Loudness Meta Normalizer
The Meta Normalizer is an essential mastering tool for managing the loudness and peak levels in audio montages. It allows you to adjust the peaks of the clips or their loudness levels before you start mastering, and to fine-tune the output loudness and maximum peaks at the end of the mastering process.
The Meta Normalizer allows you to modify clip levels, audio montage output levels, and/or Master Section output levels, as required. Each of the three areas can be customized.
By default, clips on reference tracks are not taken into account when using the Meta Normalizer. However, with Listen Alone activated for a reference track, the Meta Normalizer exclusively processes clips on reference tracks and ignores clips on any other tracks.
The Meta Normalizer operates by modifying gain values, and it does not apply any audio compression, thus ensuring that the original sound quality is not compromised.
The loudness is calculated based on the EBU R-128 standard.
Increasing the loudness of all clips in your audio montage to achieve a consistent loudness level can lead to clipping. For the Meta Normalizer, preventing clipping takes precedence over achieving a consistently high loudness level, which is why, whenever the risk of clipping arises, the Meta Normalizer reduces the loudness of all clips proportionally. You can keep the Meta Normalizer from doing so by selecting Do not Restrict Peaks from the Maximum Peak Level pop-up menu in the Loudness Meta Normalizer dialog.
To prevent clipping when applying the Meta Normalizer in the Master Section, you can limit the mixdown output of your audio montage before sending it to the Master Section.