily mastered cinematic track.

Integrated loudness:

-10 LUFS

Track B begins roughly:

18 LU louder

before you touch the slider.

Setting both to the same percentage will not produce the same result.

That is why professional audio mixing uses levels and loudness rather than assuming the UI percentage itself represents perceived volume.

Slider Percentage Is Still Useful

You can absolutely use the slider.

Just treat it as:

the control

not:

the measurement.

Use your ears or a loudness meter to determine where the slider should end up.

LUFS, LU, dB and dBFS: The Simple Explanation

You do not need to become an audio engineer to mix YouTube videos.

But understanding four terms makes this much easier.

dB

A decibel is a relative measurement.

If something is:

20 dB lower

than something else, you are describing the difference between the two.

dBFS

Digital audio meters often show:

dBFS

where 0 dBFS is the digital ceiling.

You might see voice peaks around:

-6 dBFS

and music peaks around:

-20 dBFS

Peak meters are useful for preventing clipping.

But they do not perfectly describe perceived loudness.

LUFS

LUFS means:

Loudness Units relative to Full Scale.

It measures perceived loudness over time rather than looking only at the highest spike in the waveform.

For narration and background music, this is often more useful than comparing peaks alone.

LU

LU describes a relative loudness difference.

If the narration measures:

-18 LUFS

and the music measures:

-38 LUFS

the difference is:

20 LU

That relationship is what matters most for this problem.

Why Peak Levels Can Mislead You

Consider two music tracks.

Both peak at:

-6 dBFS

Track A is:

• sparse piano
• long quiet sections
• occasional notes

Track B is:

• compressed drums
• synths
• bass
• constant energy

Their peak meters might look similar.

But Track B can sound dramatically louder.

That is why:

same peak does not mean same perceived loudness.

When mixing background music under continuous narration, measure or evaluate the average perceived loudness relationship as well.

The Background Music Formula

If you can measure LUFS, you can calculate your starting music level.

Use:

Target music loudness = narration loudness - desired separation

Example:

Narration:

-18 LUFS

Desired separation:

20 LU

Then:

-18 - 20 = -38 LUFS

Your music bed should sit around:

-38 LUFS

during narrated sections.

Now imagine the original music track measures:

-16 LUFS

You need approximately:

-38 - (-16) = -22 dB

of gain reduction.

So the track needs to come down roughly:

22 dB

before it reaches your starting target.

Then listen.

The formula gets you into the right neighborhood.

Your ears make the final decision.

Do Not Confuse Music Loudness With Final Video Loudness

There are two separate questions.

Question 1

How loud should the music be compared with the narration?

That is the focus of this guide.

Question 2

How loud should the entire finished video be?

That is a mastering question.

They are not interchangeable.

You could have:

• beautifully balanced voice and music
• but an overall quiet master

or:

• a very loud final master
• with music still drowning the voice

Fix the relationship between the tracks first.

Then evaluate the finished mix.

Is -14 LUFS the Correct YouTube Target?

You will see this number everywhere:

-14 LUFS

It is often presented as though YouTube requires every creator to upload at exactly -14 LUFS.

That oversimplifies the issue.

YouTube can apply playback-level processing such as Stable Volume and other audio enhancements, but creators should not treat a single internet number as a substitute for a good mix.

The much more important production priority is:

1. keep speech clear
2. avoid clipping
3. preserve reasonable dynamics
4. keep music below narration
5. test the final export on real playback devices

If your dialogue is buried, hitting an overall loudness number will not save the video.

How Loud Should Voiceover Be Compared With Music?

Invert the question.

Instead of asking:

How quiet should the music be?

ask:

How far in front should the voice feel?

For most narration-heavy content, the voice should clearly occupy the foreground.

The music should feel like:

environment

rather than:

competition.

A useful hierarchy is:

Narration

↓

Important sound effects

↓

Background music

↓

Ambient texture

Not every video uses all four.

But the priority should remain clear.

Different Videos Need Different Music Levels

A universal background-music level does not make sense because the function of music changes by format.

Tutorials

In a tutorial, information is the product.

Every instruction matters.

If the viewer misses:

Click the three dots beside Export.

the music has actively damaged the video.

Use deeper separation.

A starting point might be:

22–30 dB below narration.

Finance and Business Videos

Numbers and causal explanations need clarity.

Music should create:

• momentum
• confidence
• tension
• professionalism

without distracting from:

• percentages
• dates
• company names
• financial figures
• explanations

Start around:

20–26 dB below narration.

Documentaries

Music often carries more emotional weight.

