Introduction
The SSL Meter plug-in brings all your essential metering needs to your DAW. It integrates with the SSL 360 Plug-in Mixer and software, and by extension has first-class integration with the SSL UF1 hardware controller.
Key Features
- Classic digital metering
- Analogue (VU/PPM) meters
- Sound field metering (phase correlation and balance)
- Real-Time-Averaging (RTA)
- Fully re-scalable GUI
- Collapsible sections (v1.4 or higher)
Supported Platforms and Hosts
For compatibility information about plug-ins, visit the Plug-in Operating System and DAW Compatibility FAQ.
When we release an SSL plug-in, we test it on all Windows and macOS operating systems that aren't End-of-Life (EOL) at the time of release. We test the plug-ins on a range of DAWs, using the latest version publicly available version of each one. It is possible our products may work on platforms outside of this list. However, if you are using a DAW not listed below, or an older DAW version (perhaps several years old), we recommend you demo the product before purchase to confirm that it works correctly.
Demo/Trial
To demo this plug-in, you can simply download it from the product page and run it up in your host - the software will guide you through the rest of the process.
- Download and install the plug-in.
- Open your DAW/host.
- Insert the plug-in to commence activation (sometimes this will happen when the plug-in is scanned on startup, depending on your DAW/host).
- When you see 'Activation is required', click 'Try'.
- Log into your iLok account and click 'Next'.
- Select a location to activate the license to, and click 'Next'.
Installation and Download
We recommend using the SSL Download Manager application to to easily manage all SSL plug-in installations all from one place, on both macOS and Windows. In addition to easily installing, uninstalling or reinstalling individual or every SSL plug-in at the click of a button, the SSL Download Manager also provides you with detailed release notes and lets you know when updates are available.
You can also download offline installers for a plug-in from here.
All SSL plug-ins are supplied in VST, VST3, AU (macOS only) and AAX (Pro Tools) formats.
The installers provided (macOS Intel .dmg and Windows .exe) copy the plug-in binaries to the common VST, VST3, AU and AAX directories. After this, the host DAW should recognise the plug-in automatically in most cases. Simply run the installer and you should be good to go. You can find more information about how to authorise your plug-ins below.
Licensing
Visit iLok, Licensing and Activation for guidance in activating your SSL plug-in.
360° Plug-in Mixer + UF1
The SSL Meter is a 360-enabled plug-in, and integrates with the SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer.
Since the Meter plug-in is controllable from the 360° Plug-in Mixer, it has first-class integration with the powerful UF1 hardware control surface. For more information on the UF1 integration & SSL 360° please refer to the UF1 user guide.
Top Bar
BYPASS
Bypasses all plug-in processing.
SLOT NUMBER
Displays the slot number of the Meter plug-in instance within the SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer Centre Section.
TRACK NAME
When using a compatible DAW, the name of the current track will be detected by the plug-in and shown here.
360°
Clicking the 360° button will launch the SSL 360° Plug-in Mixer, your virtual SSL console. If SSL 360° is not installed, it will show you more information about SSL 360° and how you can download it.
RESET
Resets all metering in the plug-in.
Overview Module
The Overview module displays a summary of digital metering and stereo information.
COLLAPSE/EXPAND
The Overview & Analogue Meters section can be collapsed/expanded from view using the arrow at the top-left of the section.
TRUE PEAK (TP)
Turns on True Peak metering. When True Peak metering is enabled, the peak is still measuring the maximum level that your signal reaches, but True Peak mode oversamples the signal for a more accurate reading; and it will show any inter-sample peaks.
DIGITAL METERS TYPE
Selects the type of Digital Metering shown in the Overview.
Choose from Non-Linear, Linear and K-System options.
