A loudness limiting method for attenuating an input audio signal in order to constrain a resulting loudness level of an output audio signal by a pre-determined threshold loudness level, the method involving determining a time-varying loudness level of the input audio signal by means of a finite-length sliding window, calculating a time-varying attenuation gain in accordance with a pre-determined threshold loudness level, time-delaying the input audio signal, and applying the time-varying attenuation gain to the time-delayed input audio signal resulting in the output audio signal. A loudness signal processor carries out the loudness limiting method and a computer program product enables a computer to carry out the loudness limiting method.