Our ears gets used to the sound of compressed audio, and it’s easy to lose track of just how much punch and impact is being sacrificed, but a glance at the peak-to-average level difference can remind us not to go too far in that regard. Considering how much compression is often employed in modern mixes, and the aggressive use of compression and especially brickwall limiting to raise the overall average level of a mix at the mastering stage, a dual average/peak meter readout can inform the engineer of just how much effect this is having on the dynamic range of the compressed/limited signal.
The difference between the average levels and peaks levels in a signal is very useful information. This readout is similar to the display of older, slower VU meters, which track only average levels, too slow to display the faster transient peaks.
But many meters also include an additional level indicator, that shows a version of the signal’s average level (often an RMS reading). In DAWs, most meters are the familiar bar-graph type, and those are typically peak meters, which show levels based on maximum signal peaks. But there are different types of meters, with different ballistics, and they can provide more information than just simple level. On the surface, level meters are pretty straightforward - they show current signal levels and warn of potential overloads. Individual plug-ins often have their own metering, both to aid in gain-staging, like in EQs, and, again, to show level and gain reduction, as in compressors.
And given the widespread use of compression in modern mixing, there may also be metering that shows gain reduction in each channel strip. Level meters, of course, are everywhere in a DAW - there’s bar-graph metering for basic signal level in every channel, including auxes and the Master Fader. Some metering options in Logic and Insight
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