Swiss DAW developer Merging Technologies presented its answer to fulfillment of technical program requirements at IBC2010: Final Check, an optional add-on for its Pyramix Virtual Studio workstation. With the proliferation of increasingly complex and stringent delivery requirements, Final Check offers the solution in the form of a complete suite of metering tools as a plug-in for Pyramix Virtual Studio.
In a single window, Final Check includes all the essential measurement and display options for both stereo and 5.1 mixes. Bar-graph VU and PPM (with DIN, Nordic, BBC and EBU presets) are complemented by true peak meters, which can identify areas likely to cause problems after D-to-A conversion due to excursions beyond 0dBFS. Standard phase meters for stereo and surround assist in identifying inappropriate correlations.
Stereo spatialization is displayed as a classic goniometer (oscilloscope) with two new display modes: phase stereo meter, which shows a 360-degree plot of the points displayed by the phase oscilloscope; and VU stereo meter, a circular graph showing directional RMS rays.
Surround is equally well catered for with the surround monitor, a 360-degree display of the surround mix with the added feature of a simple color code, enabling the user to detect interchannel phase issues rapidly by highlighting them in red.
Accurate loudness measurement is now a routine delivery requirement. As recommended by ITU-R 1770-1, the Final Check loudness meter displays a bar graph as well as the numerical value LUFS (loudness unit full scale). It is also fully compatible with the ATSC A/85 standard. In addition, a preset is provided for Dolby dialnorm compliance.
