Yo Plugheads!
Today I’m bringing you a plugin that doesn’t make a sound… but tells you exactly how loud you’re sounding: I’m talking about dpMeter5 by TBProAudio, one of those essential tools for anyone serious about mixing and mastering with precision.
If you’re tired of guessing your mix’s loudness or want to know if your track is ready for Spotify, CDs, or the dancefloor, this plugin should be the last thing on your master chain. And trust me, it’s not just for mastering engineers – even beatmakers and bedroom producers will get huge value out of it.
🔍 What is dpMeter5?
It’s a powerful loudness metering tool that gives you real-time insights into:
- LUFS (momentary, short-term, integrated)
- True Peak
- RMS & Peak Levels
- Crest Factor
- All in a clean, responsive, and customizable GUI.
Basically, it’s like having a GPS for your mix’s loudness journey. And the best part? It’s completely free. 💸
🎧 Why You Should Use It
I often hear amazing productions ruined by poorly controlled loudness: too squashed, or not competitive enough. dpMeter5 helps you hit the right target, depending on where you plan to publish:
- Spotify/YouTube: -14 LUFS
- CD / Club Music: -9 or even -6 LUFS
- Bass Music / Festival DJs: Push it towards -5 LUFS (carefully!)
And here’s the real kicker: you can record measurements, save them, and compare loudness across different tracks or over time. A killer tool for podcasting or video post-production as well.
⚙️ Features I Love
- Multi-channel support (up to 16 channels!)
- Sync to host mode for precise bounce measurements
- CSV export for stats lovers (nerd alert 🚨)
- Super light on CPU – perfect for laptops or busy sessions.
🚀 Modern Production & Clip-to-Zero
If you use the well-known Clip-to-Zero technique to produce modern music — especially for mixing and mastering — this plugin becomes essential.
It allows you to see what you’re doing when you’re driving your kick, snare, and vocals into controlled clipping and pushing RMS to the edge.
👉 If you want to learn more about the Clip-to-Zero method, check out this article right here
📦 Final Thoughts
If you want to level up from “producing by ear” to producing with purpose, dpMeter5 is a plugin I recommend keeping on your master bus at all times.
Don’t be fooled by the price — it’s free, but delivers pro-grade quality.
📥 Download it here:
🎧 Use it. Learn it. And make sure your sound isn’t just heard – it’s heard right.
What do you think, Plugheads? Already using it? Has it saved a mix for you? Let me know in the comments or on the forum – you know I read everything.
Peace,
Endrin Hysa aka Sheen