DRMeter (Mk I)

We invented DR Dynamic Range. Accept no imitations! MAAT’s DRMeter is the universal real time dynamic range metering plug-in companion to our official DROffline batch measurement utility.

The Budget Way to Estimate DR Dynamic Range

The best selling DRMeter from MAAT offers essential options for musically responsive, real time level metering. These include graphical and numeric estimation of DR dynamic range, plus measurement of SPPM Peak, RMS amplitude, digital overs and “digital black.” Our DRMeter release was MAAT’s first step in bringing forward the legacy of the PMF’s legendary TT Dynamic Range Meter, certainly the most popular metering plug—in of the last decade and one that engendered many inaccurate imitators. Inspiring music producers and artists worldwide for more dynamic music releases, DRMeter’s carefully tuned ballistics contributed to the original TT’s broad acceptance. Tested against the original TT DR Meter to ensure a consistent user experience, DRMeter is modern, supporting all major plug-in formats including VST 2/VST 3 and AAX for macOS and Windows plus UB2 Audio Units for macOS.

Our groundbreaking follow–on to DRMeter, DRMeter MkII features all modern metering algorithms, including true DRi and all EBU R 128 and ATSC A/85–mandated metrics along with some new thinking and measurements from the AES designed specifically for music mixers.

MAAT To The Rescue

The DR meter is back! In conjunction with the PMF, we are the guys behind the Pleasurize Music Foundation, our geeks have sweated the details; testing and tweaking to make sure that you get the same familiar and much loved ballistics of the original TT DR Meter tool, which has already helped to preserve dynamics for thousands of modern pop releases and multiple millions of records sold. The only difference between the original and new DR meters is the removal of Correlation metering and the Mono Button. That was done in response to user requests, to reduce UI height so the new DRMeter takes up less screen real estate. We have implemented those functions in a free plug-in, our handy 2BusControl, which also includes solo buttons for L, R, MONO & DIFF, plus a left-right flip button and a useful Balance meter.

Accurate, easy to understand metering is an essential for any engineer, and the DRMeter´s measurement and display algorithms adhere to our guiding philosophy of enhancing your workflow and improving ergonomics through careful attention to the way you actually work. Ballistics are meticulously tuned to achieve the best match between the aural impressions you hear, and the visual rendering by the meters. Likewise, the plug-in is "light weight," demanding a minimum of CPU resources so it won´t slow down your host.

Built To Perform

The MAAT DRMeter is a worthy companion for daily mixing and mastering tasks, enabling fast, accurate and easy mix and mastering decisions. For fine tuning peak excursions, and properly setting your limiter with the fast and responsive peak meter bar, the DRMeter family is unmatched. An “Overs” alert warns you to tweak your limiter in order to prevent unwanted distortion on playback. The adjacent RMS loudness bar graphs have more relaxed or damped ballistics, so you get a good sense of the perceptual loudness. This conveys an awareness of proper level staging without overly hectic meter movement. The green -18dBRMS tick mark indicates 0LU, a widely agreed upon amplitude for hitting your outboard gear’s sweet spot. It also helps to manage gain staging for ITB or In–The–Box workflows. The legendary DR bar graph can be operated as independent channels, or coupled for a summed left/right response. Our DR bar graph visually informs the user through a familiar “traffic light” green/yellow/red color coding scheme. The blue -? indicator informs you when your DAW is delivering “digital black” or null AES data. If you’ve inserted some noise generating plug-in or outboard within a project, you’ll instantly see that.

Complementing the new BS.1770 metering standards, including Loudness Range (LRA) which was designed to reflect the macro dynamics of broadband audio with a focus on broadcasting, the importance and spirit of the DR measurement system for music is unbroken. LRA was designed for controlling the perceived loudness range of motion picture soundtracks and television programs. Whereas the DRMeter’s algorithm looks at the loudest 20% of the instantaneous signal, LRA purposefully ignores the top 5% of a track’s dynamic deviation, making it unsuitable for the evaluation of the dynamics of music.

Only Half of the Solution

DRMeter MkI is a plug-in that generates approximate DR values when applied to the loudest passages in a track. Due to realtime operation, it cannot measure official, integrated DRi values, which are cumulative over the entire length of a song. Only the companion DROffline or DROffline MkII batch measuring utilities can scrub through an entire song or track, resulting in an official integrated DR number.

The Backstory

The DR algorithm, an improved version of PLR (Peak–to–Loudness Ratio) or “crest factor,” specifically measures the dynamic density or lack of dynamics caused by overly aggressive dynamic compression and limiting. When the loudest spots of a song are measured, it gives the user an estimate for the "official" DR Value, measured with the companion DROffline. Seeing a meaningful and easy to understand indication of dynamic range inspires users to back away from hyper compression. The complete DR metering systems, composed of the realtime DRMeter or DRMeter MkII plus the DROffline or DROfflne MkII batch processors, was created by Friedemann Tischmeyer to address the need to generate a repeatable, easy to understand numeric value. In response to the broadly publicized “Loudness Wars,” the PMF worked to raise awareness that oppressively compressed dynamics in pop music are not only counterproductive, but sound often like crap! Now legendary, the PMF’s TT DR Meter and its offline companion was created to provide a deterministic benchmark, and was used by thousands of engineers and tens of thousands of consumers to measure and log the dynamic range of popular music releases around the world. Alas, as with all things digital, the TT DR Meter grew old. An update was needed and MAAT’s DRMeter was born.

Help Familiarize Listeners with Dynamics Again

As an introduction to DR Dynamic Range metering and the ability to accurately gauge the dynamic density of your work, we’re offering this rather useful plug-in at a very reasonable price. Thanks for visiting, and don’t forget our DROffline measuring utility, the entry level companion batch processor that generates official DRi or integrated DR.

Loudness…From MkI To MkII

Looking for a BS.1770-3 Loudness metering solution? Step up to our DRMeter MkII universal measurement plug–in, the only comprehensive Loudness metering solution from us, the guys who helped pave the way for Loudness normalization. DRMeter MkII not only measures official DRi as you’d expect, but also all mandated R 128 and A/85 metrics plus a whole lot more…If this sound more applicable to your clients and workflows, check out DRMeter MkII now.

Features

• Estimates official DR
• Measures dual L/R RMS
• Measures dual L/R SPPM (Sample Peak Program)
• Includes dual L/R Peak Hold
• Supports AAX Native (Pro Tools 10.3.10 and newer), AU, VST 2, VST 3 formats
• Supports sample rates from 44.1 to 384 kHz

Requirements