glossary
Crest factor tells you how much transient height remains above the body of the mix.
Crest factor is the difference between peak level and average loudness. A high crest factor means the signal has tall transient spikes. A low crest factor means the sound is denser and more compressed.
In practice, crest factor is a quick way to understand whether a mix still has impact or whether loudness processing has flattened the front edge.
Two masters can hit the same integrated LUFS and feel completely different. The one with more transient contrast can feel punchier, while the denser one can feel louder but smaller.
Watching crest behavior through the chain helps you avoid trading every drum transient for a louder meter reading.
Use crest factor as a comparison tool. Check your mix against references in the same genre, then decide whether the compression, clipping, and limiting are supporting the song.
Meter Core keeps loudness and peak behavior visible together so you can see when density is intentional and when it is just accumulating.