SaschArt introduced a user-friendly audio plugin designed for loudness (LUFS) analysis, the LoudnessMeterFree.
Meters might not be as exciting as a good reverb or synth, but they’re very useful. I leave them strapped on buses, usually to get a feel for the RMS or momentary LUFS of elements when trying to nail things down just right.
LoudnessMeterFree is a great free little meter, that should come in handy for users looking to do their own DIY mixdowns and masters.
You have four meters in total to look at when using LoudnessMeterFree.
There is the LUFS-I, or Integrated LUFS throughout a song, LUF-S or short-term, which operates similarly for a max RMS of a track.
This is rounded out with LUFS-M, or momentary, which are the highest peaks you’ll find, and meters dedicated to the left and right stereo channels of your mixdown.
LoudnessMeterFree has tooltips, which are always welcome to see. You’ve also got the option of clearing data or analyzing audio only when playback is initiated.
What makes it a useful tool for mastering is the ability to compare your audio across multiple targets simultaneously.
Plenty of mastering engineers big and small are going to use reference tracks. While this doesn’t net you the benefits of spectral analysis, it does allow you to look at loudness targets if you’re shooting for something in a specific genre.
LoudnessMeterFree, coupled with something like Voxengo’s free SPAN, would give you more than enough to get started if you’re looking to get into DIY mastering with your own material.
I’d also recommend the stellar DMG Audio TrackControl if your DAW lacks a utility plugin natively.
It isn’t the most exciting processor or mixing tool in the world, but it serves a great purpose. Thankfully, LoudnessMeterFree is sparse on resource demands, meaning you can run multiple instances even in particularly crowded mixes.
System compatibility is likewise fairly robust. With support for Windows and Mac, it should work on just about any DAW you use on either operating system.
Supported plugin formats include VST2, VST3, and AU, depending on your operating system. There is no native AAX support, so you might have to resort to a wrapper for Pro Tools to see the plugin.
Download: LoudnessMeterFree (FREE)
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