5 Types of Metering Plugins You Should Be Using
Learn about the 5 essential types of metering plugins that help you make better mixing decisions — level meters, spectrum analyzers, goniometers, and more.
Every mixing decision we make should be driven by our ears. But metering plugins compensate for acoustic challenges like small rooms, poor monitor placement, or headphone-only mixing.
The 5 Types of Metering Plugins
1. Level/Loudness Meter
Measures Peak, True Peak, RMS, and LUFS. Essential for ensuring your tracks hit the right loudness targets for streaming platforms.
2. Frequency Spectrum Analyzer
Shows a visual frequency representation of your audio. Useful for comparing tracks and fitting elements together in a mix.
Recommended: Voxengo SPAN (free), FabFilter Pro-Q, iZotope Ozone
3. Goniometer
Displays stereo information with mono on the vertical axis and stereo on the horizontal axis. Helps you visualize the stereo spread of your mix.
Recommended: ADPTR Metric AB (gold standard), Flux Stereo Tool (free)
4. Phase Correlation Meter
Measures mono compatibility with readings from -1 to +1. You want to aim for around 0 or above — negative values indicate phase issues.
5. Multimeter
Combines multiple meter types in one plugin, giving you a comprehensive view of your audio signal in a single window.
The Bottom Line
Professional producers overcome mixing challenges through effective tools. Amateur producers blame their setup. Metering plugins are one of the best investments you can make in your mixing workflow.
Niko Kotoulas
Award-winning concert pianist and music producer with 50M+ streams. Founder of Piano For Producers.
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