LU Meter MK2

Name: LU Meter MK2
Price: 6.8 USD
Author: HoRNet

by HoRNet · Utility · EBU R128 loudness meter

Not rated yet

LU Meter MK2 is a loudness meter that shows momentary, short-term and integrated loudness in LUFS, following EBU R128.

It adds an auto gain function with peak protection, a clip indicator and eight groups for sharing settings across instances, for about $6.80.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: metering, broadcast, auto-gain, utility, full mix, mastering, mixing, reference & monitoring, bus processing, clean, mix bus, resizable UI.

What it does

LU Meter MK2 is HoRNet's EBU R128 loudness meter, aimed at producers, mix engineers and content creators who need "consistent loudness" for targets such as Spotify (-14 LUFS) or broadcast (-23 LUFS). Its twist is an auto gain stage that can hold a track at its target while you work.

Readings: momentary, short-term and integrated loudness in a stereo display, in EBU R128-compliant or non-standard modes, with LU peak hold.
Ranges: reference level from -60 to 0 LUFS (default -18 LUFS) and input gain from -30 to +30 dB.
Auto gain: six stereo auto gain settings, using either the momentary or integrated reading, with options to preserve transients.
Peak protection: a user-set maximum peak level that auto gain will not push past.
Groups: eight assignable, nameable groups; gain, reference level, max peak, target LUFS, mode and EBU compliance can be sent to one group or to all instances, shown by a green or orange dot.
Instances and display: each instance can be named and show values from other named instances; a red blinking clip indicator, freely chosen bar colours and a resizable, hardware-accelerated GUI.

Version 2.1.2 fixed memory leaks and Windows crashes. There is no demo; instead a 15-day money-back guarantee applies.

Source: HoRNet product page

When to use it

LU Meter MK2 is the better pick when you want loudness readings and automatic gain staging across many tracks in one cheap plugin. Compared with Youlean Loudness Meter 2, it has no loudness history graph, but its auto gain and group linking can actually set levels, not just show them. It covers far less than iZotope Insight 2, which adds spectrum, stereo and other views, or Mastering The Mix LEVELS, which also checks headroom, stereo field and dynamic range. For a few dollars it is a compact LUFS meter and level-matching tool rather than a full mastering analyser.

Best for: gain staging every track to a set level, checking LUFS on buses and masters, and level-matched comparisons while you tweak effects.
Genres: all, plus podcasts and video content.
Look elsewhere if: you need loudness history graphs or export reports (Youlean Loudness Meter 2) or a full analysis suite (Insight 2).
Tip: set a target and let auto gain hold it while you adjust other plugins, so you judge changes by sound rather than by a louder level.

What producers say

Little has been written about it, but the one review found rates it as a reliable meter whose auto gain is the main draw.

Bedroom Producers Blog (Tomislav Zlatic, 2025) called it worth grabbing "if you're after a reliable LUFS meter" and singled out auto gain for keeping levels consistent while you tweak other effects.
Workflow and design: the same review praised the grouping feature for syncing instances and the "clean and modern" GUI with a customisable highlight colour.