Reflex Acoustics releases free Reflex Dynamic Range Meter plugin for macOS and Windows.
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter is a free plugin that allows users to visualize the dynamic range of their track across the frequency spectrum.
Music means different things to different people, and I’m a firm believer that the process of learning and creating music is its own reward.
Arguably, it’s easier to say that when you haven’t had a string of hit records (or any hit records), but the personal relationship with music will always hold more value than anything else, and I’m happy to be an idealist in this case.
However, we have certain goals and expectations when we decide to release music into the world, whether it’s a personal project or commissioned work. Whether you’re aiming for specific monetary targets, online streams, radio play, or even purely concerned with artistic merit, most parameters that lead to success are highly subjective.
So, at the very least, you must ensure your music competes with the millions of other releases in the areas that are far less subjective, like dynamics, to provide every listener the best possible representation of your work.
A tool that visualizes the dynamic range of your track might not sound like the most exciting plugin, but it will be one of the most important in your toolbox if you plan to distribute your music in any format.
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter displays the loudness distribution of 5ms (millisecond) grains over the previous three to fifteen seconds. The plugin’s detailed display shows a histogram of momentary loudness for the entire signal and individual frequency bands, making it easy to identify any problem areas.
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter also uses colored bars to provide easy-to-understand visual feedback:
- Peak (Green)
- 90th Percentile (Blue)
- 10th Percentile (Pink)
- Low (Red)
Identifying problem areas quickly and easily allows you to make the correct adjustments more efficiently. It’s not just about loudness and making sure your dynamics fall within certain boundaries at either end of the scale; it’s about maximizing elements like loudness while ensuring every section of your track hits/lands as intended.
There are tools like Nugen Audio’s Visualizer that do amazing things, and I’m a fan of Visualizer, but sometimes a simpler tool like Reflex Dynamic Range Meter is the best way to get the job done. Of course, there’s also the excellent (and free) Youlean Loudness Meter.
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter offers Mid and Side Modes, showing the Side level relative to Mid for each frequency band. It also features a LUFS meter displaying short-term perceived loudness.
It’s a very handy tool, and as I said above, sometimes plugins that do the less exciting or glamorous jobs are the most important.
Also, remember to keep an eye out for the FREE Manny Marroquin EQ, so you don’t miss it!
Reflex Dynamic Range Meter is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows – AAX support coming soon.
Download: Reflex Dynamic Range Meter (FREE)
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4 Comments
Gav
onMan You need a American Address….
alex
onNo, you don’t. There’s a dropdown list on the checkout.
Dimitar Yosifov
oni really wanted to use it,but it is very cpu heavy unfortunately.It uses 20 percent
EpicToasty
onThat’s a lot, but couldn’t you bounce or render your whole track and use it that way? Sure it would be more tedious than just popping it onto your master, but it seems like the benefits might be worth the effort, IMO.