RMS level averages these peaks with the rest of the audio. The peak level is inevitably going to be higher than the RMS level because signal will usually only spend a short amount of time at the peak level. This more closely matches how our brains perceive loudness. As a result, the RMS level will generally show how loud a song will appear compared to others. This is why we measure the RMS (root mean square) level, which measures the average loudness over a window of about 300 milliseconds. However, peak level doesn't really tell us anything about perceived loudness, because our brains need a bit longer to evaluate pitch or loudness. That tells us we’re not distorting, so you can continue on with the next step in your work.
On the top of the meter, there’s a reading indicating a peak level of -0.5 dBFS, below the 0 dBFS maximum. Below, you can see the top of the meter moving very quickly, responding to the fast-moving parts of the kick and snare signals. It’s important to pay attention to peak level because if it exceeds the maximum allowable level (0 dBFS in most digital cases, or +24 dBu in the analog world), the system won’t be able to reproduce signal at this amplitude, and audio will clip and distort.Īudio will usually reach peak level during loud transient material, like the kick and snare drums. The peak level is the highest signal level that a selection of audio achieves as it’s playing along. There are two basic kinds of measurements that we consider with most amplitude meters: peak level and RMS level. To navigate the task of mastering, it's helpful to understand what these visualizations are showing us, so let’s cover some quick definitions for the most common types of meters. Meters help us make better decisions regarding levels, frequency content, stereo spread, and dynamic range.įor example, if your monitoring environment doesn't clearly reproduce low frequencies, a meter can reveal issues so you can address them to ensure they’re not creating a problem for you downstream. Yet, the visualizations from a loudness meter give crucial confirmation that we're hearing what we think we're hearing-allowing us to address audio issues at the edges of our perception. We've all heard the phrase "Don't use your eyes, use your ears," and there's some truth to this. The third episode of Are You Listening Season 2 covers metering.
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