Dorrough says its 5.1 Loudness Meter Display lets audio engineers restore qualitative human input into the 5.1 audio production process.
The display provides the operator with the loudness level of each channel, along with its compatibility (phase relationship) with its associated channels. The “Dialog” or Center channel includes an adjustable reference so the operator is able to match the Dorrough meter reference to the required DialNorm level.
In addition to discrete channel presentation, the stand-alone uppermost module, consisting of three dual-channel meters, provides information about the end-product surround audio. The individual single-channel Loudness Meters feature twin, integrated “Peak and Average” ballistics for qualitative as well as quantitative information.
The company says the “Peak and Average” algorithm stems from a time- and amplitude-based analysis of the audio waveform. Because looking at amplitude events without considering a time factor cannot impart a real measure of loudness, this real-time power analysis is modeled after human hearing but provides precise control to accommodate hardware limitations.