Youlean Loudness Meter YouLean is featured prominently on my master bus. This plugin will give you real-time updates as to the integrated, momentary, and short term LUFS value during playback. It's also very useful for keeping your True Peak levels in check. LUFS Meter - Free VST Plugins: There some free VST Metering Plugins and Apps to measure LUFS, RMS and True Peaks, you can download them here. Add them as a effect Plugin to your DAW and visualize true loudness of your tracks and compare with other reference songs. See also: Youlean Loudness Meter 2 FREE & Pro Released The plugin analyzes the audio based on the globally accepted LUFs standard, which stands for 'Loudness Units relative to Full Scale.' It is a newer standard for measuring sound and widely considered to be the most accurate – which is why it is so universally accepted. Here is the list of Best Free Noise Meter Software for Windows. These software let you analyze environmental noise around you. By analysis, I mean, you can view real time information of noise around you. Frequency, intensity (dB), and spectrum of audio input can be viewed using these noise meter. Youlean Loudness Meter 2 is a free loudness metering plugin that features four metering modes; LUFS, LRA, DR and true peak. It's one of the most accurate loudness metering plugins out there, even when compared to other premium ones, and a lot of producers use it Which is a clear testament to its overall quality.
I'm Julijan Nikolic. (You may know me as Youlean). I am the developer behind Youlean Loudness Meter.
In 2016, I created Youlean Loudness Meter as part of the KVR Developer Challenge (create the best free audio software).
To be honest, I was already fascinated with the new loudness measurement techniques but I was a bit stunned when I realized how expensive these types of plugins are. That was the moment I decided to build it by myself.
The proof that people loved it came really quickly – Youlean Loudness Meter was voted a clear winner of the KVR Challenge 2016.
After many lines of code and many hours, days and months later, I was able to bring to the users a new PRO version which implemented many useful options that will save your time and improve your workflow. Also, the PRO version will help me to fund the future updates for Youlean Loudness Meter and other plugins too!
Thanks everybody for your support!
Plugin Clients Love
The plugin has become very loved in the music industry and since its release has been spreading fast thanks to the great community and its dedicated users. Many supporters around the globe helped this plugin keep developing.
Plugin You Can Trust
The plugin is calibrated and tested to meet the required standards for all streaming platforms. But the most important thing is that is being tested by thousands of users every day. Quality comes first for Youlean.
Dedicated Support
Your problems are heard and solved fast. Youlean is very keen on keeping high standards when it comes to customer support. And hey, you get to solve the problem directly with the developer, which is not a case with big companies.
Lifetime Free Updates
'I love audio software, and there are some really cool companies and really cool plugins, but man, there is no worse feeling in the world when you need to PAY for the bugfixes i.e. updates. I really hate that, and I really hate that this is the way most of the audio companies do the business.
This is not how I want to sell the software and that's why I guarantee the lifetime free updates.'
Julijan Nikolic – Youlean
Price Below the Average
'Once I learned about loudness metering using LUFS, I was really fascinated. The problem was that the plugins for measuring it were (and still are) really expensive and there were no free ones that can get you started.
So, I have decided to create a free loudness meter that will be even better than the most expensive ones.'
Julijan Nikolic – Youlean
Optimize It For Yourself
'I want to give the users the possibility to ask for the new features. Many features have been implemented in this way and I am always happy to assist you by building the features you need. In this way, Youlean Loudness Meter is becoming a high-quality software.
If there are any requests, users are always welcome to contact me.'
Julijan Nikolic – Youlean
Youlan Loudness Meter doesn't have a trial period or separated versions of FREE and PRO plugins. You download the FREE software, check if everything works as expected, use it for some time, if it meets your needs, there's no need to upgrade. However, if you find the PRO features essential for you or if you want to use them to speed up your workflow, you may upgrade to PRO.
Youlean Loudness Meter is used by thousands of users every day.
SchoolsMany schools are using Youlean Loudness Meter in their educational courses. Students and teachers are welcome to use the educational discount of 30%.
TV and Radio StationsUsing Youlean Loudness Meter will ensure you are compliant with the law regulations regarding loudness standards. Many broadcasters around the globe trust Youlean Loudness Meter to stay on the right side of the CALM Act (or any other regulation required in their country).
Sound Recording StudiosBig and small studios around the globe are using Youlean Loudness Meter in the mixing and mastering chain.
Individual ProfessionalsProfessionals love to use Youlean Loudness Meter, it gives them peace of mind when dealing with clients. Affordable price and trustworthy results make Youlean Loudness Meter a no brainer.
Since the release of the PRO version, more than 50 new features have been added. The plan is to add many more in the future!
The first version of Youlean Loudness Meter
* Released on December 1, 2016
The latest version of Youlean Loudness Meter
* Released on October 4, 2020
The Latest Update
I have added new Dolby dialog gated measurements so the Netflix preset is now supported. You can also see the dialog indication in the histogram too. Another new addition is integrated relative gate visualization in the histogram. Using that feature you can visualize what parts of the audio are influencing the calculation of the integrated loudness. More on that in future blog posts.