It may help create:

• suspense
• scale
• sadness
• mystery
• anticipation

A starting range around:

18–24 dB below narration

can work well.

But important factual passages may need a quieter bed.

History Videos

History videos often combine:

• dense narration
• dates
• names
• places
• dramatic storytelling

That means the mix should breathe.

You may use a more present score during:

• scene setting
• transitions
• reveals

and lower it during:

• important facts
• names
• explanations
• quotations

Psychology Videos

A softer track can sit relatively close if it contains:

• pads
• restrained piano
• minimal percussion

But emotional music with a dominant melody may compete with the narrator even at a technically low level.

Motivational Videos

Music is often intentionally more present.

That can work.

But if both the voice and soundtrack are fighting to sound "epic," the mix quickly becomes exhausting.

Let one of them lead.

Usually:

the voice.

Should Background Music Stay at One Volume?

Usually not.

The better approach is:

dynamic music.

Music can move depending on what the video is doing.

During Dense Narration

Lower it.

During a Reveal

It can rise slightly.

During a Pause

Bring it forward.

During a Montage

Let the music become much more prominent.

During an Emotional Ending

Give it space.

This is why one fixed volume across an entire 15-minute documentary is rarely ideal.

The music should follow the structure of the story.

What Is Audio Ducking?

Audio ducking means automatically lowering the music while someone is speaking.

When the voice stops, the music rises again.

Instead of:

music = same volume for 10 minutes

you get:

voice starts

↓

music lowers

↓

voice stops

↓

music rises

This can make a mix feel much more deliberate.

Do You Always Need Ducking?

No.

If your background music is already quiet and sparse, additional ducking can sound unnecessary.

You may not even notice the difference.

Ducking becomes more useful when:

• the music is dynamic
• the narrator has frequent pauses
• you want music to rise in transitions
• the track has strong percussion
• the soundtrack has an important emotional role
• the music competes with speech in certain sections

The goal is not:

Make the pumping effect obvious.

The goal is:

Let music move out of the way before the viewer notices a problem.

A Simple Ducking Starting Point

If the static music bed already sounds good, try lowering it by another:

3–6 dB

while narration is active.

Then allow it to recover naturally during longer pauses.

Do not obsess over the exact number.

Listen for:

• unnatural pumping
• music disappearing completely
• distracting volume jumps
• words becoming harder to understand

The best ducking is often the ducking the viewer never notices.

Music Choice Matters as Much as Music Volume

You cannot fix every music problem with the volume slider.

Some tracks are simply bad choices for narration.

A Narration-Friendly Track Usually Has

• little or no vocal content
• restrained lead melody
• controlled percussion
• predictable dynamics
• space in the arrangement
• gradual transitions
• limited frequency competition with speech

A Difficult Track Often Has

• vocals
• bright lead synth
• strong piano melody
• aggressive snare
• constant cymbals
• heavy midrange guitars
• dramatic volume changes
• huge drops
• complex orchestration

You may have to push a busy track so low that its emotional value disappears.

At that point:

choose a better track.

Vocals Behind Narration Are Usually a Bad Idea

The human brain is extremely sensitive to voices.

Put:

• narrator
• singer

in the same frequency and attention space and you create competition.

Even if the lyrics are quiet, the viewer's brain may still attempt to process them.

Instrumental music is usually much easier to place underneath narration.

There are exceptions.

But if the music is supposed to stay in the background:

remove the second voice.

The Midrange Problem

Speech intelligibility lives heavily in the midrange.

Music also contains plenty of information there.

That means a track can technically be quiet and still mask the narrator.

If lowering the music does not completely solve the problem, consider reducing some of the competing frequencies in the music.

You do not need an extreme EQ curve.

Even a modest reduction can create more room for the voice.

The exact frequencies depend on:

• the narrator
• the microphone
• the track
• the instruments

Do not blindly apply one EQ preset to every project.

Fix the Voice Before Mixing the Music

You cannot build a strong mix around bad narration.

Before adding music, make sure the voice is:

• clean
• consistent
• intelligible
• properly edited
• free from obvious clipping
• free from distracting noise
• reasonably consistent in loudness

Then add the soundtrack.

A weak workflow is:

bad voice

music

more compression

more volume

A strong workflow is:

clean narration

→

music

→

balance

→

final mix

The voice is the anchor.

Mix With the Music and Voice Together

Never set the music level while listening to the music by itself.

Soloed background music often sounds:

too quiet

when mixed correctly.

That is normal.

Its job is not to impress you while soloed.

Its job is to support the final video.

Always make the final decision with:

voice + music together.

The Low-Volume Test

This is one of the easiest checks you can perform.

