I built a tool to measure perceived loudness of presets — PPI Analyzer

[denis8710]

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.

 

[LINK: https://www.ppianalyzer.com/]

Happy to answer questions about the model or methodology. Technical feedback welcome.

[PaulTBaker]

sounds like a useful tool (if this is really a thing and not something trying to steal my bank account! (which is not much, haha) don't mean to offend, just my cynical side coming through) :)

 

Seems it would be useful if you could use it in real time, without having to record pieces, so you could make the adjustments live.  Is that doable?

 

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[LibiaHong]

This sounds really useful, especially for keeping preset volumes consistent when switching between tones live. Perceived loudness can vary quite a bit even when the meters show similar levels. It would be great if the tool could also help compare presets in a batch, so you can quickly spot which ones need a little adjustment.