You can get the PSP Vintage Meter here:

http://www.pspaudioware.com/download/full/PSPvm.exe

Every mixing engineer i know has told me the same thing when i mention the k-system: "Huh?"

I don't much understand that k-system. Isn't it just a calibration? Why give it a name? Can't you just do your own k-system out of any meter by just offsetting it?

Yes you can. But like you said, K-system is the first system with real world SPL calibration + metering! The whole point with the K-system is to keep mastering engineers / mixing engineers from over limiting music. K-12, is LOUD, that is, it really is LOUD on your speakers if they are calibrated to K-system, which makes you not turn up the limiter any more because your ears are already bleeding.

The K-system is actually a pretty neat idea.

Cheers!
bManic

so what's the diff between keeping yourself from going over, I don't know, -6dB instead of 0dB? Is the only point to label -6 as 0?

The name comes from the fact that it was developed by Bob Katz the mastering wizzard.

There is another facet to the k-system that I don't see mentioned very often. That being the fact that preamps in systems sound better when they are running near the middle of their operating range and not just barely cracked open because the source material is so hot.

But you make it sound like you could mix quieter today & get away with it.
You have to produce loud tracks, and it's not for yourself, it's not for other engineers, it's for (or against) the listener.
So are you really gonna release quiet tracks & expect the listener to understand this, because of a 'k system' he never heard of? I don't really get it.

It sounds like some guy spectated the loudness war, and came up with 'ok now all engineers, let's agree on a lower average track loudness so that we'll have more headroom. If we all do it, we can go back in time in the loudness war', and gave it a name.
It sounds like some sort of syndical convention, and nothing technical. Like 'from now on I'm gonna reduce my average level for more headroom, but you will all have to follow me, or my songs will sound weak compared to yours, and no one will buy them'.
There has never been any technical excuse for the loudness war, afterall on a 16bit CD, at -12dB you're still left with 14bits which is more than enough. (now, of course your 'center' can't be very low, otherwise peaks could really become harmful)
It's purely marketing, and both engineers & customers are responsible for it. Ok there's the 'it's to hear better in cars' argument that's a little valid.

..or maybe I didn't understand it at all.

^^^ You make some very valid points, however.

I'm still sticking with it; after all, the only reference you made was to the K-12 system - ("after all, on a 16bit CD, at -12dB you're still left with 14bits")

I never understood the internet phenomenon of Bob Katz wankery.

I mean yea, he is good at mixing and mastering, so let's all eat his shit.

I would like a loudness metering too.. there's a lot of blabla about it on the broadcast-area (i guess a lot of business interest too)

e.g. the Dolby LM 100 seems very able on analyptical multi variables of the human loudness perception; its algorithm calculates a kind of average between dynamic, compression, EQ, peak and VU (i guess rms here?) meter. All these values concur for the resulting loudness value.

Sounds cool but i guess it is all about vox, speakers: broadcast-advertising stuff... still not really useful for loudness analysis on music nuances.

Maybe zplane made some paper about loudness metering (?)

I've read about ITU-R algorithm BS.1770: it seems good for soundtracks, live concerts.. so music-softwares like virtual meters too(?)



"Any meter" means peak&rms with adjustable offsetting? Then yessir
e.g. Inspector allow for a settable yellow 'amber' zone, but the rms are too 'peak-responsive' i mean too rapid, kinda nervous.

Actually a good compromise seems (imho): NuGen Audio's Visualizer.
The free downloadable 'MusicTech Edition':
http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mode=show&id=2932
allows for settable zones plus quick-slow response and
[edit] RMS window adjustment [/edit]

P.S.
Agree: the compyfox's tip for PSP Vintage meters
Last edited by tonAP on Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:40 am; edited 1 time in total

squashed music = ipod music, for when you are at the gym and dont wanna hear no one.

K-system music = huge audio system music. this shit gets played in cinemas and concert halls.

It would be nice if some songs had two mixes available.

I just discovered that samplitude has three k-system presets for the meters

Would that be a coil of his shit, or a log of his shit. Discuss.... - Orbit-50


.-.

Nope, you'll be using each and every bit. It's the average level that's hovering at -12dB. You can still have peaks that hit 0dB(fs), even when using the K-20 standard.

which means 14bits, so what's your point?