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Article Preview - TC Electronic LM5
Loudness Metering Plug-in For Pro Tools
Published in SOS June 2008

Reviews : Software


TC Electronic have created a Pro Tools HD plug-in that can measure the loudness of programme material and its suitability for different playback systems.
Mike Thornton
The same programme material before (left) and after mastering. Peak levels are the same, but the mastered version is louder overall, as well as being more consistent in terms of loudness.
I am sure that we have all complained at some point about how loud the adverts are on TV compared with the drama or documentary they are placed in. Most of you will have realised that the adverts have been processed with various compression techniques to improve their perceived loudness, with the desired effect of having that ad 'stand out' from the rest. All broadcast content, both programmes and adverts, has the same maximum peak signal level, but that doesn't stop some of it being subjectively louder than the rest.
However, creating a meter that will measure loudness has always been difficult, as loudness is a subjective assessment in which sound pressure level, frequency content and duration are all important factors. This has made it difficult to quantify, and a meaningful generic loudness measurement is possible only through large-scale subjective tests on a number of subjects. In 2004, McGill University, in conjunction with TC Electronic, undertook such tests, while the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have been investigating 'Audio Metering Characteristics suitable for use in Digital Sound Production' for the last six years or so. As a result of several rounds of trials, listening tests and review, a draft standard called ITU-R BS.1770 was drawn up, and we are starting to see a number of loudness meters coming onto the market supporting that standard. One of these meters is a Pro Tools TDM plug-in: the LM5 Radar Meter from TC Electronic.
Why Radar?
...


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Published in SOS June 2008
Saturday 6th September 2008
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