VU Meter is a plug-in that models a standard VU meter. Every A/D converter from the cheapest one to the most expensive has an analogue front-end before the actual conversion takes place. Since analogue must obey to the law of physics there is just a certain amount of current that you can pass without having distortion in the signal. Usually the manufacturer of converters set the +4 dBu (the "sweet spot" and what is usually shown as "0" on VU meters) to -18dBFS after the conversion, so if the meters of your DAW reads -3dbFS while you record, you are actually driving the input stage of your converters to +15VU, that is A LOT of current flowing through your electronics.

The best way to use the HoRNet VU Meter is to put it on the track you are going to record, click on the dBFS reference number and set it accordingly to the specifications of your converter, then forget about your DAW peak meters, try to make your signal peak at 0VU at most, or if you want to be hot aim to +1VU or +2VU, don't worry about clipping the signal, the HoRNet VU Meter will blink RED if the signal is clipping.

Features:

• VU Meter spec. conformity (300ms attack and release time).
• VU Peak hold.
• RED Blink clipping indicator.
• Reference level settable from -20 to 0 dBFS.