If you've been through a few smartphones over the years, you've probably got an old iOS or Android device kicking about in a drawer somewhere. Why not put it to use as an external meter screen? That's the thinking behind Process.audio's new app/plug-in combo, Decibel. The idea is you instantiate the Decibel plug-in on your master bus, and then feed it the IP address of your mobile device running the app component. Like magic, your old phone or tablet will show a graphic representation of your audio in real time.
Decibel is capable of displaying a goniometer (L-R phase meter), a VU meter, an RTA, a LUFS histogram and more, and you can even tell it to display a combination of any or all of them, at your own preference of size, thanks to the resizable module windows. Even better, you can connect multiple mobile devices to a single instance of the plug-in, so you can have an old iPad running your goniometer, and an old phone showing you your loudness levels.
Process.audio's Decibel is available now, with the plug-in costing £199. A free trial is available, and the iOS/Android app is also free, so you can see whether it'll work on your older devices without any commitment. What a great idea, and it helps you recycle retired devices too.
