diff --git a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
index b09e327d455c9a74af4a976e0dbe7e301eb60397..a4a681daf587d0db3645b6db8ecfcb605956cf6b 100755
--- a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
+++ b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# !yamlfmt!:ignore
 ---
 ################################################
 # General configuration
@@ -11,7 +12,7 @@
 
 ### Whether to use multiprocessing; default = true
 # multiprocessing: false
-### Deletion of temporary directories containing 
+### Deletion of temporary directories containing
 ### intermediate processing files, bitstreams etc.; default = false
 # delete_tmp: true
 ### Master seed for random processes like bitstream error pattern generation; default = 0
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ input:
 # tx:
     ### REQUIRED: Type of bitstream processing; possible types: "JBM" or "FER"
     # type: "JBM"
-    
+
     ### JBM
     ### REQUIRED: either error_pattern (and errpatt_late_loss_rate or errpatt_delay) or error_profile
     ### delay error profile file
@@ -152,14 +153,14 @@ input:
     # n_frames_per_packet: 2
     ### Seed for error pattern shift in JBM; default = 0 or determined by profile number
     # errpatt_seed: 0
-    
+
     ### FER
     ### REQUIRED: either error_pattern or error_rate
     ### Frame error pattern file
     # error_pattern: "path/pattern.192"
     ### Error rate in percent
     # error_rate: 5
-    
+
 ################################################
 ### Configuration for conditions under test
 ################################################
@@ -179,6 +180,10 @@ conditions_to_generate:
   c01:
       ### REQUIRED: type of condition
       type: ref
+      ### applied BEFORE condition processing:
+      ### optional per-condition input loudness with bs1770demo (can be used in all conditions)
+      # in_loudness: -16
+      ### applied AFTER condition processing:
       ### optional low-pass cut-off frequency in Hz; default = null
       # out_fc: 22500
       ### optional use of IVAS_rend (can be used in all conditions)
@@ -205,7 +210,7 @@ conditions_to_generate:
   c05:
       ### REQUIRED: type of condition
       type: mono_dmx
-      
+
   ### IVAS condition ###############################
   c06:
       ### REQUIRED: type of condition
@@ -273,7 +278,7 @@ conditions_to_generate:
       ### Bitstream options
       # tx:
           ### For possible arguments see overall bitstream modification
-            
+
   ### EVS condition ################################
   c08:
       ### REQUIRED: type of condition
@@ -309,7 +314,7 @@ conditions_to_generate:
 ### Post-processing is required and can not be omitted
 postprocessing:
     ### REQUIRED: Target format for output, this can be a string as below, or a list, e.g. ["FOA", "BINAURAL"].
-    ###           Conversion will be applied in order and the last format is the final output forma. This was introduced to 
+    ###           Conversion will be applied in order and the last format is the final output forma. This was introduced to
     ###           accomodate for the MASA tests where masaRenderer is used as binaural renderer for all conditions.
     fmt: "BINAURAL"
     ### REQUIRED: Target sampling rate in Hz for resampling
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
index 3c0bbaf4c2a33b1a5cc5e6dfac91cc347dfd980f..60894c3f6bf782132860334c029fe4c679ea2a10 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
@@ -246,6 +246,19 @@ def get_processing_chain(
     # override / add values based on specific conditions
     cond_cfg = cfg.conditions_to_generate[condition]
 
+    # global input gain per condition
+    if cond_cfg.get("in_loudness"):
+        chain["processes"].append(
+            Preprocessing(
+                {
+                    "in_fs": tmp_in_fs,
+                    "in_fmt": tmp_in_fmt,
+                    "in_loudness": cond_cfg.get("in_loudness"),
+                    "multiprocessing": cfg.multiprocessing,
+                }
+            )
+        )
+
     if cond_cfg["type"] == "ref":
         # allow list of output formats
         if (ref_fmt := cond_cfg.get("fmt", None)) is not None:
@@ -497,7 +510,7 @@ def get_processing_chain(
         raise SystemExit(f"Unknown condition {condition}!")
 
     # add optional IVAS_rend rendering step after each condition
-    if cond_cfg.get("ivas_rend", -1) != -1:
+    if cond_cfg.get("ivas_rend"):
         rend_cfg = cond_cfg["ivas_rend"]
         chain["processes"].append(
             IVAS_rend(
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/config.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/config.py
index 315ddae95b9b470d03f6d36eedf61b7b3253e19d..015d5248f3e5199b00c09f818904be8994bf2417 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/config.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/config.py
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class TestConfig:
                         f"The following key must be specified for ESDRU: {REQUIRED_KEYS_ESDRU}"
                     )
 
-            if cfg["conditions_to_generate"][cond_name].get("ivas_rend", -1) != -1:
+            if cfg["conditions_to_generate"][cond_name].get("ivas_rend"):
                 merged_cfg = get_default_config_for_renderer(
                     "IVAS", codec_bin_extension
                 )