Play the finished video quietly.

Not loud.

Quiet.

Then ask:

Can I still understand every word without effort?

At lower playback volume, a bad balance becomes much easier to notice.

If the narrator disappears into the soundtrack:

lower the music.

The Phone Speaker Test

Do not approve the mix only on expensive headphones.

Your viewers may watch on:

• phone speakers
• cheap earbuds
• laptop speakers
• TV
• Bluetooth speaker
• soundbar

A mix that sounds beautiful on studio headphones may become muddy on a phone.

Before publishing:

1. export the mix
2. play it on your phone
3. lower the playback volume
4. listen without staring at subtitles

Can you understand everything?

If yes, good.

If you need the captions to recover words:

the audio needs work.

The Laptop Test

Laptop speakers are useful because they expose midrange congestion.

Listen for:

• muddy voice
• harsh music
• disappearing consonants
• excessive drums
• music that suddenly feels much louder

If the video is intended for educational or business audiences, laptop playback matters.

The TV Test

Long-form YouTube increasingly gets watched in living rooms.

TV audio can expose problems that are less obvious on headphones.

Watch for:

• music filling the room while the voice feels distant
• bass overwhelming speech
• dramatic volume jumps
• sound effects that suddenly explode
• narration that becomes tiring to follow

The mix should survive all three environments:

phone

computer

TV

Do Not Rely on YouTube to Fix the Mix

YouTube currently includes playback features such as:

• Stable Volume
• Voice Boost on supported videos and devices
• automatic audio enhancements in some cases

Those tools can change the viewer's playback experience.

But they do not give creators permission to upload a bad mix.

You cannot know:

• which playback feature a viewer uses
• which device they are using
• what volume they chose
• whether a feature is available for that video

Build a clear mix at the source.

Treat platform processing as:

viewer assistance

not:

your audio engineer.

Background Music vs Sound Effects

Do not treat every non-voice sound the same way.

A continuous background bed should usually sit much lower than a short impact effect.

Consider:

Background Music

Persistent.

Needs to stay out of the way.

Ambience

Subtle environmental texture.

Usually very low.

Sound Effect

Short and intentional.

Can temporarily sit much closer to the voice.

Impact or Transition Hit

May briefly become foreground audio.

That is fine if it does not cover an important spoken word.

A 200-millisecond impact does not need to obey the same rule as a six-minute soundtrack.

Do Not Put Important SFX Over Important Words

If the narrator says:

Revenue collapsed by 73 percent.

and your biggest impact sound lands exactly on:

73 percent

you have weakened the information.

Move the effect.

Use effects around:

• pauses
• visual changes
• sentence boundaries
• transitions

not directly on top of the information the viewer needs most.

How Background Music Should Change Through a YouTube Video

Think in emotional sections.

Imagine a documentary:

Hook

Music:

tense and slightly more present.

Setup

Music:

drops lower.

The viewer needs information.

Investigation

Music:

steady and restrained.

Warning Sign

Music:

begins building.

Reveal

Music:

briefly becomes stronger.

Explanation

Music:

drops again.

Ending

Music:

rises and resolves.

That is a soundtrack.

Not:

one MP3 playing from beginning to end at 12%.

How Many Music Tracks Should a 10-Minute YouTube Video Use?

There is no ideal number.

A strong ten-minute video might use:

one track

with thoughtful automation.

Another might use:

three tracks

for different emotional sections.

Another might use:

five cues

because the story changes dramatically.

The important question is:

Has the emotional function of the music changed?

Do not change tracks simply because:

two minutes have passed.

Change them when the story earns it.

When Should a YouTube Video Use No Music?

Silence is a production tool.

Use it.

Removing music can make a moment feel:

• serious
• intimate
• uncomfortable
• important
• surprising

If music runs continuously for 20 minutes, the listener becomes accustomed to it.

Then it stops creating contrast.

A short section of dry narration can make the soundtrack feel more powerful when it returns.

Background Music During Important Statistics

When the viewer must process a number, simplify the soundscape.

Example:

The company did not lose 10 percent of its users.

Pause.

It lost 62 percent.

The music can:

• drop
• simplify
• pause
• hold tension

You do not need every layer active all the time.

Audio should help direct attention.

Background Music During the Hook

The opening is one place where music can be more aggressive.

But the title promise still matters more.

If the video begins:

Three hours before the company collapsed, its CEO sent one final email.

the soundtrack can reinforce:

• tension
• mystery
• urgency

But if the music becomes the most noticeable thing in the scene, it has gone too far.

The viewer came for the story.

Background Music During Sponsors

Sponsor sections need especially clear speech.

