MeterPlugs Loudness Penalty 2 loudness meter: features and spec-based rating

The MeterPlugs loudness meter Loudness Penalty 2 shows how much a song’s volume will be turned down on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer and Pandora. You can listen to a recreation of the limiter of Spotify’s “Loud” mode.

A loudness meter measures how loud a song sounds. You use it to check that a track fits the loudness guidelines of streaming services such as YouTube and Spotify.

In this article we compare Loudness Penalty 2 with 10 loudness meters and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.

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Summary

Among the 10 loudness meters, Loudness Penalty 2 is rank A. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and A is second from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 4.0.

Strengths

• Streaming checks (5 points): you can quickly check that a track fits the targets of each streaming service.
• Measurable values (4 points): it can measure a wide range of values about volume.

Things to keep in mind

• Finding problems (2 points): it is mainly for measuring volume.

Who it suits: people who want to check inside their DAW (the software you make music in) how much streaming services will turn their song down.

Main features of Loudness Penalty 2

How much each service turns it down

A loudness meter measures how loud a song sounds (loudness, in LUFS) and more, to check that it fits streaming and broadcast standards. Loudness Penalty shows how much the volume of a song will be turned down (the penalty) on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer and Pandora.

Hear the Spotify Loud limiter

For listeners who choose Spotify’s “Loud”, the volume is raised and then a limiter is applied. Loudness Penalty 2 recreates this limiter and also has a delta button that lets you hear only the part that is cut away.

Real-time block display

It shows the maximum true peak, the overall loudness and the loudness range in real time. There is also a lock button that freezes the readings, and a compact list view.

Where it is useful

• Checking how much streaming services will turn down your cover-song track
• Listening to see whether the Spotify Loud limiter cuts into the sound
• Finding the parts with a large penalty and fixing the mix

Rating by criterion

Streaming checks: 5 / 5

We check whether you can confirm that a track fits the targets of each streaming service.

It shows how much each streaming service turns the song down, and lets you hear the song after each service’s volume adjustment. It also recreates the Spotify Loud limiter and has a delta listening mode that plays only the part that is cut away.

Measurable values: 4 / 5

We check how many values it can measure, such as loudness, loudness range and the risk of clipping (true peak).

It shows the maximum true peak, the overall loudness and the loudness range in real time.

Finding problems: 2 / 5

We check whether it finds and tells you about problems other than volume (such as the balance of the sound).

It can find the parts with a large penalty for volume.

If “finding problems” matters most to you, EXPOSE 2 (5 points) is a better fit.

How we score (Loudness meters)

Criterion	Basis	5 pt	4 pt	3 pt	2 pt	1 pt
Streaming checks	Whether you can check against the targets of streaming services	Streaming-service targets, plus automatic loudness adjustment and a preview of how it sounds after audio compression	Targets for each streaming service (presets)	Presets for standards such as broadcast	It only measures numbers	—
Measurable values	How many of loudness, loudness range, true peak and PLR or dynamic range it can measure	All four	Three	Two	One	—
Finding problems	Analysis and advice beyond volume	Three or more kinds of analysis, plus advice on how to fix problems	Three or more kinds (stereo width, frequency distribution, dynamics and so on)	One or two kinds	No analysis beyond volume	—

Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: checking that a song can be released at a volume suited to streaming services. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Streaming checks" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information, and features that could not be confirmed on the official page are treated as absent. Measurement accuracy has not been tested, so it is not part of the score. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent. The "OBS (streaming)" column in the table shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format that the streaming software OBS Studio can use (○). OBS does not support the VST3 format. It is not part of the score.

Loudness Penalty 2 system requirements and getting started

Operating system	Could not be confirmed on the official page
Plug-in formats	Could not be confirmed on the official page (in Pro Tools, fast processing with AudioSuite)
OBS (streaming)	Not confirmed

Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on October 17, 2026.

Compared with other loudness meters

Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

Read next

• Youlean Loudness Meter: features and rating (rank A)
• Insight 2: features and rating (rank A)
• MLoudnessAnalyzer: features and rating (rank C)
• LEVELS: features and rating (rank S)