Why does the Audio Meters in Final Cut Pro not show the real audio levels?

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Level 2

196 points

Why does the Audio Meters in Final Cut Pro not show the real audio levels?

I've noticed that the Audio Meters (displayed in the far right of the Final Cut Pro window) has started acting strange lately. It seems like it doesn't actually show the real audio levels for some reason. For example, in the attached GIF is an audio file that I have cranked with the Limiter to have a Gain of +12dB and an Output Level of +1dB, just to try and make the Audio Meters peak on purpose. And as you can see, the Limiter clearly showcases that it is outputting a peaked signal, which is also visible by the clearly red audio levels showcased in the timeline. But, as you can see the Audio Meters in the far right of the window only showcases audio levels of about -6dB. So is the effect and timeline visualization lying, or is the Audio Meters lying? If you try to recreate the same thing, what does your Audio Meters show?

(I'm running Final Cut Pro 11.1.1 on macOS 15.5 on a M1 Max MacBook Pro and in this example I'm doing some mixing on 48 kHz WAV audio files inside of Compound Clips).

[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jul 2, 2025 6:47 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

FilipOfficial Author

Level 2

196 points

Jul 3, 2025 6:59 AM in response to terryb

Thank you Terry! Very useful information that I didn't know about. I did some research on this difference, and I leave the summary below for anyone else who's interested.

Scenario: Limiter shows it's outputting -1dB which is also indicated by the visualization of the audio in the timeline that has a yellow bar across the top of it - but the Audio Meters beside the timeline is only showing an output of approximately -6dB.

Explanation:

Limiter & Timeline Waveform (shows -1dB): These are showing you the peak level of your audio. The yellow color on the audio waveform is Final Cut Pro's visual cue that the audio is getting very close to 0dB, the maximum possible level before clipping. This is a peak warning. Trust the Limiters level display and the yellow timeline waveform indicator to know if you are preventing clipping and distortion. They are your safeguard against technical problems.

Audio Meters (shows -6dB): The large audio meters next to the timeline are showing the RMS (also known as average) loudness. Even though you have some very quick sounds hitting -1dB (the peaks), the overall average volume of your audio at that moment is lower, around -6dB. This meter gives you a better sense of how loud the audio will sound to a listener. Trust the main Audio Meters to understand the perceived loudness of your audio and to achieve a balanced and consistent mix.

So the Limiter's level display and timeline waveform is showing a more detailed and technically correct audio representation, while the Audio Meters are displaying an average that better represents the perceived loudness.

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Answer 2

terryb

Level 4

3,334 points

Jul 2, 2025 12:40 PM in response to FilipOfficial

I believe it's the difference between Peak and RMS metering. There's a Multimeter plugin in FCP that might show you more metering options, though I think when applied to a clip it shows pre-fader clip levels, so you might need to create a compound and apply it to that. Hopefully others more knowledgeable will chime in. Intro to MultiMeter in Final Cut Pro for Mac - Apple Support (IN)

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Answer 3

BenB

Level 6

13,142 points

Jul 2, 2025 5:09 PM in response to terryb

Terry got it. Apples to onions.

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