Metering
Definition
The visual display of audio signal levels using different measurement approaches. Peak, RMS, VU, and LUFS meters each measure different aspects of a signal and are used for different purposes across production and mastering.
In Simple Terms
The visual displays that show you what's happening with your audio—how loud it is, whether it's clipping, how dense it sounds. Your ears make the creative decisions; meters give you the objective numbers to back them up.
In Practice
A mastering session uses both a true peak meter (to prevent clipping) and an integrated LUFS meter (to meet streaming platform loudness targets) simultaneously.