User Manual

Graphical Loudness Meters
Two separate meters give you a dynamic graphical measurement of the loudness of the
selected bus being monitored according to the loudness standard you’ve selected, which
determines how to analyze the subjective loudness of a given audio mix for purposes of
compliance with required quality control (QC) standards.
 A steel-blue meter labeled M (for momentary) has as many channels as the selected
bus you’re monitoring, excluding the LFE channel(s) of surround formats, which aren’t
factored into loudness metering. This meter measures LEQ (equivalent sound level),
within a 400ms window following the playhead as measured every 100ms. This lets
you evaluate the LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) level of the mix at the current frame
as you play. This discrete-channel analysis is used to calculate all other values of the
loudness metering system.
 A second steel-blue mono meter to the right displays the sum of all channels in the
M meter, displayed in LU (loudness units). The number value displayed at the top of
this meter is the maximum LU value that’s been analyzed during any stretch of timeline
playback. This value is held until it’s reset, either by stopping and initiating playback a
second time while Link to Playhead is enabled, or when you click the Reset button at
the bottom of the loudness meter area.
Numeric Loudness Meters
A set of values to the right of the meters give running reports on the audio level of your mix.
While the graphical meters are useful for analyzing your mix as you work, these numeric
readouts are particularly valuable for providing the strict information you need to adhere to
written QC standards. Their meaning is as follows:
 Short: Measures the average LU level over a 30-second window following the
playhead.
 Short Max: Shows the maximum level over the same 30-second window. This analysis
is required by EBU R128.
 Range: Measures the dynamic range of the Loudness of your mix (in LU), which is the
difference between the average soft and average loud parts of your mix. Analyzes the
overall loudness over a played range of the mix, discounts the lowest 10% and highest
5%, and then gives a standardized expression of the difference between the remaining
soft and loud levels that were analyzed. The window of analysis is as long as you’ve
been playing. This analysis is required by most QC specifications.
 Integrated: Measures the LUFS value of the portion of the range of the mix you’ve
played through. As you play, this integrated value accumulates. This analysis is required
by most QC specifications.
Using the Loudness Meters
When using the Loudness meters to do a structured analysis of your mix to determine QC
adherence, a group of controls let you determine when analysis begins and ends.
 Lock Metering to Transport: This setting is found in the compound meter option menu.
When enabled, all loudness metering analysis is automatically reset whenever you
move the playhead to another location in the Timeline. This is useful when you’re spot-
checking different parts of your mix, or working on a particular scene.
 Pause and Reset buttons: When you’re doing a formal analysis of your mix, the Reset
button lets you reset all currently accumulated analyses, and the Start button initiates
loudness value accumulation. If you need to stop playback briefly to do something else,
you can click Pause, and then click Resume when you’re ready to continue the analysis.
Chapter – 160 Audio Meters and Audio Monitoring 3323