People often complain that commercials in broadcasts sound louder than the main programme material. This article describes why such effects occur, and describes an experiment quantifying the effect of the fast-acting compression that is often used in broadcasting. It is shown that a loudness model developed in the laboratory can predict the results accurately. It is argued that broadcast sounds should be monitored using a “loudness meter” that correctly assesses the loudness of sounds as perceived by human listeners.
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