Malibu MeterLevel and loudness
for Mac audio.
Malibu Meter shows level and loudness for the audio on your Mac. Measure one app, an input device or selected apps, and check the result against targets such as EBU R128, Netflix or Spotify.
Illustration of the workflow, not a screenshot.
Four steps
From the first start to a checked target.
Start the trial
On the first start, enter your email address and click Start Trial. macOS asks for microphone access right away, before you have chosen a source.
Choose a source
Click the meter window with the right mouse button, choose Settings... and open the Input tab. Pick App, Device or Screen Audio. On a fresh install nothing is selected, so the bars stay at silence.
Select the audio
App: open Select Process... and pick an app that plays audio; its name appears with a green dot. Device: pick System Default or a listed device. Screen Audio: tick Enable and choose apps in the Applications menu.
Read and check
Play audio in the source. The bars show the level. Press ⌘⇧L for the LUFS Meter and pick a preset under Standard: to check the result against a target.
What's inside
What the current version (1.31) actually does.
Loudness values
Momentary (M), short term (S) and integrated (I) loudness in LUFS, plus loudness range (LRA) and true peak (TP). Show them as text or as three rings. The loudness meter is off by default: choose LUFS Meter in the View menu. The values are only computed while it is shown.
Three capture modes
App measures one app at a time and needs macOS 14.4 or later. Device measures System Default or a named input device, including virtual devices such as loopback drivers. Screen Audio measures one or more apps chosen from a list, using ScreenCaptureKit.
Surround in Device mode
Sources with 5, 6 or 8 channels (5.0, 5.1, 7.1) are measured for loudness with their real channels; the level bars fold them down to stereo. Other channel counts, and the App and Screen Audio modes, are measured as stereo.
Level, spectrum, goniometer
Peak and RMS level bars, an optional spectrum with resolutions from 1 to 1/48 octave, and a Lissajous goniometer.
Ballistics and scales
Digital Peak, PPM (EBU/BBC), PPM (DIN), PPM (Nordic) and VU. Scales: Linear (dBFS), Final Cut Pro, DIN, VU (+3), K-20, K-14, K-12 and EBU R128.
Test signal and test tones
Test Signal feeds a sweep that comes with the app through the meters. Export Test Tones… writes five WAV files of 30 seconds each with a 997 Hz sine tone, from 0 to -30 dBFS, to load into the app you measure.
Loudness targets
Presets: EBU R128, Netflix, Apple TV+, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and ATSC A/85. Each has a target, an allowed deviation and a limit for true peak; EBU R128, for example, is -23 LUFS, ±1 LU and -1 dB. The result counts as passed only when integrated loudness is in range and true peak is at or below the limit. Netflix is selected by default.
Your own status colours
Choose the colours for Too Quiet, In Range and Too Loud. They colour the integrated value and the pass or fail indicator; the value for true peak uses only In Range and Too Loud.
App level calibration
In App mode the level is compensated automatically from your output device. If a test tone does not read its true level, calibrate with Auto-calibrate or by hand.
Auto-Reset on Silence
Resets integrated loudness and range after about 1.5 seconds of silence. It is off by default, like Always on Top.
Settings and gradients
Import and export your settings and custom colour gradients from the File menu. Numeric values from a settings file are limited to valid ranges on import.
Good to know
What you need, what to watch for, and what it does not do.
Requirements
- macOS 14.0 or later; App mode needs macOS 14.4 or later
- Microphone access for Device (macOS asks at the first start), access to audio capture for App, Screen Recording access for Screen Audio
- Free trial after you enter your email address; a license key unlocks the app afterwards
- The app is sandboxed and needs a network connection for the license check and updates
What it does not do
- App mode measures one app at a time, as a stereo signal
- App and Screen Audio never compute loudness from surround channels
- Surround loudness works only in Device mode with 5, 6 or 8 channels; other counts are measured as stereo
- Test Signal works only with System Default as input device and is not a calibrated tone
Worth knowing
- Reset Peaks (⌘R) and two quick clicks reset only the peak hold, not integrated loudness or range. Those restart when you choose the source again, or with Auto-Reset on Silence.
- After you switch the output device in App mode, choose the app again so the new compensation applies.
- Deterministic level (experimental) is off by default. It can leave the meter silent on some Macs; turn it off if the signal drops out.
- Treat LUFS readings of the exported test tone as approximate.
Download Malibu Meter
Version 1.31 for macOS 14.0 or later (App mode: 14.4).