The standalone app got many new features like always on top, saving a project file and remembering window position. Note that preferences for the standalone app will be reset, so you will need to set up it again.
Loudness Standards – Full Comparison Table
Mastering audio these days needs to touch the loudness standards. This can be confusing since requirements differ from service to service, so I wanted to create a simple table containing all presets that are included in the Youlean Loudness Meter so you can easily find out what you need to do.
The table contains the official recommendations for different services. If you follow these recommendations you won't have any trouble.
Top 10 FREE Mixing & Mastering Plugins 2019
The never-ending quest for the best mixing and mastering plugins is back again, only this time we're searching through the freebies. We scouted through many polls and forums to look for what the audio engineering community has to say about freeware mixing and mastering plugins. So here is our top 10 list of the best and brightest freeware mixing and mastering plugins in no particular order.
1 Youlean Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean
One of the most important aspects of proper mixing and mastering is monitoring. Both audible and visual. This is where Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean comes in to play. This is a freeware loudness metering plugin featuring four metering modes (LUFS, LRA, DR and true peak). It is a must-have visual tool for every producer and mixing engineer on a budget as it will help determine the proper amount of loudness without sacrificing the sound quality and dynamic range of the track. Compared to V1, it has a better-looking GUI which is resizable with reduced CPU usage and is more stable than the previous one.
2 Bitter Sweet V3 by FLUX
FLUX is a very well-known company with amazing high-quality plugins respected by many audio professionals. Bitter Sweet is their freeware audio sweetening tool. Basically, this is a tone and transient shaper plugin which can make your individual tracks go from biting hard to silky smooth. The UI is very simple to use and it features a large knob for controlling the amount of the desired effect.
By going to the sweet side you get very smooth transients and a silky tonal character, while going over to the bitter side you're getting much more pronounced tonal characteristics and more aggressive transients. A must have for anyone working with percussive and rhythmic materials.
Youlan Loudness Meter doesn't have a trial period or separated versions of FREE and PRO plugins. You download the FREE software, check if everything works as expected, use it for some time, if it meets your needs, there's no need to upgrade. However, if you find the PRO features essential for you or if you want to use them to speed up your workflow, you may upgrade to PRO.
Youlean Loudness Meter is used by thousands of users every day.
SchoolsMany schools are using Youlean Loudness Meter in their educational courses. Students and teachers are welcome to use the educational discount of 30%.
TV and Radio StationsUsing Youlean Loudness Meter will ensure you are compliant with the law regulations regarding loudness standards. Many broadcasters around the globe trust Youlean Loudness Meter to stay on the right side of the CALM Act (or any other regulation required in their country).
Sound Recording StudiosBig and small studios around the globe are using Youlean Loudness Meter in the mixing and mastering chain.
Individual ProfessionalsProfessionals love to use Youlean Loudness Meter, it gives them peace of mind when dealing with clients. Affordable price and trustworthy results make Youlean Loudness Meter a no brainer.
Since the release of the PRO version, more than 50 new features have been added. The plan is to add many more in the future!
The first version of Youlean Loudness Meter
* Released on December 1, 2016
The latest version of Youlean Loudness Meter
* Released on October 4, 2020
The Latest Update
I have added new Dolby dialog gated measurements so the Netflix preset is now supported. You can also see the dialog indication in the histogram too. Another new addition is integrated relative gate visualization in the histogram. Using that feature you can visualize what parts of the audio are influencing the calculation of the integrated loudness. More on that in future blog posts.
The standalone app got many new features like always on top, saving a project file and remembering window position. Note that preferences for the standalone app will be reset, so you will need to set up it again.
Loudness Standards – Full Comparison Table
Mastering audio these days needs to touch the loudness standards. This can be confusing since requirements differ from service to service, so I wanted to create a simple table containing all presets that are included in the Youlean Loudness Meter so you can easily find out what you need to do.
The table contains the official recommendations for different services. If you follow these recommendations you won't have any trouble.
Top 10 FREE Mixing & Mastering Plugins 2019
The never-ending quest for the best mixing and mastering plugins is back again, only this time we're searching through the freebies. We scouted through many polls and forums to look for what the audio engineering community has to say about freeware mixing and mastering plugins. So here is our top 10 list of the best and brightest freeware mixing and mastering plugins in no particular order.
1 Youlean Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean
One of the most important aspects of proper mixing and mastering is monitoring. Both audible and visual. This is where Loudness Meter 2 by Youlean comes in to play. This is a freeware loudness metering plugin featuring four metering modes (LUFS, LRA, DR and true peak). It is a must-have visual tool for every producer and mixing engineer on a budget as it will help determine the proper amount of loudness without sacrificing the sound quality and dynamic range of the track. Compared to V1, it has a better-looking GUI which is resizable with reduced CPU usage and is more stable than the previous one.
