Bugfix update for the VU Meter with auto gain staging
We are excited to announce the update of VUMeter MK4, the advanced VU meter plugin featuring automatic gain staging. This new version introduces several enhancements that improve the overall functionality, providing musicians, producers, and engineers with a more efficient way to monitor and adjust loudness levels during both the recording and mixing stages. VUMeter MK4 continues to provide an intuitive and transparent way to view your signal levels, offering a vital tool in achieving a more professional and balanced mix.
HoRNet VUMeter MK4 is a digital VU meter plugin that offers innovative features such as automatic gain setting and grouping functions. This plugin brings the classic analog-style VU meter to the digital world with added functionality and control. In addition to its classic VU meter capabilities, VUMeter MK4 allows you to name your tracks and groupings, offering greater flexibility in managing large sessions. One of its most powerful features is the ability to send parameter changes to any instance of VU Meter MK4 across your entire project, regardless of whether they belong to the same group or not.
This means you can display the level of any other instance in your project without needing to close the plugin’s GUI or switch tracks, making it an indispensable tool for streamlined mixing workflows. Whether you are tracking several instruments or handling a large mix session, VUMeter MK4 helps to keep everything organized and efficient.
During recording, VUMeter MK4 is invaluable as a loudness indicator, providing a clear representation of the perceived loudness of your signal. The 300ms integration time ensures that you get an accurate and smooth reading of your signal’s loudness, which is crucial for monitoring the levels of instruments and vocals while recording. This is especially useful when paired with peak meters, as they help you refine your miking technique and maintain a balance between loudness and peak value.
By calibrating the VU meter to match your A/D converter’s optimal level, you can ensure that your recordings avoid distortion caused by overloading the analog front-end. The calibration setting defaults to -18dBFS, but you can adjust it according to the specifications of your A/D converter. Proper calibration is essential for ensuring that your recordings hit the right level, avoiding distortion, and maintaining the full dynamic range of your instruments or vocals. Without proper calibration, recordings can easily exceed the headroom of your A/D converter, which could lead to poor audio quality.
In mixing, VUMeter MK4 becomes an even more indispensable tool. You can use it alongside your DAW’s peak meter to identify critical tracks—those with too much energy in the transients but not enough overall loudness. Identifying these critical tracks allows you to adjust the balance between tracks, ensuring that the dynamics of your mix are cohesive, well-controlled, and tonally consistent. By doing so, you can maintain a good balance between individual elements, such as vocals and instruments, without losing the clarity and balance of the overall mix.
The most valuable feature of VUMeter MK4 is its auto gain function. Proper gain staging is a crucial aspect of any mix, especially when using analog-emulating plugins. If your signal hits the analog-emulation plugin with too much gain, it can introduce unwanted distortion that negatively affects the overall sound. That’s why having a tool like VUMeter MK4 is crucial—because it offers automatic gain adjustments, preventing the overloading of the analog stages in plugins.
With VUMeter MK4’s automatic gain staging, this issue is easily resolved. The plugin automatically adjusts the internal gain to ensure that your signal peaks at the desired level, which can be set between -3 and +3 VU. This feature is perfect for maintaining clarity in your mix, avoiding unnecessary distortion, and ensuring that your signal remains clean and dynamic. Whether you’re working on subtle nuances in a vocal track or mixing powerful instrument layers, VUMeter MK4 helps ensure your gain levels remain balanced.
However, with transient-heavy sounds, the auto gain might boost tracks too much, potentially causing clipping. To prevent this, VUMeter MK4 includes a max peak ceiling, which ensures that the signal does not exceed a set value, maintaining headroom and preventing unwanted distortion or clipping. This feature makes sure your audio stays transparent, even during aggressive mixing situations where dynamics may fluctuate.
VUMeter MK4 also includes a powerful grouping function, which allows you to group instances of the plugin together. For example, you can group all your drum tracks or vocals, and then apply the auto gain, reference, and color settings to all the instances within the group with just one click. The “Send to All” option makes it incredibly easy to copy a specific setting, such as a gain value, to every other instance of VUMeter MK4 in your project, even if they are not in the same group. This eliminates the need for repetitive manual adjustments, providing a quicker and more efficient workflow.
This feature is especially useful for maintaining consistency across multiple tracks. Whether you are mixing a multi-track drum session or managing a large orchestra, the grouping and sending parameters functionalities allow you to manage settings efficiently without disrupting the overall flow of your work.
The latest update, version 4.2.4, brings several important improvements and bug fixes, making VUMeter MK4 even more powerful and user-friendly:
Added Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX: Now fully compatible with Apple Silicon-based Macs, providing enhanced performance and stability for users on the latest Mac systems.
Fixed rounding error in the reference parameter: This ensures more precise control over your reference levels, making it easier to match your desired loudness levels with the VU meter.
Fixed gain box resetting issue in Cubase with VST3: This bug has been resolved, ensuring that the gain box stays in place when adjusted, improving your workflow and allowing for more reliable parameter changes.
Fixed auto button issue in Cubase 12: The auto gain function now turns off correctly in Cubase 12, improving usability and ensuring that the automatic gain staging works as expected.
These updates make VUMeter MK4 more reliable, stable, and compatible with the latest systems, enhancing the overall user experience and performance.
As with all HoRNet plugins, this update is free for current users of VUMeter MK4. You can download the new version easily from the user area on the HoRNet website or by using DoIn, our automatic Downloader/Installer. This ensures that all users can stay up-to-date with the latest improvements and enjoy all the new features without any additional costs.
HoRNet VUMeter MK4 is an indispensable tool for both recording and mixing, offering features that streamline your workflow and improve your gain staging process. Whether you are adjusting loudness during recording or managing transients and loudness in your mix, VUMeter MK4 provides the precision and control needed to deliver professional results. By making sure your signal levels are always in check, VUMeter MK4 is the perfect tool for any audio engineer, producer, or mixing professional.
With its automatic gain staging, grouping features, and compatibility with modern systems, VUMeter MK4 continues to be a must-have plugin for any audio engineer or producer looking to enhance their mixing process. Download the free update today and experience the benefits for yourself.
