Hello All!

I'm currently working with a setup in which I sum the audio through some hardware, and record this back into the DAW to get my final result.
I'd like to be able to monitor levels using some sort of plugin inserted on the track I'm recording into which should monitor my entire chain, master bus to hardware and all.
Any recommendations for this such as a good LUFS/Peak/Intersample Peak monitor that would give some visual cues as to when I'm too hot or when I could add some loudness and/or volume?
Preferably, I'd like to be able to look at different streaming/delivery standards as well to make sure I'm ok there. I'd looked at NUGEN's Mastercheck which I like, but it doesn't seem to check intersample peaks unless I just don't know what I'm looking at. Also would like it to indicate if I peak over say -0.1db or -0.2db so I can turn the volume down on the way in.
DAW is Sonar.
One of the hardware pieces I'm running through is a hardware compressor so just strapping a plugin across the master bus will miss anything being processed by the hardware chain.
I'm primarily looking to do this in order to get everything adjusted correctly before recording the track into the DAW so that no normalization is needed after that final step and I know that whatever LUFS I hit is within limits.

 

I think the dBTP (dB True Peak) on the lower right is what you're looking for.

 

Ahhh, yep. Totally missed that.
I suppose I just need to research this plugin more closely. One thing I noticed testing this was adjusting the input to this using a gain plugin didn't seem to change the LKFS. I would have thought that the LKFS would be affected by volume changes as well as compression/limiting. Which is another reason for wanting to use such a thing due to the compressor in the hardware chain.

 

That's a good idea with every plugin.

That the LKFS value doesn't change according to a change of the input level is in deed strange. It should.
I would recommend DMG Audio TrackMeter, but it doesn't have the streaming comparison. On the other hand it's much more than a loudness meter and acts according to an input change.

 

dont trust soft plugs, output the data from your pc, at this step, send the sigal trough 2 line out, 1 with outborad analyzer, or use audio interface which correctly clocked

 

No transformer based preamps for makeup gain after summing...oh the pain.

 

Can't you use the time-honored approach of keeping your levels tame (aka averaging -6dB peak?), or even using VST summers instead of hardware?

 

I'll take a look at DMG at least for comparison purposes. I'll also recheck the NUGEN plugin after watching a few videos about it and perhaps even perusing the manual. TBH, I didn't try it through my summing chain, just on a bounced master bus. Perhaps I'll get a different result using the Master bus output on the board versus a gain plugin.

Currently don't own an outboard analyzer. This would be the preferred method, but I don't have the hardware. I assume something like the Dolby LM100? Unfortunately, the summing mixer only has one set of XLR outputs. I'll have to see if I can grab the AES/EBU off of the MOTU HD-192 somehow and feed the LM100 with it. This may be the direction I head into in the future. For right now, I must use a plugin as it's what I currently have.

Lol, actually I'm "treating" the signal to some tube based preamp flavor after the compressor right before the return trip to the mixer.

Keeping levels tame won't measure loudness. I want to see where I'm at within the genre of music I'm working with by measuring and comparing loudness with some reference tracks. Also I want to make sure I'm within the standard for the distributors/streaming services.
There's just something about this summing chain. After I started using it, it opened up a level of detail in my mixes that wasn't there previously. Not so sure that I could accomplish the same thing using VST's. There's not only the summing through the mixer, but also a compressor and tube preamp involved in the chain as inserts on the mixer's master bus prior to coming back into the recording interface. Trust me, nothing I have is "boutique" or pricey hardware, but I can't argue with the difference it made to the sound.

 

If you check dmg, love their plugs, maybe do your test with dualism rather than track meter. Track meter is a trimmed down version of dualism, or rather dualism is track meter on steroids...Works both ways.
It's both a panoramic and gain utility (and a few more stuffs, phase, filters) and a monitoring and vizualisation tool. Highly configurable and very powerfull.

 

Thanks for the tip, @Talmi. Sounds like a great utility plug. Right now I'm using the Blue Cat Gain tool, but there's really not any metering in that. I'll have to test dualism to see if it's a viable replacement for that. (Looking to hit -18dbfs for Nebula and Acustica plugs)

 

Thank God.

 

If you're just looking for this you can use the free TBProAudio mvMeter2. The reference level (top left) is adjustable.

 

dpMeter 3 looks interesting too...

 

You may be after EQ, distortion, or harmonic exciting VSTs.

 

That is a possibility. I'm running through console emulation already using Acustica Gold. But it doesn't provide that subtle whatever it is that I get when I run through the hardware chain I'm running. Crosstalk between mixer channels, transformer flavor from one or more of the devices/routes in the chain, who knows? Hard for me to justify the time I'd spend trying to chase "that" sound when I've already got it using the hardware that I've got. I do appreciate the suggestion, however, as staying in the box does greatly simplify the workflow. I'll definitely look into it in the future after the current project is finished and I begin experimenting again!

@No Avenger, thanks for the mvMeter2 suggestion, that thing is the bomb. Just let the track run and if the Max reading goes to high, adjust the trim and repeat. This is going to greatly simplify gain staging for me!

-18dbfs seems so low, though!

I tried again running MasterTrack Pro, this time inserted on the track I'm recording into, and the LUFS did indeed change as I adjusted the Master volume on the mixer. I tried hammering the compressor by setting the ratio really high, and that affected the LUFS as well (as expected). So it seems it's working properly the way I need it to. Still going to take a look at the 2 DMG plugs.

 

And has some nice features like scale, skin and stereo-m/s.

That much is true.

 

I agree with this unless you are mastering and have studio grade converters you don't want to be anywhere 0 dBFS.

Most audio interfaces, even top of the line ones, have a sweet spot around -18 dBFS. Anything hotter than that is going to introduce unpleasant artifacts, even if you don't initially notice them. If there is analog hardware in your chain you will want to stay around that level even more so, going in as well as coming out of the gear.

Even plugins are programmed to respond most accurately at that level, even though everything may sound like it is working if your levels are too hot you aren't getting an accurate representation of the modeled gear. If you have your monitors calibrated properly anything louder than this should make your ears feel like they are going to bleed.

Regarding your initial question though, I am quite fond of PSPaudioware PSP TripleMeter personally.

 

For a "simple" vu like meter, with other calibrations available (and you can adjust as you wish), you also hav vumt by klanghelm (https://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php), and its big bro vumt deluxe with a few more options...

vumt various interfaces




one of the vumt deluxe interface :

 

That is indeed a good one. I had forgotten that I have that. Probably stopped using it because I wasn't aware that you could set a reference, and it was all the way at the end of my plugin list because it starts with "V".
Deluxe looks to have some pretty awesome features like mono maker, HPF, LPF, and Dynamic EQ.
I think my version of VUMT must be older/different somehow. I don't remember the values in the lower left and right of the meter face.