AUDIO Scopes
About Audio Scopes
Traditional audio scopes are linked to the audio routing and react to the mapping of the channels.
Therefore you can monitor independently channels belonging to different audio soundfields, or monitor a particular soundfield instead.
- Values display in red on an audio scope mean that the measure is beyond the target that has been chosen for the analyses (i.e EBU R128).
All audio scopes are LIVE scopes.
Loudness Global measures are available after an Analysis and appear on the timeline's GRAPH.
Audio Levels
Audio levels are measured in decibels (dB), which quantify the intensity of sound. Decibels are a logarithmic unit, meaning that a small increase in dB can represent a large change in sound intensity or loudness.
Audio Levels Layout
The appearance of the Audio Levels scope vary according to the LAYOUT chosen for the scope.
The LAYOUT parameter is available in the CONTROL PANEL > TOOLS> ROUTING> AUDIO:
AUTO Layout
When the Layout is set on Auto, then the Audio Levels will display the different soundfields according to the timeline, to a maximum of 16 channels. The unused channels will be displayed as stereo pairs.
- The routing audio is then automatically set to SOLO play the first audio soundfield.
- Toggling the soundfields on the Audio Routing will be reflected in the corresponding soundfield of the VU-Meters.
Example with a timeline with two soundfields, 5.1 and 2.0:
If the timeline has more than 16 audio channels, selecting them in the Audio routing will switch the VU-Meter in custom mode, and it will only display the routed channels.
NONE Layout
When the Layout is set on None, then the Audio Levels will display 16 mono channels, that will be playing the audio according to the routing. This mode allows to play for example two different soundfields at the same time for synchronization purpose, or to test each channel individually.
Features
- Automatic file audio layout detection mode
- VU meters (EBU or SMPTE recommended practice)
- True Peak meters (red line)
- Sample Peak meters
- RMS meters (over 1 frame)
- Choice of display scales: 60, 96 or 144 dB
VU meters (Volume Unit meters)
These meters are designed to indicate the perceived loudness of the audio signal. They respond more slowly to sudden peaks and are often used to monitor the overall loudness of a mix.
Sample Peak meters
Peak meters show the highest instantaneous level of the audio signal. They are crucial for preventing clipping and ensuring that the signal doesn't exceed the maximum allowed level.
True Peak meters
Take into account inter-sample peaks, which can occur between sample points in digital audio and cause clipping even if the regular peak meter doesn't show it.
RMS meters (Root Mean Square):
RMS meters display the average signal level over a specific period of time. They provide a better indication of the perceived loudness of the audio signal than peak meters.
Audio Entropy
The Audio Entropy diagram provides a unique representation of the audio in terms of spectral content and localization in the surround space. Whatever the speaker layout is, from 2.0 to 9.1.6, the Entropy diagram materializes how the audio is rendered for each speaker, providing an unrivaled 3D information, especially when using NGA content: the objects movements in a NGA file are not necessarily reflecting the actual "movement" of the sound in the volume.
Features
- Automatic Spatial or Room design according to file format
- Color difference according to magnetude
- Head display
- Full 3D positioning: use ALT + click to move the room in the different positions.
- Preset positions (Top, bottom, Back, Left, right)
Audio Loudness
The Loudness meter measures the perceived loudness of sound, taking into account factors like intensity, frequency, and duration. It provides a reading in loudness units, relative (LU) or Full Scale (LUFS), which represents how humans perceive the sound's volume.
The Loudness meter is available as a GRAPH or a RADAR: click on the OPTIONS icon or right click on the scope to display the options
Loudness Target
The Loudness scope displays the Loudness Target.
Loudness Target is chosen in the Command Panel > Tools > Scopes > Audio Settings and are applied for all the compositions in the project.
You can also assign a default Loudness target for all projects in Home > System Settings > Audio Settings.
Features
- Loudness Graph or Loudness Radar style
- Gauges for Momentary, Short term, Integrated and Range
- Target display
- Support for
- EBU R128
- AGCOM 219/09/CSP
- ATSC A/85
- ARIB TR-B32
- FreeTV OP-59
- Statistics:
- Momentary
- Short term
- Integrated
- Range
- Max True Peak
- Choice of display scales: EBU +9 and EBU +18 in LU and LUFS
- Target, Labels and Graticules can be hidden.
Momentary
Measures average loudness over 400 milliseconds, ideal for monitoring rapid loudness fluctuations.
Short-term
Averages loudness over a 3-second period, useful for evaluating specific parts of a track
Integrated
Calculates the average loudness over the entire duration of a track or segment, essential for broadcasting and streaming platform compliance.
Max True Peak Level
Detects the maximum level of audio signal peaks to prevent digital clipping and distortion.
Range
Measures the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of a track, indicating its dynamic range.
Audio Soundfield
The Soundfield scope analyzes and visualizes audio signals in a surround sound environment. It helps in understanding the spatial distribution of sound and ensuring proper levels and relationships between different channels in a surround mix (like 5.1 or 7.1).
Features
- high quality display
- Support for 5.1 and 7.1 surround
- Labels and Graticules can be hidden.
Audio Vectorscope
The Audio Vectorscope is a tool that visually represents the stereo image of a sound, showing the relationship between the left and right channels of a stereo audio signal. It acts like a specialized oscilloscope, plotting the amplitude of one channel against the other. This visualization can help audio engineers identify potential issues like mono compatibility problems or excessive stereo width.
Features
- Style as continuous line or as cloud of points
- Zoom function (Scale up to five times)
- display of Correlation of Phase L/R
- Display of Balance L/R
- Labels and Graticules can be hidden.
Audio Waveform
The audio waveform meter is a tool that visually represents the amplitude (loudness) of an audio signal over time. It displays the audio signal as a graph, with time on the horizontal axis and amplitude on the vertical axis, allowing users to see the shape and variations of the sound wave. This visualization helps in analyzing and adjusting audio levels.
The Waveform time scale is of 1 frame duration, depending on the frame rate.
Features
- Scale from 1:1 to 5:1
- Graticules can be hidden.
Audio Dynamics
The Audio Dynamics range scope visualizes the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of an audio signal, expressed in decibels (dB). It helps users understand the "contrast" within a piece of audio, showing how much the volume varies from soft to loud.
It is also a very useful tool for measuring the signal loss between a master and an encoded version.
Features
- PLR or PSR analysis
- Loudness MSI gauges
- Loudness statistics
Dynamics (PSR)
Offers real-time insights into the dynamic processing of the audio by measuring the instantaneous difference between peak and loudness levels.
Audio Histogram
This Histogram is an audio spectrum analyzer, breaking down the audio signal into its constituent frequencies and displaying their respective amplitudes, essentially showing a "frequency fingerprint" of the sound. This visual representation helps users identify and analyze different frequency components, like identifying noise, isolating problem areas in a mix, or comparing a mix to a reference track.
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