The viewer may already be tempted to skip.

Do not make the message harder to understand.

Use:

• quiet music
• simple arrangement
• stable volume

Avoid:

• dramatic drops
• lyrics
• dense instrumentation
• distracting effects

Clarity matters more than cinematic intensity.

Why Music Seems Too Quiet While Editing

This is a common psychological trap.

You choose a great track.

You like it.

So you want to hear it.

You lower it beneath the voice.

Now it sounds disappointing.

So you raise it.

Five minutes later:

the soundtrack is fighting the narration.

Remember:

Background music is not supposed to sound impressive in isolation.

It is supposed to make the video feel better while the viewer focuses on something else.

Sometimes the correct music level feels almost too quiet to the editor.

That is normal.

The 10-Second Test

Pick a dense ten-second section of the video.

Ideally, use a section containing:

• continuous narration
• important information
• normal music
• no major transition

Play it once.

Then mute the music.

Play it again.

Now restore the music.

Ask:

Did understanding the voice become even slightly harder?

If yes:

lower the track.

Then repeat.

This is faster than endlessly adjusting the entire video.

The Distraction Test

Do not ask:

Can I hear the music?

Ask:

Do I notice the music when I am trying to understand the narration?

Those are very different questions.

Good background music can be clearly audible while remaining psychologically secondary.

The viewer should feel:

• tension
• momentum
• warmth
• sadness

without constantly thinking:

This track is loud.

The Subtitle Test

Temporarily turn captions off.

This matters because captions can hide audio problems.

If you can only comfortably follow the video because subtitles are recovering words that the soundtrack masks:

the voice/music balance is not good enough.

Mix for ears first.

Captions are additional accessibility.

Not an excuse for unclear narration.

A Better Audio Workflow for Faceless YouTube

For narration-heavy videos, use this order.

1. Finalize the Script

Do not mix against temporary narration.

2. Create the Final Voiceover

The narration becomes the timing anchor.

3. Clean the Voice

Fix:

• bad pronunciation
• inconsistent volume
• noise
• awkward pauses
• clipping

4. Choose the Music

Match:

• mood
• story
• density
• pace

5. Lower the Music Aggressively

Start quieter than you think.

6. Measure the Difference

When possible, use LUFS rather than relying only on peak meters.

7. Automate or Duck Important Sections

Protect:

• statistics
• explanations
• names
• sponsor lines
• key reveals

8. Test on Multiple Devices

At minimum:

• headphones
• phone
• laptop

9. Review the Final Export

Do not assume the editor preview and finished export behave identically.

10. Publish Only When the Voice Is Effortless to Follow

That is the standard.

How OverseerOS Handles Background Music in Auto Edit

OverseerOS Auto Edit is built around a narration-first production workflow.

The video begins with:

script

→

voiceover

→

scene structure

→

visuals

and then adds finishing layers such as:

• captions
• background music
• motion
• transitions
• effects
• export controls

Users can add background music and control its level inside the Auto Edit workflow rather than rebuilding the entire video in another editor just to adjust the soundtrack.

That matters because the voiceover already acts as the timeline's source of truth.

The music should be mixed around the narration, not the other way around.

During our internal Auto Music development, we also tested automatic loudness matching against the narration rather than using one universal volume-slider value.

The reference balance we selected through blind listening was:

music 18 LU below the narration.

That remains a useful example of the broader principle:

Measure the relationship between the tracks, not the position of the slider.

If you are still deciding where the music itself should come from, see our guide to the best AI music generators for YouTube.

If you are building the entire video from narration, see how to turn a script into a video with AI.

The Background Music QA Checklist

Before publishing, check every box.

• The narration is understandable without captions.
• The music does not compete with the first 30 seconds.
• Important statistics are easy to hear.
• Names and technical terms remain clear.
• The track has no distracting vocals under speech.
• Music is lower during dense sections.
• Music rises only when the story benefits.
• Ducking does not sound like obvious pumping.
• Transitions do not create sudden volume jumps.
• Sound effects do not cover important words.
• Voice peaks do not clip.
• Final export has been checked, not only the editor preview.
• The mix works on headphones.
• The mix works on a phone.
• The mix works on laptop speakers.
• The voice remains the foreground element.

If one of the last three fails:

fix the mix.

Final Answer

So, how loud should background music be under a YouTube voiceover?

For most narration-heavy videos:

Start around 18 to 24 dB below the voice during speech.

For especially dense narration:

go quieter.

For sparse emotional scoring:

you may be able to come slightly closer.

If you have a loudness meter, compare the narration and music using LUFS and aim for a clear loudness gap rather than relying only on peaks.

