Ian Shepherd and MeterPlugs release Dynameter Plugin for Mac & Win

MeterPlugs and Ian Shepherd have announced the release of Dynameter, a new plugin for Mac OS X and Windows that wants you to "Stop worrying about loudness, start succeeding with dynamics".

Here's what they say:

More and more, loudness is not an important factor in the sound or success of music. As loudness management (normalization) becomes commonplace in broadcast, radio and streaming services, the relative playback loudness of music is determined by the broadcaster and player. For mastering engineers, the challenge going forward is not to maximize loudness but to optimize dynamics.

Dynameter offers a real-time display of your music's dynamics, either beat by beat, or over a whole song or album. The plugin helps you achieve competitive dynamics and consistent playback volume across online streaming services. It measures dynamics using PSR (Peak to Short-term loudness ratio), which is based on the ITU loudness standard, displaying it via a unique history graph and allowing users to choose their own "dynamics target" for the music.

Dynameter was designed by mastering engineer Ian Shepherd, who runs the Production Advice website and founded Dynamic Range Day, and was developed by MeterPlugs.

"I've found over the years that PSR is a really great way of assessing the dynamics of your music and helping you find a good balance between loudness and dynamics," says Shepherd.

"People are telling us they love Dynameter," says Ian Kerr of MeterPlugs. "It's very easy to use. Just choose a PSR Target and keep the history graph from dipping below it. You can compare your music to all of your favourites, and it becomes really addictive."

Pricing and Availability

Dynameter is on sale now for $69 (regular $99) in VST, AU and AAX formats for both Windows and Mac OS X. It can be purchased online from the MeterPlugs website, www.meterplugs.com/dynameter, and is available for instant download. There is no demo at this time, but MeterPlugs offers a 60-day guarantee.