Peak Meter...A multitude of uses

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I've had too much time at work (night shifts) to sit and think about things to do on my days off recently. And Peak Meter was at the top of my thoughts. I've already posted in the FX forum, but I thought I'd paste it in here too. For those of you who can't immediately think of too many useful things for peak meter - and initially it didn't make me go "wow" either...but as I sat and pondered it dawned on me what an absolute gem Peak Meter can be - invaluable even.

1. Make a dynamic reverb out of an ordinary one. Use Peak meter to record the envelope of a drumtrack, then apply it to reverb tail automation either normally or inversely - the tail changes according to volume - That's the territory of only a handful of esoteric h/w units. You can also apply the envelope to reverb dry/wet mix or send level! A truely dynamic reverb in any manner you want. As levels increase, you can have the reverb decrease and vice versa. You can use it to increase reverb presence in quieter passages - record the envelope for the whole song - apply it to reverb send level or outut - in the loud parts, the reverb will be quieter (allowing a clearer mix) and in the quiet passage the reverb will boost up for those "hand-in-the-air" moments :hihi:

2. Filtering - endless possibilities when applied to filter cutoff.

3. It makes almost a modular synth out of even the most ordinary one - you can apply velocity characteristics to any parameter on even the most bog-standard synths that don't even have velocity sensitivity as an option for things like filter, res, env depth etc. As long as it's automatable by the host, it's automatable using Peak Meter. So a synth doesn't have midi learn? Use peak meter instead to control parameters.

4. Gating .....it's the most useable and simplistic gate that anyone who's even a complete beginner can use. Get the envelope from Peak Meter then apply it to channel fader of any channel - you get
gating that isn't dependent on quantising or pattern based, or midi controlled. Useful for anyone and everyone who records from h/w.

5. Synced wah wah pedals etc...use the envelope from Peak Meter to control a filter, phaser, flanger etc and you get instant wah wah. Can be used with any mod FX plugin that doesn't have an envelope follower. (and there aren't that many that do!). Use it to control filter cutoff, flanger depth, phaser phase or depth etc.

6. Dynamics weirdness - use the envelope from Peak Meter and apply it to some or several parameters on a compressor - that could produce all weird manner of strange dynamic pumping and breathing - it makes even a basic compressor into a special FX machine. Ue it to control 2 bands on a multiband comp...one to control bass frequency, the other inverted to control mids or highs. Or same way, but with ratio automation - as the bass in compressed increasingly, the mids will be expanded and vice versa :wink:

7. Make a frequency conscious compressor without using a compressor - I was involved in a topic question about ducking a vocal but only certain parts of the frequency, not the whole spectrum. Simple - Get the envelope from a drumtrack using Peak Meter, then apply that envelope to an Eq boost/reduce knob which is inserted into the vocal channel - it makes an automatic frequency conscious dynamic Eq/side-chained compressor.

8.Synth jiggerypokery. I'm thinking something like Wusikstation here....get the Peak Meter envelope - apply it to something like the loop point in Wusikstation and you'll get it looping wavesequences in a way that it won't do from within itself.

9. Record the envelopes then modify the recording...it can be used as in inverted limiter - you know how a limiter chops off the peaks - you can use Peak Meter to have just those chopped off peaks control something else. By raising the lower automation points to zero, then reducing the top points (grouped to keep their relationships) you will have an automation graph of just the peaks that you want to keep. Apply those to channel faders as exactly a limiter (will limit without distorting) it simply pulls down the fader volume instead of changing the actual waveform. A truely clean limiter that will work if used within reason. No transient will ever get through that method. Yor channel peaks by 1.3dB? Simple...reduce the envelope peaks to 1.3 dB and it limits - increase the channel fader settings to act as a make-up gain and your peaks will still be brought down if you pull up the automation points.

Kick/bassline ducker too...record the envelope of your drums - the kicks will be the peaks. Which means you can duck your bassline without buying a sidechain compressor. It also means you can duck as many channels you want without using subgroups if you want to. You're not limited to one sidechain only :-o


The possibilities of Peak Meter are endless, and incredibly useful.

It could turn into one of my most used plugins I think...thanks Bluecat :D


Alternatively, it could be I've got too much time on my hands :hihi:

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Did you have any time to experiment about these ideas?

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Hi, BlueCat!

I downloaded the demo of Peak Meter and am going to use it in Vegas. I am a total newbie. Please understand that my knowledge of audio editing/creating is limited to Cool Edit Pro and Adobe Audition.

I had an idea of making my own "subliminal" recordings. Apparently, this is considered beneath contempt by some folk here, but they work for me.

The problem I am having is to create a sound mask, to cover the (hopefully!) subliminal affirmations with a sound mask that will not either drown out the affirmations or allow them to "bleed" through and thus be rendered pointless.

I tried ultraflanging the affirmations and then using a series of narrow frequency bands to soften the horrific noise the flanging makes. This makes the affirmations into the sound mask itself, makes the voice unintelligible, and more or less follow the volume changes in the affirmation wav file. I then use the flanged wav in a multitrack session and adjust the base volumes of the two tracks, the affirmations and the sound mask, to drown out the voice wav.

Well, like I said, this works, in a strictly technical sense, but far from pleasing to the ear and there are still many points throughout the sound mask where the volume is higher or lower than the corresponding voice message. I'm concerned that this is making the subliminal signal useless at those points.

This is where your Peak Meter plugin comes in! Based on what I have seen of the information you provide in the relevant pdf file and on your web site, this looks to be exactly the plugin I was asking about in another thread here. (If I had a clue how to make a link to that thread I made, I would)

Having no experience with Sony Vegas I'm still working out the ins-and-outs of how to make this work. But you know your plugin better than I do. Do you think that Peak Meter is the right plugin for what I'm trying to do? If not, do you have any suggestions for a plugin that will essentially take one audio file and adjust its volume level throughout the file, based on the changing volume levels of a second audio file?

I'm very much looking forward to diving into this asap! If I get the results I'm looking for, like being able to use any audio file as a sound mask, I will be sure to let you know (and everyone else here too!)

Imagine that... your plugin as an extremely versatile, listen-to-what-you-want, subliminal program maker! :love:

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I just don't get how this plugin works..I insert it on a track, I see peaks, there's a generator that doesn't do anything...how do you affect one track with another? :|

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maybe this helps?

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Well I'm not sure I really understood what you are trying to do with it... But of you need to generate an envelope that is proportional (or inversly proportional with the pro version) in order to modify your sound track volume accordingly, that's the plug-in you need! It might help you to adjust the volume of your subliminal voice & mask the way you want...

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I just don't get how this plugin works..I insert it on a track, I see peaks, there's a generator that doesn't do anything...how do you affect one track with another?
Have you had a look at the documentation available from the web site? It shows how to use it for Tracktion & Vegas.

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bluecatonline wrote:
I just don't get how this plugin works..I insert it on a track, I see peaks, there's a generator that doesn't do anything...how do you affect one track with another?
Have you had a look at the documentation available from the web site? It shows how to use it for Tracktion & Vegas.
Hi, missed that. I was looking for a pdf in the install directory. I'll check it out after I get back from visiting my Dad's in a couple days.

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The DPMP is now real time thanks to the MIDI output and the instant preview of tranformed envelopes. Registered users can get it for only 12 EUR (USD 14.4 ). You will undoubtly find even more uses...

See this topic:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=149195

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