glossary
RMS gives a practical view of sustained energy, especially when peak meters move too quickly to explain density.
RMS stands for root mean square. In audio metering, it estimates average signal power over a time window instead of reporting only the highest peak.
This makes RMS useful for comparing how dense two sounds feel, such as a vocal riding over a beat or a bass holding steady through a chorus.
RMS does not include the same perceptual filtering and gating used by LUFS standards. It is a helpful average level reading, but it is not the delivery language used by streaming platforms.
A bright, mid-forward sound and a deep sub-heavy sound can show similar RMS while feeling different in the mix.
Use RMS to understand density, peak level to protect headroom, and LUFS to judge perceived loudness. Together they make level decisions less guessy.
Meter Core gives that broader picture so average level does not get mistaken for the whole mix.