One Plug-In Rules Them All at Light Year Studios

London, UK (October 16, 2024)―At Light Year Studios, a one-stop shop in the U.K. for creative audio recording and post-production on both high-end and independent productions, one plug-in gets used more than any other.

Light Year’s re-recording mixer Rob Ackerman and sound effects editor Ryan Hatton each often call on various plug-ins from Nugen Audio, but for some of their crucial workflow solutions, they opt for the brand’s VisLM loudness meter. “It is probably the most extensively used plug-in here at the studio because you can use it for so many applications,” Ackerman says. “It’s useful for voiceovers, short- and long-form mixes and even video game sound. You need to hit a certain audio threshold when recording, and VisLM is the perfect solution to gauge where your average loudness is sitting. On the other hand, with mixes, it’s nice to have VisLM across the final master bus to keep an eye on the overall loudness.”

For Hatton, something that has made VisLM stand out from other loudness metering plug-ins is the inclusion of dialog-gated loudness. “I’ve found that this feature comes in handy and is not always available in competing plug-ins with similar price points,” he says.

Winners of 2024 Music+Sound Awards Announced

The Halo Upmix plug-in also plays a vital role, especially for immersive audio and post-production. “Before I started using Halo Upmix, I used to favor an old routing method to send a portion of the audio to the rears,” Hatton explains. “Now, Halo Upmix has become a massive part of what we’re doing. I used it on quite a few movie trailers, as well as on Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2. For the latter project, specifically, we went to Pinewood Studios and played the film in the theater there, with Halo Upmix running; it translated perfectly and sounded great.”

Similarly, Ackerman feels that Halo Upmix is a great plug-in for efficiency. “It takes away all the pain of trying to find the right divergence for the rears and wondering if it sounds correct, if it will fold down correctly, etc. It saves me a good 20 minutes of tweaking and head scratching,” he adds.

Aside from VisLM and Halo Upmix, the brand’s ISL limiter has also become a go-to solution. “The ability to drop ISL onto your stem tracks and know that you’ll always stay under a certain threshold while maintaining the integrity of the stem is really valuable,” Ackerman says.