ProLevel 4+

ProLevel works as advertised - meaning that it shows the levels in real time. Plus, you're able to do a lot of configuration. But, I am not completely satisfied with the way it works. I was hoping to use this with my Zoom H4n audio recorder to get an accurate level reading but it didn't work as I expected. I wanted to use the USB cable that came with the H4n but I was unable to use it that way. So, I tried using my MacBook's audio in port and use the headphone output on the Zoom. That seemed to work, but it still did not give me an accurate reading since the audio out on the Zoom is meant for headphones.

I am hoping they add the ability for me to use my Zoom H4n, as I need it for an upcoming shoot. Also, I hope they allow me to record audio from the application. But, overall good application.

I use this with an external audio interface to monitor the levels going into my streaming encoder. It's great, and the RMS + Peak meters are a lifesaver, as is the clipping indicator. Love that it shows how many frames in a row were clipped.

If you're using it with something like a UAD Apollo, you can monitor the system output by sending the Mac's output to a virtual interface on the Apollo, and then chosing those inputs (UAD 9/10 are the first set of virtual interfaces). You can also create other meters that are showing what's coming from other interface inputs.

If you're trying to monitor the levels of the system audio out, you'll need to use something like Soundflower (Open Source) or Loopback ($99 from RogueAmoeba, so not the cheapest solution).

In finally got this to work the way I needed it to. Unforunatly (for some reason) they didn’t design it to have the one audio source I needed (internal speakers). So I had to jump thru some hoops by installing the Soundflowerbed (free) app. But then got stuck as when you launch this little app it doesn’t appear as a normal app. Instead you have to realize that it added a tiny little icon up in the upper right corner of the Mac screen were all the other little icons are. From there you can set the audio path that you need. In my case I wanted it for watching levels with iMovie.