HoRNet ZeroLevel

Start with the levels, not another processor.

Before the EQ and compression, there are the levels. Open a multitrack session and the differences are already there: a loud snare, a quiet guitar, or backing vocals that disappear behind the lead. Getting those tracks into a useful relationship is part of mixing. It is also a first pass you may want help with.

That does not mean making every track equally loud. A kick and a backing vocal have different jobs. Nor does it mean flattening the dynamics until everything fits. A starting balance should let you hear the arrangement and decide what needs attention, without pretending to make the creative decisions for you.

ZeroLevel assists that first pass. Insert it on the tracks you want to coordinate and assign them the same Group ID. A group is simply a set of plugin instances sharing an ID — it is not a bus, and it does not change your routing. Check each source type, play the song, and stop the transport to start the analysis.

When every instance in that group has a valid Learn result, ZeroLevel applies the gains automatically. The audio path uses one global gain per instance, not EQ or compression. After Learn, that gain is held rather than continuously riding every phrase or transient.

From there, listen and make it yours. Try a different group preset, bring the guitars forward with a source offset, or change a source type without learning again. Valid Learn results are saved with your project. We see this as a useful place to begin: the final balance, processing choices, and movement of the song still belong to you.

Play. Stop. Review your starting balance.

Play captures. Stop starts analysis. A ready group applies the gains.

02 / Play the song

For a full-song analysis, play from the beginning to the end. ZeroLevel captures the material accepted by Learn Threshold during playback.

04 / Make it yours

Change the group preset or source offsets without repeating Learn. Review the result, then continue mixing in your DAW.

Every instance in the group needs a valid Learn result. A silent or unfinished track can keep that group waiting. Other Group IDs remain independent. Use Instances & groups to check progress.

One first pass. Room for your decisions.

Why this is not simple LUFS normalization

ZeroLevel uses band-level analysis and source types to calculate gains. It does not force every track to the same full-spectrum LUFS value, and it does not set a guaranteed mix loudness.

When available, the group reference follows this priority: Snare, Kick, Drums, then Lead Vocal. Source categories have different relative level targets. Without a reference class, ZeroLevel uses the base gain, preset, and manual offsets instead of relative matching.

Relative correction is limited to ±12 dB, with total gain limited to ±60 dB. Those limits mean a target is not guaranteed. ZeroLevel does not protect the rest of your chain from clipping.

Know what your session needs.

• Audio: mono and stereo, zero declared latency.
• Groups: eight Group IDs, nine shared presets.
• Sources: Auto plus 12 manual source categories.
• Adjustment: source offsets ±12 dB, total gain ±60 dB.
• Learn: capture during Play, analysis after Stop. Valid results save with your project.
• Packaged formats: VST3 and AAX for macOS and Windows, plus Audio Units for macOS. 64-bit host required.
• Windows editor: Microsoft Edge WebView2 Evergreen Runtime required.
• Coordination: instances must share the same host process and plugin module.
• Documentation: English and Italian manuals are included in the download.

Plan for RAM and analysis time. Learn stores captured audio in RAM. Five minutes of stereo audio at 48 kHz uses about 220 MiB per instance, before temporary buffers. Long songs and many instances can require substantial memory and several minutes of analysis after Stop.

Check the demo in your own operating system and DAW before buying. Packaged formats do not imply that every host or operating system version has been tested.