Pluginboutique is running a 75% OFF deal on the DRMeter (priced at $9 on sale) dynamic range metering utility by MAAT. The offer ends on January 31st, 2018.
DRMeter is based on the same concept and code as the now discontinued TT Dynamic Range Meter plugin by the Pleasurize Music Foundation. Following the requests from TT Dynamic Range Meter users, the developers at MAAT removed the Correlation meter and the Mono button to reduce the vertical size of the user interface. Those features are now included in the free MAAT 2BusControl plugin which was featured as one of the best free VST plugins of 2017 on BPB.
For those unfamiliar with the original TT Dynamic Range Meter plugin, it was a very popular tool used to monitor the dynamic range of a mix. The idea was to help producers understand the dynamic range of their project by visualizing it and, as a result, preventing the loss of dynamics in favor of loudness. My favorite thing about it was the ease of use. The plugin was very well designed and intuitive, a utility that you could simply load on the master channel and use as a real-time visual guide for adjusting the levels and compression/limiting.
Although I still haven’t tested the new DRMeter, it does indeed look like the perfect substitute for TT Dynamic Range Meter. DRMeter is, after all, based on the same code, the only difference being the slightly reduced GUI size and the two features which have been transferred to the free 2BusControl plugin, as explained above.
DRMeter is currently on sale at Pluginboutique, priced at just $9 until January 31st, 2018. That’s 75% OFF its regular $37 price tag. Check out the other available Pluginboutique discounts on their deals page and enter our Scaler giveaway for a chance to win a free copy of the plugin.
More info: DRMeter ($9 @ Pluginboutique)
19 Comments
Carl
onThis is a great continuation of the TT Dynamic Range Meter as you stated. However, the copyright protection on this plugin is horrendous. It installs software called Code Meter and you have to register your license through it. You can do it online, which didn’t work for me, or offline which is super convoluted and a 3 step process. As a user of iLok and Waves Licenses, this is by far the most frustrating registration I’ve ever been forced to use. If you have and can use the TT Dynamic Range Meter, I recommend you do just for this reason.
Tomislav Zlatic
onThat sounds bad, indeed. Hopefully, the online registration process will work over here. I don’t have the TT Dynamic Range Meter anymore. :(
Carl
onThat’s unfortunate. Here’s a safe link to the files from Gearslutz
(EDITED LINK BELOW). It’s a little convoluted, but you can use the latest ‘metaplugin’ from DDMF to use these. He added 32bit support to metaplugin so it works even if you are using the latest Pro Tools!
EDITED LINK: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=148205
Tomislav Zlatic
onThat is fantastic, thanks! I didn’t know it could still be found online. Btw, I had to change that link to a Cockos Forum thread link I found because we don’t allow direct download links in the comments. If you can find the Gearslutz thread containing the DL link, please post it here and I’ll edit it into your previous comment instead. Thanks again!
EDIT: Found the Gearslutz link, here it is: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/635979-tt-dynamic-range-meter.html
Carl
onYou’re welcome! No problem, I’ll keep that in mind in the future. I did a decent amount of digging to find it. I’m glad you were able to find the thread. You’re welcome!
g0nz3r
onCarl- That is a kick in the nuts to hear. I hate ridiculous copy protection. One of the things I wish these companies would consider is that pirates have an easier time downloading and installing their software than their damn customers do. I am going to be honest- I am using old versions of some of my iLok plugins, because I am using cracks. The cracks are lighter on CPU, I don’t have to have the iLok license manager constantly running, and I don’t have to have my iLok in. No losing my licenses to a broken OS install, no losing my licenses to a broken iLok. I wouldn’t have to do this is these plugin companies gave a crap about my purchase more than potential pirates who probably rarely purchase software anyway.
Interestingly, the freeware TT Dynamic Range Meter is a ridiculous install, too. It has some shareware or something attached to it. The kind of stuff you don’t install, or else your browser ends up with a new toolbar you can’t get rid of. For a foundation that acts like it’s so noble, out there to “save the music from the evil loudness”, they sure are not the most caring about clean installs.
I want to know, though- Did you purchase through the MAAT website? Or did you purchase through Plugin Boutique? Maybe the Plugin Boutique version is better?
