Peakmeter

The peak meter displays the level in dB. By default, the peak meter is a combined instrument (Multimeter) and displays with the outer, thinner bars a Peak Program Meter (PPM-Meter), and with the inner, thicker bars a VU Meter.

If you want to see only the PPM display or only the VU display, select the corresponding display instrument PPM meter or VU meter at Instrument selection. When selecting Multimeter, you set in the tab Multimeter under Display configuration, which of the two displays should be shown outside and which inside.

Both meter displays are based on standardized level meters with precisely defined display characteristics. While the PPM meter is a measuring device for peak levels, the VU meter averages the level values over a certain measuring period.

PPM-Meter

The PPM meter displays the instantaneous level of the signal. The level peaks are displayed as a vertical line at the top of the level meter, which moves with a delay for better readability. To the far right of the bars, the peak value is displayed numerically.

Headroom: This allows you to set a level offset that is added to the measurement. This is due to the fact that different systems are calibrated differently. For example, a value of 9.0 (IRT) causes the level to be displayed with + 9 dB more.

Integration time (Q-PPM): The response time of the peak meter is delayed by the set value, so that the display does not react quite so quickly at individual level peaks. The inertia generated is modeled on the behavior of analog peak meter displays.

Return time: This determines the speed at which the level peaks run back after a maximum.

Peak hold (ms): With this value you specify how long the level peaks should remain at a maximum. With Manual the level peaks remain permanently and are only reset when you reset the visualization (double-click).

DC filter cut-off frequency: With this high-pass filter you can filter out a DC voltage component so that it is not included in the peak meter measurement.

Clipping threshold: This value specifies the dB value above which a level is displayed as clipping. The range of the scale above this value will be marked in red and also the peak level indicator and the numerical value if you exceed this value.

Minimum number of clipped samples: This value specifies how many consecutive samples may be above the clipping threshold before the signal is considered clipped.

Activate True Peak measurement: In True Peak measurement, the measurement is performed with fourfold oversampling.

PPM-Meter Scale

In this tab you can set different display options for the scale of the peak meter.

Scale: Choose here from different presets for scale display with different scale divisions and display characteristics as used in different European countries.

Reference level (scale offset): Set the reference level as an additional scale offset here. The scale offset is added to the value on the scale.

Minimum/Maximum: Here you set the minimum and maximum value of the scale.

Color settings: Enter the colors and thresholds for overmodulation(clipping), critical, optimal and undermodulated ranges.

Note: The color defined for the undermodulated range is only used if you define a threshold value for the optimal range that is above the level minimum.

VU Meter

For the VU meter there are settings in this tab analog to the PPM for Headroom, integration time and the cutoff frequency for an optional DC filter.

The integration time of a VU meter is typically much longer than that of a PPM meter, since an averaged level is to be displayed.

The checkbox +3dB IEC ensures that the VU level headroom is raised by an additional 3dB in accordance with the standard (DIN IEC 60268) relative to the headroom specified at PPM meter.

If the peak meter is operated as a pure VU meter, you can also display the current peaks with Display current peak hold.

Furthermore, the display of the RMS value can be additionally activated. The RMS value is displayed numerically to the right of the VU scale.

The settings for the VU meter scale are similar to those for the PPM meter scale.

Presets for the K-Metering System

K-metering enables uniform reference volumes for different media especially when mastering under normalized listening conditions. The peak hold display continues to show signal peaks and can be used to avoid clipping.

"K-System" refers to a metering system developed by Bob Katz that has become a standard in mastering audio monitoring. K-System Metering enables uniform calibration and monitoring. You can use it to easily exchange audio material between different studios and have matching monitoring results. With K-System Metering it's not so much the loudness, but rather the musical dynamics that take center stage. Thus, a reference volume is set for the 0 dB level, which no longer corresponds to the maximum level, as was usually the case in the past.

According to the program and audio material, three different meter scales can be used:

• K-20: 0dB reference at -20dBFS

  K-20 is recommended for audio with large dynamics such as classical or film sound.

• K-14 : 0dB reference at -14dBFS

  K-14 is recommended for rock and pop productions or for surround sound.

• K-12: 0dB reference at -12dBFS

  K-12 is recommended for radio and television stations.

The corresponding scale for setting up the monitoring volume is calibrated with pink noise. If you set pink noise to 0dB, you get a level of 83dB SPL, a volume reference that originated in the film world.

The corresponding presets for this can be found as VU-Meter Presets K-12 Broadcast, K-14 Music and K-20 Cinema in the Visualization Settings dialog and in the context menu of the peak meter at Presets.