RMS/Peak levels in Slate Digital FG-X

[whereismymind]

Hi,

 

I like FG-X from Slate a lot but there's something I don't understand about this plugin and its display. I inserted i test tone (sine wave at 240 Hz at -12 dB).

Here's what I got

http://imageshack.com/a/img922/3757/1LAudJ.png

 

While bx_meter tells me RMS and Peak levels are equal (-12 dB), FG-X tells me that my RMS level is -15 dB and my Peak level -12 dB. Same thing with Logic's meter. Both RMS and Peak levels @ -12 dB seems a lot more logical to me ? What do you guys think ?

 

Thanks you

[Eric Cardenas]

They are calibrated differently.

Both Logic and FG-X are calibrated with a square wave while the Bx Meter is calibrated using a sine wave, hence the 3 dB discrepancy.

[whereismymind]

Ok Eric thanks for your answer. But I did this screenshot with a test tone to clearly show that 3 dB gap. But that's the same thing if I insert them both on the master of my last mix. RMS level is 3 dB lower than the Peak level. I don't know what plugin I should use to do mastering ! Which one displays the "real" RMS level ?!

[Eric Cardenas]

It's not your test tone that is the problem per se.

It's what they have used to calibrate the scale.

One school is to use a square wave and the other is to use a sine wave to determine the scale.

[whereismymind]

Yes I get that Eric I use bx meter for a long time so I should probably keep using it as my reference for leveling audio. I really thought all metering tools had the same calibration scale !