Tomislav Zlatic
onFrom my experience, Pluginboutique installers are exactly the same as when purchasing directly. So my guess is that both the installer and the copy protection are the same.
Carl
onG0NZ3R,
I purchased through the recent sale at Plugin Boutique. I’m not sure, but I’d guess the installer is the same.
As far as the TT Dynamic Range Meter, I haven’t found an installer for the plugin, therefore I avoided the shareware you described. You simply just copy the plugins to the correct location and you’re set with no issues! (Other than the plugin being 32-bit if you are unable to bridge.)
Use the Gearslutz forum link Tom posted to get just the plugins: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/635979-tt-dynamic-range-meter.html
In the link, A user farther down the thread named ‘divine source’ provided a link for both “mac VST/AU/RTAS” and “pc VST/RTAS”.
g0nz3r
onA huge thanks for the heads up, as there is absolutely nothing wrong with this old version. I know that some URL issues/changes were going up in the convo with Tomislav, but I checked the Cockos URL and it’s the installer. I have been looking for just the VST2 x86-32 DLL for a while now. Without you saying something, I wouldn’t have noticed. I suppose that my problem looking involved a couple “errors” that held me back. One, looking for a 64 bit version which DID exist as freeware for some small small period of time. Two, looking for the latest version. Your URL doesn’t give a version number, but I am happy to have it. It totally works!
It’s been a while since I have started the v1.4a installer, but I was legit thinking of just installing it, dealing with whatever problems there are, obtaining the DLL, checking other locations like AppData for any relevant files that might be needed, and thus putting together a clean, manual installer to archive for myself. But you saved me from those computer diseases! LOL! (Also from looking under the 1000 names this company has went by for files)
If you just start that installer, from the Cockos forum URL, it looks like Windows disease-ridden shareware from the year 2000. It fills your entire screen with this blue background, and it’s just screams “run”!
Thanks!
g0nz3r
onCarl – I left a sizeable comment thanking you, but it isn’t appearing. Maybe I swore mildly or it’s taking along time to be okayed or something. In the comment, I also explained that I had been looking for a VST2 DLL forever and took some guesses as to why I was always running into an installer. Namely, a 64 gig version once existed, albeit for a short period of time, and I was always looking for the latest version. This release is just fine though. Very happy to have it.
Thanks! Hopefully this reply doesn’t get lost in cyberspace!
Tomislav Zlatic
onSorry about that, there was a delay with comment approval!
g0nz3r
onAll is good, Tomislav. Speaking of meters, did you hear about TBProAudio releasing the second version of their freeware mvMeter? Controversial plugin, for sure, due to the uncanny similarities with Klanghelm’s VUMT 2. So, I guess there may be a moral question to answer before giving the guy some advertising, but I, for one, think that the plugin fills and important freeware void, namely in that it can provide a simple VU meter and gain knob for gain staging.
Tomislav Zlatic
onYes, I will post an article about it today! Seems pretty similar to the previous version, with just another meter added for stereo monitoring.
g0nz3r
onYeah. The changes that I notice at just that, and the disclusion of the three K-Meter options. I don’t know why they removed that. It’s supposed to be a successor, but I am probably going to reinstall version 1 alongside version 2.
Ampersound
onThere already has been a continuation of the TT Dynamic Range meter.
It’s called bx_meter and it’s from plugin alliance.
I got it on sale for 9$ as well
Tomislav Zlatic
onCool! I remember that Black Friday deal but I didn’t grab it myself. It’s not based on the same code, though?
Ampersound
onIt looks almost exactly the same and measures peak and rms like the original TT plugin does.
Here is a picture of the plugin: http://puu.sh/z1rA2/7f248d9faa.jpg
I don’t know if the code is identical, but i highly doubt they use an entirely different algorythm to measure rms
Tomislav Zlatic
onInteresting, I’ll check that one out, too. Thanks for the tip!
Chris Schutte
onBeen Looking into getting a good Meter, and this was a no-brainer buy for me, as for the copy protection, I can handle the annoyance, the meter is more than good enough to make the pain of registration a worthwhile experience, and the copy protection is really not that bad, it did not require rights to all my musical compositions or a blood and urine sample, there are worse things in life to be concerned about.
The Meter itself is an excellent purchase and most definitely makes a diffrence to how I approach a mix.