PRODUCT
PRODUCT
TESTS
RTW MM3 MusicMeter
By Eric Price
On my desk this month is the MM3 MusicMeter , the newest member of the sound level meter family from RTW , a German company renowned for their professional sound metering and monitoring solutions . The MM3 is a multi-function audio measurement tool with a graphical touchscreen interface .
First Impressions Though not much larger than the palm of my hand , it ’ s rugged and sturdy thanks to its steel construction and weighs in at just over 11 oz . or 320 g . It employs an L-shaped enclosure with the base being incorporated into the unit ’ s design , making it easy to switch between vertical or horizontal orientation , which can be done with a single swipe of the screen .
The front of the unit features a 4.3-in ., 272 x 480 pixel , capacitive-touch colour screen . On the back , you ’ ll find four RCA connectors and a Micro-B USB connector . Two of the RCA connectors allow for unbalanced stereo line input while the other two RCA connectors are for S / PDIF in and out . The A / D converters for the line inputs run at a 48 kHz sampling rate while the S / PDIF input supports anywhere from 28-104 kHz sample rates .
There are two trim pots located beside each of the line inputs that are meant for tweaking input levels , though it ’ s unlikely you ’ ll need to use them as the unit has already been factory calibrated . The unit is powered via the Micro-B USB connector , either from the provided wall-wart adapter or from the computer . Interesting to note here is that there is no power button .
The MM3 allows for several measurement types and meter displays . The selectable display offers the choice between PPM ( peak program metering ) or true peak measurement , a loudness meter using either a bar graph or numerical display , as well as a loudness-over-time chart . It has a stereo vectorscope ( Lissajous display ) and a real-time analyzer ( RTA ) boasting a 31-band , 1 / 3 octave display with an optional “ H ” band component that displays information above 20 kHz . Finally , there ’ s also the option of a pair of moving coil meters ( graphic VU meters ) with over indicators .
The measurement types encompass over a half dozen worldwide industry
standards , including EBU R128 ( Europe ), ITU-R BS . 1770-3 / 1771-1 ( international ), ATSC A / 85 ( U . S .), ARIB ( Japan ), OP-59 ( Australia ), AGCOM ( Italy ), and CALM ( U . S . Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation ) Act .
In Use On initial start up , you are asked to select your preferred language and input type . Once this is done , you won ’ t be asked again . If you need access to those or other settings , you simply touch and hold your finger on the screen for more than two seconds , taking you to the main menu . As many of the individual meters are configurable , you will gain access to their reference settings here as well as settings for input selection , language , and firmware upgrade options .
The default work screen features the vectorscope , a loudness meter , along with its numeric equivalent and a loudness bar graph display . Swiping the screen to the right runs you through the various display types , with the first swipe bringing you to the loudness , numerical value , screen . The second swipe calls up a repeat of the default screen but with the loudness-overtime graph prominently featured while the third swipe shows you solely the loudnessover-time graph . The fourth swipe again returns you to the default screen , but this time with the RTA being the main component displayed whereas the fifth swipe takes you to a dedicated RTA display . The sixth and final swipe gets you to the level meters by themselves and features a coloured , virtual LED to display phase correlations . These level meters can be swapped out for VU meters ( moving coil ) if you prefer and they are switchable between PPM or VU mode .
The coolest use of the MM3 , and I think its strongest selling point , is using it in conjunction with its free USB Connect software , downloadable via RTW once you register the product . This is a plug-in designed for use with your DAW via the USB connector . The plug-in allows you to measure and meter at the same time without disabling your regular audio interface , as using the USB connection for the audio input function will hijack your audio stream .
Remember , you only get one audio interface per DAW , so choose wisely ! Important to note here is that this is the only way you can get a 5.1 audio stream into the meter for monitoring . The plug-in has a remote control interface to stop , start , and clear the measurements and is Mac- and Windows-compatible , supporting VST , AAS , RTS , and AU plug-in standards .
Conclusion From its solid construction and small footprint to its various metering options and comprehensive standards support , the RTW MM3 MusicMeter checks all the right boxes .
Personally , being able to do my reference metering without having to commit precious screen real estate to the task was very helpful and it didn ’ t hurt that it wasn ’ t taking up much valuable desk space either . It is certainly worthy of deeper investigation if you are in the market for a sleek , professional but affordable metering solution .
Eric Price , now having served in the music industry for over 30 years , is what they call an industry veteran . This includes over 10 years of writing for Professional Sound and Canadian Musician magazines .
22 PROFESSIONAL SOUND