Loudness has been a big part of the audio production conversation for several years now - there was even a war named after it - and it’s now widely accepted that pushing things to the limit isn’t the way to go. How do you know when your levels are right, though, and what can you do if they’re not?
Fortunately, Signum Audio is here to help; in fact, it might just have come up with the only loudness solution you’ll ever need. This is a new developer from Edinburgh, Scotland, and it’s putting the focus on creating pro audio software that’s designed to make the production process run smoother.
Its first products, Loudness Suite and Loudness Analyser, are targeted at broadcast and post-production professionals who want to conform to the very latest loudness specifications. Today’s digital media distribution platforms (iTunes, Spotify) have suggested standards when it comes to loudness levels, and if you don’t stick to them, you run the risk of your audio being altered and not being heard as you’d originally intended. Fortunately, Signum Audio’s tools can help you to ensure that this will never be a problem.
The Loudness Analyser promises to set a new standard in metering, offering a detailed and intuitive interface and a range of features to make your life easier. These include a custom warning system, DAW Sync for automatic re-metering, an easy-to-navigate history view, reloadable metering data and multiple presets that will be updated as required.
The Loudness Suite takes things further by offering everything you need for loudness normalisation. The True Peak Brickwall Limiter can bring any audio spikes into line to ensure compliance, while the AudioSuite Normaliser, which is exclusive to Pro Tools, enables you to render your audio to meet Loudness specs with a single click. It really doesn’t get much simpler than that.
And that’s what’s at the heart of Signum Audio’s development philosophy: simplicity. The company recognises that ease-of-operation is a crucial factor, and its aim is to make products that enhance the user experience. The company has taken the time to assess what else is on the market and firmly believes that it’s bringing something new to the table. While other companies might be more concerned with adding headline features, Signum’s plan is to release pro-grade tools that won’t leave you scratching your head, and to keep developing them based on user feedback.
To find out for yourself how these products can change your workflow for the better, head over to the Signum Audio website, where you can download demos of both Loudness Analyser and Loudness Suite for PC and Mac. You can also connect with Signum Audio on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.