- Non-Linear - non-linearly spaced scale 0, -5, -10, -20, -30, -40, -60, -∞ dBFS
- Non-Linear 2x - same as 'Non-Linear' but shows a higher resolution above -30 dBFS
- Linear - linearly 5 dB spaced scale from 0 to -50 dBFS
- Linear 2x - same as 'Linear' but with a minimum display of -25 dBFS
- K-20 - K-Scale metering with -20 dBFS anchor point
- K-14 - K-Scale metering with -14 dBFS anchor point
- K-12 - K-Scale metering with -12 dBFS anchor point
DIGITAL METER BARGRAPHS
The selected type of digital metering is displayed here. Click on an overload segment above the bars, or either max text meter, to clear all overloads in this section.
DIGITAL METERS PEAK HOLD
Sets the hold time for the Peak segment.
DIGITAL METERS RMS INTEGRATION TIME
Sets the RMS integration time for the Digital Meters
PEAK/TRUE PEAK METERING READOUTS
Displays the Current Peak or True-Peak value, and the Maximum Peak value since the last reset. Readouts will turn red when clipping occurs. Click to reset.
RMS METERING READOUTS
Displays the current RMS/Average value, and the the Maximum RMS/Average value since the last reset. Readouts will turn red when clipping occurs. Click to reset.
BALANCE METER
Indicates the overall left-right balance of your mix. Helps you to easily identify if your stereo image is being 'pulled' to the left or right of centre.
LISSAJOUS VECTORSCOPE
The Lissajous Vectorscope plots the difference between left and right channels on an XY axis that has been rotated 45 degrees. Vertical pattern readings indicate similarity between left and right (mono activity).
PHASE CORRELATION METER
Indicates the phase correlation of the stereo signal. +1 means perfectly in phase, -1 means perfectly out of phase. Persistent negative readings suggest mono compatibility issues.
Overview Module - Advanced Settings
Advanced settings are accessed using the 'Settings' icon in the bottom bar.
LISSAJOUS FADE TIME
Determines how long the history of the Lissajous stays on screen.
Analogue Meters Module
The Analogue Meters module displays instantaneous level values on a set of meters like the kind you would find on a piece of analogue hardware.
ANALOGUE METERS MODE
Selects the type of Analogue Metering. Choose from VU or PPM.
ANALOGUE METERS - VU
Volume Unit Meter. Works in a similar way to human hearing providing an averaged representation of signal level.
The main needle (black) shows the current value whilst a secondary Max Value needle (red) shows the maximum value reached since the VU meters were last reset.
The overload indicator responds to peak signal levels and will come on when the peak level exceeds 0VU by the threshold set by the Overload LED Threshold parameter (Advanced Settings).
ANALOGUE METERS - PPM
Peak Programme Meter - Type II. Also known as a Quasi PPM. Favoured by many as a useful tool in helping to achieve a good programme balance.
The main needle (white) shows the current value whilst a secondary Max Value needle (red) shows the maximum value reached since the VU meters were last reset.
LINE-UP
Determines the 0 VU line up. Options to choose from:
- 0 dBu - leave set to 0 dBu if no analogue offset reference is required (v1.4 or higher)
- +4 dBu
- -2 dBu
+4 dBu equals 0 VU is the Standard VU method. -2 dBu equals 0 VU is the French method.
ANALOGUE METERS REFERENCE LEVEL
Sets the reference level in dBFS for the Analogue Meters. The meter reading is also affected by the choice of 0 VU line-up.
DUAL FORMAT
Determines if the Analogue Meters are reading left-right or mid-side signals.
Analogue Meters Module - Advanced Settings
Advanced settings are accessed using the 'Settings' icon in the bottom bar.
MAX NEEDLE
Determines the hold time of the Max Value Needle. Choose Infinite, 2 seconds or Off to disable the Max Value Needle.
OVERLOAD LED THRESHOLD
Determines the threshold above 0 VU at which the overload LED comes on when the peak signal level exceeds it. Choose 'Off' to turn off the overload LED completely.
Real Time Analyser (RTA) Module
The Real Time Analyser (RTA) module displays the frequency spectrum of the source.
