HoRNet LU Meter MK2 2.0.1 update

HoRNet Plugins is proud to announce the release of the updated HoRNet LUMeter MK2, a powerful LUFS metering utility with auto gain staging and normalization functionalities. This new version of the LUMeter brings enhanced features designed to help audio engineers achieve perfect loudness levels in their mixes, whether they’re working on music, podcasts, or post-production sound. The HoRNet LUMeter MK2 provides essential tools for mastering loudness control, ensuring that your tracks meet professional standards with precision and ease.

One of the standout features of HoRNet LUMeter MK2 is its redesigned GUI, which is now more intuitive, streamlined, and resizable. This redesign makes the meter not only more visually appealing but also easier to use, allowing you to focus on the important task at hand: achieving the perfect balance of loudness in your mixes. The plugin’s interface offers a range of customization options, making it flexible and adaptable to any workspace, whether you’re working with a small screen or a multi-monitor setup. The interface is clean and simple, with clear displays of momentary, short-term, and integrated loudness readings, ensuring that you can monitor all the necessary aspects of your audio at a glance.

The HoRNet LUMeter MK2 measures loudness using Loudness Units (LU), a standard that is based on human perception of sound. This is a more accurate and reliable method compared to traditional peak metering. By using LU, the meter accounts for how our ears perceive sound at different frequencies, giving you more accurate readings. This is especially important in today’s mixing and mastering world, where ensuring accurate loudness levels across various playback systems is essential. The meter helps you make better mixing decisions by providing you with readings that reflect how your audio will sound to your audience, making it easier to fine-tune your tracks.

One of the most critical aspects of loudness control is maintaining consistency across the mix. To address this, the HoRNet LUMeter MK2 offers auto gain staging functionality, which automatically adjusts the gain to ensure that the signal stays at the desired LU level. This feature significantly improves your workflow, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of mixing rather than constantly adjusting the levels manually. The auto gain feature works across different types of loudness readings, whether you are using the momentary, short-term, or integrated modes, helping you maintain the right balance and avoid unwanted fluctuations in loudness.

For those working in compliance with the EBU R128 standard, HoRNet LUMeter MK2 offers precise metering that sums all channels into a single reading, ensuring your mix stays within the recommended loudness levels. This standard is widely adopted in the broadcasting industry, ensuring that your mixes will translate well to radio, television, and other forms of media. The plugin also allows you to choose a non-standard method for more customized control over the loudness of your tracks. This flexibility is particularly useful for engineers working on more niche projects that require tailored loudness management.

While auto gain ensures consistency, it’s important to note that single peaks can sometimes exceed the 0 dBFS (Full Scale) when gain is applied, potentially leading to distortion. To prevent this, the HoRNet LUMeter MK2 includes a safety peak protection feature. This feature automatically adjusts the gain when peaks exceed the set safety level, ensuring that your signal never goes beyond the maximum threshold you’ve chosen. This safeguard prevents any distortion that might occur when handling dynamic content and ensures that your tracks remain clean and professional-sounding.

The plugin is also designed with flexibility in mind. By default, HoRNet LUMeter MK2 is pre-calibrated to -18 LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale), which is a common reference level used in professional mastering. However, you can easily adjust this calibration point to suit your specific needs, whether you’re targeting a higher or lower loudness level for a specific project or platform. This flexibility makes the plugin suitable for a wide variety of audio tasks, from mixing and mastering music to mastering for broadcasting and other forms of media production.

Another key feature of HoRNet LUMeter MK2 is the auto gain algorithm, which automatically adjusts the track’s gain to match your selected loudness level. This ensures that your tracks stay consistent and balanced throughout the mix, without the need for constant manual adjustments. The auto gain functionality saves you time, especially when working on large projects with many tracks, allowing you to maintain a high level of control over your audio without getting bogged down by tedious adjustments.

The new version 2.0.1 of the HoRNet LUMeter MK2 is a maintenance release that addresses several key issues, ensuring smoother performance and enhanced compatibility with different DAWs. The update includes:

• A fix for a crash in Cubase and other hosts when using the VST3 format, improving stability for users working in these environments.

• A fix for the inverted order of integrated and short-term normalization modes, which now ensures proper functionality when applying normalization to your tracks.

This update is free for existing owners of the plugin, and it can be easily downloaded from the user area on the HoRNet website. If you don’t own HoRNet LUMeter MK2 yet, now is the perfect time to get it and experience the powerful loudness control tools it provides for your mixing and mastering needs.

Whether you are working on music production, podcasts, or post-production for film and television, the HoRNet LUMeter MK2 is a vital tool for ensuring your audio stays at the optimal loudness levels. The combination of auto gain staging, peak protection, and flexible calibration makes it an essential tool for professionals who need accurate, reliable loudness metering for every stage of their production process.