Support & FAQ

Meter Core · macOS · AU / VST3

Solo developer — most issues here are install/Gatekeeper and solved in a minute below. If you still need us, email hello@autofactory.ai and expect a reply within 2–3 business days.

Installing Gatekeeper warning Compatibility Reading the meter Get help

Installing

How do I install it?

Download from autofactory.ai/meter-core and run the installer — it places the AU and VST3 into the standard macOS plug-in folders for you. To place them by hand:

AU (.component): ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ (or /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ for all users)
VST3 (.vst3): ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ (or /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ for all users)

My DAW doesn't see it after installing

Most hosts only scan for plug-ins at launch — quit your DAW and reopen it. In Logic, the AU validation cache can be stubborn; a full quit-and-relaunch forces a fresh validation pass. If it's still missing, confirm the file actually landed in the folders above.

macOS Gatekeeper — "unidentified developer"

Meter Core is notarised by Apple, so most people see no warning. If macOS blocks the installer on first open, that's Gatekeeper being cautious about a freshly-downloaded file — not a problem with the plugin. Two ways through:

Right-click → Open

In Finder, right-click (or Control-click) the installer and choose Open — don't double-click.
The same dialog appears, now with an Open button. Click it.
macOS remembers the choice — you only do this once.

Or via System Settings

Try to open the installer once (let it get blocked).
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Scroll to Security — there's a line about the blocked item with an Open Anyway button. Click it and confirm.

You don't need to disable Gatekeeper system-wide, and you shouldn't.

Compatibility

macOS: 10.15 (Catalina) or later.
Chips: Intel and Apple Silicon — it ships as a universal binary.
Formats: AU and VST3. Any macOS host that loads those will load Meter Core (Logic Pro and the usual AU/VST3 hosts). AAX / Pro Tools is not supported.
Windows: Not yet — Meter Core is macOS-first, but Windows is coming. Leave your email and you'll know the day it lands. (Linux isn't planned.)
Mono / surround: It's a stereo master-bus meter, stereo-only by design — several indices measure the stereo field, so it sits across a stereo bus, not a mono channel or surround mix.

Reading the meter

Meter Core has a built-in Guide tab that explains every index in plain English — open it right inside the plugin; that's the canonical reference. The short version:

Conventional readouts (LUFS, true peak, RMS, crest factor, headroom) — the standard loudness and dynamics numbers.
Mix-quality indices (Side Air, Centre Weight, Forward Mid, Punch Reserve, Silk Ratio, Low Width Risk, Push Damage) — scored against commercial references; they point at why a mix might not translate, not just how loud it is.
Translation verdict — the headline read on whether the mix holds up.

The TARGET switch (OFF / STREAM / CLUB)

It moves the verdict bands to match where the mix is headed. The measurements never change — only what counts as "healthy" for the destination. Set it to where the track is going to be played.

Track Pass

Accumulates averages, min/max and worst-case values across a full playback and returns one overall verdict — PASS / WATCH / PUSHED — so you can audit a whole mix in one pass instead of watching needles in real time.

Getting the numbers out

Analysis sessions export to CSV.

Getting help

Email hello@autofactory.ai. For a bug or crash, tell us your macOS version, your Mac (Intel or Apple Silicon), your DAW, and what you were doing — that's usually enough to reproduce it. Reply within 2–3 business days.

The latest version is always at autofactory.ai/meter-core.