Bar graph
Each represents the level of the signal in that frequency band (lighter colour), and the peak hold value is displayed in the background (darker colour).
Selecting a band
To select a band, simply click it. When a band is selected, it will be highlighted. The currently selected band, current and max values are displayed above the graph.
Mousing over a band
When you mouseover a band, information about this band will temporarily be displayed. This will also temporarily override the selected band.
COLLAPSE/EXPAND
The RTA section can be collapsed/expanded from view using the arrow at the top-left of the section.
RESET PEAKS
Resets the Peak Hold metering on the RTA graph.
MIN, MAX, PK HOLD and AVERAGING
RTA SCALE MIN (BOTTOM)
Sets the value represented at the bottom of the RTA bar graph.
RTA SCALE MAX (TOP)
Sets the value represented at the top of the RTA bar graph.
RTA PEAK HOLD
Sets the Peak Hold time for the RTA. The Peak Hold for the RTA is indicated by the darker fill in the background.
RTA AVERAGING
Sets the averaging time of the RTA. When set to 'Real Time' then no time averaging is applied. When set to 'Infinite'
BAND INFORMATION
RTA BAND FREQUENCY
Displays the current frequency selection of the RTA graph.
CURRENT RTA BAND READOUT
Displays the current value of the RTA band.
MAX RTA BAND READOUT
Displays the maximum value of the RTA band since the last reset.
Real Time Analyser (RTA) Module - Advanced Settings
Advanced settings are accessed using the 'Settings' icon in the bottom bar.
RTA ANALYSIS SOURCE
Determines which signal(s) the RTA is representing on screen.
- L+R Sum - the left+right sum of the signal
- Left Only - only the left side of the signal
- Right Only - only the right side of the signal
- Mid - only the mid (mono) component of the signal
- Side - only the side (stereo) component of the signal
RTA WEIGHTING
Weighting Options:
- None
- A-Weighting
Determines if A-Weighting is applied to the RTA.
A-weighting more accurately reflects human hearing at a low listening levels. Choose None to apply no weighting.
Global Settings
Global Delay - Applies a global delay to the meter activity (not audio) to allow for manual time-alignment of metering if DAW tracks have different latencies.
True Peak High Quality -Turns on True Peak High Quality mode. Provides a higher quality of oversampling, at the expense of additional CPU.
Presets
All of our plug-ins ship with carefully designed presets to aid your workflow.
Factory presets are included in the plug-in installation, installed in the following locations:
macOS: /Library/Application Support/Solid State Logic/PlugIns/Presets/[Plug-in Name]
Windows: C:\ProgramData\Solid State Logic\PlugIns\Presets\[Plug-in Name]
Switching between presets can be achieved by clicking the left/right arrows in the preset management section of the plug-in GUI, and by clicking on the preset name which will open the preset management display.
The Preset Management menu reflects the folder structure of the preset folder.
Revert Changes and Delete
- Revert Changes discards any changes to the current preset.
- Delete removes the current preset from the filesystem. Factory and Producer presets cannot be deleted from the plug-in GUI, although they can be manually deleted using the filesystem (Windows Explorer or Finder).
A/B and Copy
- A/B allows you to toggle quickly between two presets. This is useful for comparing between two parameter settings.
- COPY A TO B and COPY B to A is used to copy presets between A/B and vice-versa.
UNDO/REDO
SSL plug-ins come with a built-in UNDO/REDO stack, in case your DAW doesn't handle this.
- UNDO undoes the current action in the history stack.
- REDO re-does the next action in the history stack.
Re-scalable GUI
The SSL Meter plug-in is re-scalable from 50% all the way to 200%. Click the 'magnifying glass' icon in the bottom right-hand corner to rescale the GUI.
Built-in Help
This plug-in features built-in contextual help. To turn this feature on, click the '?' in the bottom right-hand corner. Mouse over elements of the GUI to see some information about the feature.
Click the tooltip to cycle through the pages.