I had a problem I suspect many of you know: record a few presets, compare them in a mix, and even with matched LUFS they sit at completely different perceived volumes. A dense crunch pushes harder than a clean tone at the same K-weighted number — the ear isn't a meter.
I spent months figuring out why, and built a tool to fix it.
PPI Analyzer measures the perceived loudness of each take using a psychoacoustic Bark-band model (same principle as Zwicker's loudness model) instead of stopping at LUFS alone. It gives you:
Correction in dB — how much to raise or lower each preset's output to match perceived loudness to a reference you choose. Acts 1:1 on level, no magic.
Character score — a timbre-only reading (presence, dynamics, stereo width), fully separated from volume. If two presets have the same correction but different Character, it's an EQ issue, not a gain issue.
Cut-through score — how well the spectrum is positioned to be heard in a dense mix.
8-band spectral balance + concrete EQ suggestions (frequency, gain, Q — ready to dial into your Parametric EQ block).
Loudness curve over time with N50 sustain and N5 peaks.
The workflow: record the same passage through each preset (same take, no normalization on export), drop the files into the app, pick your reference, press Analyze. A few seconds later you have the correction to apply to the output block.
Works with any modeller — QC, Helix, FM9, Kemper, plugins — any DAW, runs directly in the browser (Chrome/Safari/Firefox) with no installation.
Selling it for €29 on Gumroad, single HTML file, lifetime access.
[LINK: https://deniscope007.gumroad.com/l/PPI-Analyzer]
Happy to answer questions about the model or methodology. Technical feedback welcome.
