Every week we get a question that goes like this, “Now that I know what dynamic range is and why it’s important, how can I measure it?”
Technically speaking, there are a lot of tools that will actually do this, yet very few of them are readily available. We have standardized on the Tischmeyer Technology (TT) meter popularized by the Pleasurize Music Foundation and recommended by Ian Shepherd’s fantastic Production Advice site. The TT Meter implements an open source specification on how to measure dynamic range that you can read here. If reading this document makes your head spin, no worries, since Pleasurize provides several useful pieces of software that do the dirty work for you: a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugin, a foobar2k plugin, and a standalone application that they call the Offline Meter.
VST Plugin
The VST plugin is meant to integrate with a digital audio workstation (DAW) like Logic Pro or Pro Tools. It also does not give you a final DR score but rather a real-time estimate as you are mixing and mastering a track, i.e. it’s fairly useless to the average headbanger like you and me.
If you are already know how to use a DAW, then you obviously know how to install and use a VST plugin. Take note, the original Pleasurize version is technically no longer free. Brainworx acquired the rights to distribute it and now charges $99 for an updated version that can be downloaded here.
foobar2k Plugin
To me, foobar2k is still the defacto free Windows player on the market. It’s insanely rich plugin architecture and vibrant developer community makes it a top choice among audiophiles. And luckily, Pleasurize offered a TT Meter plugin that seamlessly integrates with foobar2k. Well almost. The original plugin had an idiotic expiration date of August 2011. Don’t download that one (v1.0), it won’t work without back dating your system’s clock. Luckily, the original developer of the TT foobar2k plugin offered an update that removed the expiration period. Unfortunately, the original link is no longer valid. But don’t fret, we got you covered:
1) Download and install the latest foobar2k executable from their official release page
2) Download and save the foo_dynamic_range_1.1.1.zip file to your Desktop
3) Double click the foobar2k executable and install (click “Next” a lot, you know the drill)
4) Start foobar2k
5) Add some music using the File->Open… or Ctrl+O hot key
Every week we get a question that goes like this, “Now that I know what dynamic range is and why it’s important, how can I measure it?”
Technically speaking, there are a lot of tools that will actually do this, yet very few of them are readily available. We have standardized on the Tischmeyer Technology (TT) meter popularized by the Pleasurize Music Foundation and recommended by Ian Shepherd’s fantastic Production Advice site. The TT Meter implements an open source specification on how to measure dynamic range that you can read here. If reading this document makes your head spin, no worries, since Pleasurize provides several useful pieces of software that do the dirty work for you: a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugin, a foobar2k plugin, and a standalone application that they call the Offline Meter.
VST Plugin
The VST plugin is meant to integrate with a digital audio workstation (DAW) like Logic Pro or Pro Tools. It also does not give you a final DR score but rather a real-time estimate as you are mixing and mastering a track, i.e. it’s fairly useless to the average headbanger like you and me.
Related Pages:
The Myth And Reality Of Mastering
If you are already know how to use a DAW, then you obviously know how to install and use a VST plugin. Take note, the original Pleasurize version is technically no longer free. Brainworx acquired the rights to distribute it and now charges $99 for an updated version that can be downloaded here.
foobar2k Plugin
To me, foobar2k is still the defacto free Windows player on the market. It’s insanely rich plugin architecture and vibrant developer community makes it a top choice among audiophiles. And luckily, Pleasurize offered a TT Meter plugin that seamlessly integrates with foobar2k. Well almost. The original plugin had an idiotic expiration date of August 2011. Don’t download that one (v1.0), it won’t work without back dating your system’s clock. Luckily, the original developer of the TT foobar2k plugin offered an update that removed the expiration period. Unfortunately, the original link is no longer valid. But don’t fret, we got you covered:
1) Download and install the latest foobar2k executable from their official release page
2) Download and save the foo_dynamic_range_1.1.1.zip file to your Desktop
3) Double click the foobar2k executable and install (click “Next” a lot, you know the drill)
4) Start foobar2k
5) Add some music using the File->Open… or Ctrl+O hot key
Conclusion
Bare in mind that highly compressed music that has been encoded into MP3 can give slightly different DR scores than their lossless counterparts. So when in doubt, measure a lossless version of the track or album in question.
Also now that you know how to measure dynamic range, don’t forget to submit your findings to the unofficial DR Database so everyone can read the bad news!
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, just post them below.