HoRNet VU Meter MK4 4.2.5 update

We have just updated VUMeter MK4, the VU Meter with automatic gain staging.

The HoRNet VUMeter MK4 is a highly versatile digital VU meter plugin designed for efficient audio monitoring with automatic gain setting and grouping functions. It provides precise control over your signal’s loudness and helps you maintain a smooth mix throughout both the recording and mixing stages. With the new features introduced in this update, you can enjoy more flexibility in your workflow and enhance the overall clarity of your sound.

The VUMeter MK4 is equipped with several essential functions. First and foremost, it includes automatic gain staging, which allows you to easily adjust the signal levels across all your tracks. Gain staging is crucial to ensure that your audio remains balanced and free from distortion caused by clipping. The auto gain function ensures that your signal peaks at the optimal level without requiring manual adjustments on each instance. You can set your desired peak level between -3 and +3 VU, allowing for fine control over the loudness of your tracks.

A significant improvement in this version is the ability to group tracks. This new feature makes it easier to manage multiple instances of VUMeter MK4 within your project. For example, you can group all the drum tracks, apply auto gain to each instance within that group, and then set up reference and color settings in one click. This streamlines your workflow and helps maintain consistency across the entire session. You can also choose to send parameter changes to any VU Meter MK4 instance, whether it’s within the same group or not. This flexibility ensures that you can quickly copy and apply your settings to any part of the project, even if the tracks aren’t grouped together.

When working with the VU Meter MK4, you can name your tracks and groups, which makes it easier to navigate and manage your session. The names of your groups will remain visible, providing a more organized workspace. You can also display the level of any other instance in the project without needing to close the GUI or switch to a different track. This allows for smoother monitoring and quicker adjustments while mixing, keeping your workflow uninterrupted.

The VU meter is essential during the recording stage as it provides a clear visual representation of the perceived loudness of your signal. The 300ms integration time of the VU meter ensures that you get an accurate reading of the signal’s loudness while avoiding the potential distortion that can occur with peak meters. It’s important to keep the loudness and peak values as close as possible during recording, and this is where the VU meter shines. You can use it in conjunction with peak meters to ensure proper miking and gain settings, which ultimately helps you achieve a cleaner recording with minimal distortion.

Additionally, VUMeter MK4 offers a calibration setting that allows you to adjust the 0VU point according to the optimal level of your A/D converters. By default, this is set to -18dBFS, but you can easily adjust it to match the specifications of your own gear. Proper calibration is critical because every A/D converter has its own analog front-end, and recording too close to 0dBFS can lead to overload and distortion. With the VUMeter MK4, you can precisely set the calibration to avoid these issues and ensure the highest sound quality throughout your project.

During the mixing stage, the VU meter plugin becomes even more useful. You can use it alongside your DAW’s peak meters to identify tracks that have too much energy in the transients, often leading to an unbalanced mix. The VUMeter MK4 allows you to adjust these tracks and achieve a more consistent, controlled mix with better overall loudness balance.

The auto gain feature, one of the most valuable tools of VUMeter MK4, plays a crucial role in achieving a distortion-free, clean mix. This is especially important if you’re working with analog-emulating plugins. When you push these plugins too hard with excessive gain, it can lead to unwanted distortion that can pile up and affect the overall sound. To avoid this, the auto gain adjusts the internal gain of each instance, ensuring that your signal remains at the desired level without overloading the plugin. This automatic adjustment takes the guesswork out of gain staging, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your mix.

For transient-heavy sounds, where the auto gain might sometimes boost the track too much, we’ve included a max peak ceiling feature. This prevents clipping by setting a ceiling value for the signal. This ensures that no matter how much the auto gain adjusts your track, it will never exceed the specified peak value, helping you maintain a clean and distortion-free sound.

The grouping feature also extends to the UI controls, making it easy to apply changes to multiple instances of VUMeter MK4 at once. For example, if you want to apply a reference level or color code to all the drum tracks in your project, you can do this with a single click. This not only saves time but ensures consistency throughout the project, especially for large sessions with multiple tracks. The grouping function also allows you to adjust settings across the board, whether it’s changing the auto gain settings or applying visual adjustments.

The new 4.2.5 version is a feature release and comes with several important fixes. One of the main fixes addresses the issue where the user interface wasn’t showing correctly in Logic Pro when using Apple Silicon. This has been resolved, allowing for smoother interaction with the plugin. Additionally, the group name resetting issue, which occurred when adding a new plugin instance, has been fixed. Users will now find that the group names remain intact even when a new instance is added. There’s also a fix for the gain being stuck at -30 with VST3 in Cubase and Nuendo when AUTO was enabled, which ensures better functionality and smoother operation of the plugin in these DAWs. Lastly, the AUTO button now properly disables when transport is stopped in Cubase, Nuendo, and Ableton Live, resolving a key usability issue.

The update is free for all owners of VUMeter MK4, and you can download it from your user area.