VU Meter tutorial

How to use a VU Meter and the differences between VU, RMS and PPM: “VU Meter and Mixing Levels

Why 0VU = -18dBfs

0VU = -18dbfs: Employing these calibration values is the best way to establish good gain staging in a mix. Our consoles saturation will work better and the plugins inserted after Britson will work better too. Your mixes will have more clarity and better dynamic response, due to increased headroom.

Why are DAW Meters not anywhere close to -18dBfs?

VU metering works quite differently than peak metering (DAW meters are peak meters; they are not useful for mixing. You need not pay much critical attention to your DAW’s peak meters). VU meters, on the other hand, are more useful for mixing as they operate similarly to the human ear