[Video] Using a (free) LUFS meter to loudness match amps and presets

cool - the Klangfreund one is very good - It used to be free, then it became non-free, and now some of it is free. 60 seconds is definitely sufficient for this purpose.
Again the Melda Productions MLoudnessAnalyzer is also free and completely unlimited.
 
Hey, that's great to hear. I must admit that I am leveling presets by ear now. It always felt like, I did all this technical leveling, but at rehearsal it was never right anyway.
 
Smittefar said:
I must admit that I am leveling presets by ear now. It always felt like, I did all this technical leveling, but at rehearsal it was never right anyway.
Click to expand...
Lol it never is, is it? It’s nice, though, to have a meter that gets you in the ballpark, with some headroom.
 
Rex said:
Lol it never is, is it? It’s nice, though, to have a meter that gets you in the ballpark, with some headroom.
Click to expand...
Seriously, I could spend an entire evening leveling new presets to the LUFS meter, then go to rehearsal only to learn that my levels were all wrong. In the future, I think, I will just use the AX8 VU meters to get in the ballpark, and then do the rest by ear.

Since I got my AX8 from the first shipment that hit Europe, my way of thinking about preset gain structure and level management has evolved dramatically. Unfortunately, that means that some of my earliest presets are set up quite differently than what I do now. That means that quick adjustments on the unit can sometimes be difficult. Some time ago, I set up scene leveling with scene controllers on the cab block on all presets. That has helped a lot in the consistency department.

After Christmas, the AX8 and I shall have some quality time together, and I intend to build all my presets from scratch, but this time with a much more consistent philosophy that will hopefully give me better consistency both tone and level wise from preset to preset. It should also be easier for me to make adjustments after firmware changes, as I will use only a few different amp blocks across all presets. In the absence of global blocks, I will have to distribute the amp blocks manually, but I can live with that. It is my intention to make a video on my new philosophy, but it will not be until after Christmas (mainly because my AX8 will remain at the nightclub I am playing until we reach the end of this streak of Christmas parties).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rex
I had my first gig with my new side-project Saturday night - I'm the only guitarist. Spent literally all day Saturday (as in, about 7 hours) using the LUFS meter to level all my patches...

.....or so I thought.

An hour before leaving for the gig, thought I'd just check, and there was clipping all over the place. So, I then took a look at the on-board VU meter and tried to get my main patch around the line (on average). Then checked what that was in the LUFS meter, and used that LUFS level to then set the rest of my patches. Seemed to work OK in the end, but it was pretty stressful!
 
FarleyUK said:
I had my first gig with my new side-project Saturday night - I'm the only guitarist. Spent literally all day Saturday (as in, about 7 hours) using the LUFS meter to level all my patches...

.....or so I thought.

An hour before leaving for the gig, thought I'd just check, and there was clipping all over the place. So, I then took a look at the on-board VU meter and tried to get my main patch around the line (on average). Then checked what that was in the LUFS meter, and used that LUFS level to then set the rest of my patches. Seemed to work OK in the end, but it was pretty stressful!
Click to expand...
So when you looked at the onboard VU meter - were you in fact clipping? I only use the VU Meter to level my patches and am curious to see if it was responding accurately to what you were hearing.
 
Brian Coonan said:
So when you looked at the onboard VU meter - were you in fact clipping? I only use the VU Meter to level my patches and am curious to see if it was responding accurately to what you were hearing.
Click to expand...

Yes - but the weird thing is, I'm very sure it wasn't prior to me updating to 9.02.
 
Rex said:
This product is a plugin. It's intended to be used with DAW software, such as Reaper. If you're running a DAW, you load it like any other plugin. If you're not running a DAW, you can't load it. :)
Click to expand...

You can run a standard VST host program like "VSTHost" from Herman Seib if you don't have a DAW. Will need to configure VST host point to the right audio devices and also load the VST loudness meter. Not difficult to do.
 
Smittefar said:
I made this video yesterday (for another thread) to show, how I use a loudness meter to match loudness between amps and between presets. Thought it could be useful for some.
Click to expand...

This is probably the best tip for anyone using a digital modeler or MFX. I use GT-100 now (but am upgrading to a FAS soon) and performed a similar level check myself. This helps you have a much more consistent output level as you switch FX in and out!
 
FarleyUK said:
Yes - but the weird thing is, I'm very sure it wasn't prior to me updating to 9.02.
Click to expand...
Interesting- I just updated over the weekend but haven't had a chance to really dive into it yet....Will be looking to see if that happens for me too. Thanks man.
 
FarleyUK said:
Yes - but the weird thing is, I'm very sure it wasn't prior to me updating to 9.02.
Click to expand...

Some of my patches that were -1.8 ish prior to FW upgrade went over 0 db on the builtin meter after upgrade.. I haven't checked or fixed all yet, but my main patches needed adjusting.

Eric
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom