Want to jump Straight to the answer? Our choice for the Best VU Meter is the VU Meter by Waves!
Having a clear even mix is obviously the goal of every audio engineer. That being said, how do you get there? The best way to succeed is to set yourself up for success at the very beginning stages. With a VU Meter, you can even out all of your levels across the board, opening up space for editing, compression, and more. Some people would think, “How do you do this?” I found an excellent explanation and example on how to use a VU Meter on individual tracks from the Youtube channel Green Light Sound that you can watch here.
Now is this the only way you can use a VU Meter? No, you can take it and use it to level out your mix and master busses to provide an even tone all the way through.
Best VU Meters to Add to Your Plugin Library
- VU Meter – Waves
- MV Meter – TB Pro Audio
- VUMT Deluxe – Klanghelm
- K-Meter – Meter Plugs
- Dorrough Stereo – Waves
What To Look For When Choosing a VU Meter Plugin
You do not need to be super picky when you are looking for the best VU Meter Plugin. However, you do not want to just buy the first one you see without knowing about it. To help you be more meticulous in your decision making, we put together a list of features to look into when you are buying a VU Meter plugin.
Pricing
VU Meters will be one of the cheapest plugins that you will use regularly. The general pricing of a meter will be fairly low, depending on if it has any additional tools built into it.
Compatibility – System Requirements
Compatibility shouldn’t be an issue beyond the DAW. VU Meters do not require much cpu power and are easy to use and understand.
DAW Compatibility
You only need one or 2 VU Meters depending on their differences, so you want to make sure that you purchase one that will work on every platform you are using.
Frequency of Use
If gain staging is important to you when working on your tracks (as it should be), a VU Meter will be a tool you pull out time and time again.
Skill Level
The skill level is not something that needs to be considered when you are looking at VU Meters. They are a very basic plugin that will not affect audio without additional parameters. The only aspect you will want to learn is the different meter types that are included and what they mean.
5 Best VU Meter Plugins
Here are our picks for the best VU Meter Plugins available.
1. VU Meter – Waves
This is another super simple meter. Literally, all it does is show you levels; it has no other functions available.
- Who’s it for? All levels
- Price: $49
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Pro Tools
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
2. MV Meter – TB Pro Audio
This is the simplest and easiest to understand meter that you will ever find. It is the basic current meter that has no parameters or settings to mess with beyond the basic gain level and meter style.
- Who’s it for? All Skill Levels
- Price: Free
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Logic
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
3. VUMT Deluxe – Klanghelm
The Customization even beyond the bare audio capabilities is perfect. You can change both the color and name of each plugin so you can keep your organization and sanity. You can also handle the left and right channels individually or linked together with their own parameters, and it even allows you to hear what it would sound like in a sort of fake “mono.”
- Who’s it for? Intermediate and above
- Price: $25.72
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Cubase
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
4. K-Meter – Meter Plugs
This meter is a little different than the average conventional meter on this list. It has multiple scales and settings to match different styles of music. If you want to know what the designs and settings were intended for, check out this video.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate and above
- Price: $49
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for FL Studio
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Operating System | 10.7 or later | Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 |
5. Dorrough Stereo – Waves
The Dorrough Stereo Meter looks different than the average meter available, but it does all of the basics with a few additions. It allows you to use the meter in stereo and mono as well as monitor the peak of your audio in different ways.
- Who’s it for? Intermediate and above
- Price: $199
- DAW Support: All popular DAWs supported, good for Reason
System Requirements:
| Mac | Windows | |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive | 8 GB RAM8 GB free disk space on the system drive |
| Operating System | 10.12.6-10.15 | Windows 10 64 bit |
Monitor your Growth
One thing I like to try when I get a new plugin is listen to the difference between my old mixes and new mixes to see if it makes a difference. When using meters, I noticed a tremendous difference when it came to the clarity of my final products. It’s always nice when you find a new tool to enhance your abilities making your services more marketable to clients.
If you would like to learn more about other plugins that could help you improve your mixes and edits, click here.
Jarrett is a hardcore Lover-Jazz Lover-Rock Lover-Blues Lover-just a music lover. He has the hair to match — Jarrett and provides in-depth insight into all things guitar and music engineering.