| Digital peak-meter | +A Digital Peak Meter displays the absolute maximum signal
+ of the raw audio PCM signal (for a given time). It is commonly used when
+ tracking to make sure the recorded audio never clips. To that end, DPMs
are always calibrated to 0 dBFS, or the maximum level that can be represented digitally
- in a given system. This value has no musical reason whatsoever and depends
- only on the properties of the signal chain or target medium. There are
- conventions for fall-off-time and peak-hold, but no
+ in a given system. This value has no musical reason whatsoever and depends
+ only on the properties of the signal chain or target medium. There are
+ conventions for fall-off-time and peak-hold, but no
exact specifications.
- Various conventions for DPM fall-off times and dBFS line-up level can be - chosen in Edit > Preferences > GUI. + Various conventions for DPM fall-off times and dBFS line-up level can be + chosen in Edit > Preferences > Metering. - + |
|---|---|
| RMS meters | +An RMS-type meter
+ is an averaging meter that looks at the energy in the signal. It
+ provides a general indication of loudness as perceived by humans. Ardour
+ features three RMS meters, all of which offer additional peak indication.
|
| IEC PPMs | +IEC-type
+ PPMs are a mix between DPMs and
+ RMS meters, created mainly for the purpose of
interoperability. Many national and institutional varieties exist (EBU, BBC, DIN).
+ Corporation">BBC, DIN).
- These loudness and metering standards provide a common point of - reference which is used by broadcasters in particular so that the + These loudness and metering standards provide a common point of + reference which is used by broadcasters in particular so that the interchange of material is uniform across their sphere of influence, regardless of the equipment used to play it back. For home recording, there is no real need for this level of - interoperability, and these meters are only strictly required when - working in or with the broadcast industry. However, IEC-type meters have - certain characteristics (rise-time, ballistics) that make them useful + interoperability, and these meters are only strictly required when + working in or with the broadcast industry. However, IEC-type meters have + certain characteristics (rise-time, ballistics) that make them useful outside the context of broadcast. - Their specification is very exact, and consquently, there are no + Their specification is very exact, and consequently, there are no customizable parameters. - - - |
| VU meters | +VU meters are the dinosaurs (1939) amongst the meters. They react very slowly, averaging out peaks. - Their specification is very strict (300ms rise-time, 1 - 1.5% overshoot, - flat frequency response). Ardour's VU meter adheres to that spec, but for + Their specification is very strict (300ms rise-time, 1–1.5% overshoot, + flat frequency response). Ardour's VU meter adheres to that spec, but for visual consistency it is displayed as a bar-graph rather than needle-style (more below). - - + |
Ardour Specifics
-
+
+ - Meters are available in various places in ardour: + Meters are available in various places in Ardour:
- The mixer window features fixed height meters for each channel strip. @@ -130,46 +136,54 @@
They all share the same configuration and color-theme which is available in - preferences and the theme-manager. Settings for the Peak and RMS+Peak meters - as well as VU meter standards are found in - Edit > Preferences > GUI > Metering. + preferences and the theme-manager. Settings for the Peak and RMS+Peak meters + as well as VU meter standards are found in + Edit > Preferences > Metering.
+The type of meter and the metering point (the place in the signal chain where the meter taps the signal) are configurable in the context menu of each meter. - Depending on the Edit > Preferences > GUI > Mixer - Strip settings, the metering point is also accessible via a button in - each Mixer strip. + Depending on the Edit > Preferences > Mixer settings, + the metering point is also accessible via a button in each Mixer strip.
-
+
- Regardless of meter type and standard the meter display will highlight red if + Regardless of meter type and standard the meter display will highlight red if the signal on the given channel exceeds the configured peak threshold.
- Left on the peak-indicator button resets the
- peak-hold indicator of a single channel.
- Left resets a whole group, and
- Left resets all meters.
+ Left clicking on the peak-indicator button resets the
+ peak-hold indicator of a single channel.
+ Left clicking resets a whole group, and
+ Left clicking resets all meters.
Overview of meter types
+
+ 
+ - The figure on the left shows all available meter-types in Ardour 3.4 when fed with a + The figure on the left shows all available meter-types in Ardour when fed with a -18 dBFS 1 kHz sine wave.
-
-
-
- Due to layout concerns and consistent look&feel all meters available in - Ardour itself are bar-graph type meters. Corresponding needle-style meters - — which take up more visual screen space — are available as - LV2 plugins (see image on the right): - meters.lv2. + Due to layout concerns and consistent look and feel all meters available in + Ardour itself are bar-graph type meters. Corresponding needle-style + meters—which take up more visual screen space—are available as + LV2 plugins (see image on the right): + meters.lv2.
-