If you only have a volume slider:

start low.

Then test.

Do not trust:

• 10%
• 20%
• one universal dB value
• one export preset

without listening to the actual result.

The final test is simpler than all the technical language:

Can the viewer understand every word without having to think about the music?

If yes:

the soundtrack is doing its job.

If no:

turn it down.

FAQ

How loud should background music be under a voiceover?

For most narration-heavy videos, a practical starting point is roughly 18 to 24 dB below the voice during speech. Dense educational content may need more separation, while sparse emotional music may work slightly closer to the narration.

What percentage should background music be in a YouTube video?

There is no universal percentage. A volume slider changes the gain of the specific file you loaded, and different tracks begin at different loudness levels. Ten percent on one track can be louder than twenty percent on another. Measure or listen to the final voice-to-music relationship instead.

Is 10% volume good for background music?

It can be, but the percentage by itself does not tell you whether the mix is correct. The original loudness of the music file matters. Use 10% only as a control position, then verify the result against the narration.

How many dB lower should music be than voice?

A useful starting range for narration-heavy YouTube content is approximately 18 to 24 dB lower than the voice. Information-heavy sections may benefit from even more separation.

What does 20 dB below the voice mean?

It means the background sound is substantially quieter than the foreground speech. If you are using loudness measurements, you can compare the integrated loudness of the speech and music and target roughly a 20-unit relative gap as a starting point.

Should I use LUFS or dB for background music?

LUFS is especially useful for comparing perceived loudness over time. Peak dBFS meters are still important for preventing clipping, but two tracks with similar peaks can sound very different in average loudness.

What is a good LUFS level for background music?

There is no universal absolute LUFS target because the correct music level depends on the narration. Instead, measure the voice and place the music substantially below it. For example, if narration measures -18 LUFS and you want 20 LU of separation, the music would target roughly -38 LUFS during speech.

Should background music be quieter during talking?

Usually yes. When narration carries important information, music should remain clearly behind it. You can lower the music manually or use audio ducking to reduce it automatically while someone speaks.

What is audio ducking?

Audio ducking automatically lowers background music when narration or dialogue begins and raises it again when speech stops. It helps preserve clarity while allowing the soundtrack to become more present during pauses and transitions.

How much should music duck under voiceover?

There is no universal value. If your static background level is already correct, an additional 3 to 6 dB of reduction during important speech is a reasonable starting point. Adjust until the voice remains clear without making the music pump unnaturally.

Should background music have vocals?

Usually not under continuous narration. A second voice competes with the narrator for attention. Instrumental tracks are generally easier to mix underneath spoken content.

Should I use background music throughout an entire YouTube video?

Not necessarily. Silence can create contrast and make important moments feel more serious or intimate. Some videos work with continuous music; others benefit from sections with no soundtrack.

How loud should music be in a documentary?

Documentary music often plays a stronger emotional role than music in a tutorial. A starting point around 18 to 24 dB below narration can work, with deeper reductions during dense factual sections and higher levels during transitions or non-verbal moments.

How loud should music be in a tutorial?

Tutorials usually benefit from deeper separation because instructions need to be understood perfectly. Starting around 22 to 30 dB below the voice can be appropriate for dense instructional sections.

Why does my background music sound too loud on my phone?

Phone speakers emphasize a different part of the frequency spectrum than studio headphones and have limited bass response. Midrange competition between narration and music can become more obvious. Always test the finished mix on a phone before publishing.

Why does the music sound too quiet when I edit?

Because you may be judging the soundtrack as music rather than as a background layer. A correctly mixed bed can sound surprisingly quiet on its own but feel completely natural once the narration is present.

Can YouTube fix music that is too loud?

Do not rely on it. YouTube offers playback features such as Stable Volume and, on supported content, Voice Boost, but those features are viewer-side assistance. Upload a mix where the narration is already clear.

Does YouTube require -14 LUFS?

YouTube's current creator-facing Help documentation describes volume balancing and audio enhancements but does not present a simple mandatory -14 LUFS upload requirement that creators must hit. Focus first on a clean, unclipped, intelligible mix rather than treating one internet loudness number as a universal rule.

What is the easiest way to test background music volume?

Play a dense narrated section at low volume with captions off. Then test the final export on headphones, a phone, and laptop speakers. If every word remains effortless to understand, the balance is probably close.

What background music level does OverseerOS use?

In internal Auto Music mix testing, OverseerOS selected a reference balance of music 18 LU below the narration through blind listening. That is an engineering baseline rather than a claim that every YouTube video should use exactly the same level.