2 Bitter Sweet V3 by FLUX
FLUX is a very well-known company with amazing high-quality plugins respected by many audio professionals. Bitter Sweet is their freeware audio sweetening tool. Basically, this is a tone and transient shaper plugin which can make your individual tracks go from biting hard to silky smooth. The UI is very simple to use and it features a large knob for controlling the amount of the desired effect.
By going to the sweet side you get very smooth transients and a silky tonal character, while going over to the bitter side you're getting much more pronounced tonal characteristics and more aggressive transients. A must have for anyone working with percussive and rhythmic materials.
3 Stereo Buss by Minimal System Group (MSI)
We already talked about this plugin in a previous post about the best free VST plugins overall but we're going to give it some more attention here again.
This is a Windows only plugin but even so it's very special. Yes we know that there are many other free 'mastering' buss compressor plugins out there, and sure they all give you that kind of final touch and glue to you mixes, but in all honesty MSI Stereo Buss does it better than most others plain and simple. For what it does and the fact that you're getting it for free, it really is the best one out there at the moment.
4 SPAN by Voxengo
Voxengo are very well-known among the freeware VST users out there and they're highly praised. Everyone needs a good plain simple spectrum analyzer for metering and in all honesty you really can't beat Voxengo here. It is our favourite spectrum analyzer overall and it beats many analyzers out there that are paid-for.
You can control the ballistics and response of its graph which makes it flexible enough for a wide variety of tasks. You can even route multiple tracks into SPAN and compare their frequency content. It is a great addition to YOULEAN Loudness Meter 2. Everyone needs to have Voxengo SPAN in their collection.
Free Lufs Vst
5 Freeware Plugins by Brainworx
This is not an official collection but mainly our own pick of various freeware plugins by the amazingly talented people at Brainworx.
bx_solo is a powerful tool for working with M/S because it features the legendary M/S technology from their bx_control V2.
bx_subfilter is a subharmonic content processor. Basically it shapes your sub content and adds more oomph to your signal with body and punch. Highly recommended if you're into EDM and trailer music production.
bx_cleansweep is an extremely powerful Hi/Lo-Pass filter using advanced Brainworx technology.
6 Wider by Polyverse Music
We're re-visiting Wider for this list also as we have nothing but high praise for it. This is a simple freeware VST plugin that widens your stereo signal with a very unique ability to broaden the stereo width of the signal without causing phasing issues when played back in mono.
You can't make it simpler than this because Wider features only one control parameter and that's it. The slider affects the amount of stereo processing, but be careful when pushing it too far though because too much stereo widening can make your track sound as if it doesn't exist in the same space with others in your mix. Treated carefully, this plugin is one of the best stereo wideners while keeping your mix compatible with any type of playback system.
7 Neutrino by iZotope
Free Lufs Plugin
iZotope's Neutron plugin bundle features a very unique technology and they scaled it down in order to present us with Neutrino, which is a freeware version with limited options. Even though it is limited compared to the full-blown Neutron, you can still achieve amazing results with it. Neutrino tames undesirable resonances caused by poor room acoustics, cheap gear, and heavy-handed processing. iZotope calls this effect 'spectral shaping' and it can sound similar to gentle, low-ratio multiband compression.
The GUI is very simple to understand and use because it features only two knobs for controlling the effect and 4 buttons for selecting the sound source you are working with.
8 Limiter No.6 by VLADG/Sound
This is a rather cool and useful mastering plugin packed with features. Combined with the previously mentioned YOULEAN Metering and Voxengo SPAN, you get a free mastering power tool. Limiter No.6 features 5 separate modules mostly known as gain stages. A compressor followed by a peak limiter, high frequency limiter, clipper and the protection module.
The Protection module ensures that your output of the signal doesn't go into clipping. Each module is controlled individually and you can turn it on and off separately. The plugin has a certain character when pushed hard but it produces a warm pleasing output. It's a no brainer if you want to own one.
9 MFreeFX Bundle by MeldaProduction
MeldaProduction are well-known for some great plugins and they have earned their keep in many pro audio engineers' plugin collections. This bundle contains 30 completely free plugins which span from bread and butter tools like compressors and EQs to some not so common effects like ring modulator and oscilloscope. If you're starting out your path to becoming an audio engineer, or if you're a student with no budget this is a must-have for you.
10 NOVA EQ by TDR
This is a rare sight to see when it comes to freeware plugins. NOVA EQ is a real Swiss army knife when it comes to fixing those problematic frequencies. It is very easy on the eye with its rather sleek looking GUI.
Each EQ band features a dedicated dynamics section which allows the EQ to cover a wide range of frequencies. The sound is very transparent.
What are your favourite free mixing and mastering plugins?
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