I was looking at the iPhone with the voice recorder screenshot the other day, it had an “analog” VU meter at the bottom for monitoring audio levels and thought to myself; “what if I had a VU meter for my PC it would be cool”.

VUMeter

So i looked for one on the internet and found the app called “VUMeter”. I know they’re not that creative in naming their software, but who the hell cares anyway?

VUMeter with iTunes

VUMeter is a standalone application for monitoring sound levels on the selected audio device. The app works right out of the zip file which means, there’s no need for installation and setup. It mimics the appearance of an actual VU meter, and not to mention the way how the needles deflect and retract. A right click on the app takes you to options like choosing the sound devices or choosing a VU-dBFS scale.

VUMeter with a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

Usefulness varies depending on what you intend to do with it. For the average user, it can be used as an alternative over that boring old graph and visualizations Windows Media Player has, or whatever media player you use. It can also be used for recording and mixing in the box to measure master outputs. Bottomline is; you can use it for actual sound monitoring, or just for the hell of it.

If you like the app, you can download it here.