Fairlight · Metering · Resolve 21
Loudness Meter in Fairlight
A deep guide to the current Fairlight Loudness Meter interface in DaVinci Resolve 21: True Peak, Short, Short Max, Range and Integrated readings, standard selection, measurement workflow and how this meter fits into final mastering.
Live Resolve 21 UI
Compare an active measurement with the same panel at idle
This keeps the page hybrid: the diagram above explains what each metric means, while the screenshots below show the real Fairlight panel and its state change during playback.
1. Reading the meter
Five readings answer five different questions
True Peak
The peak-related reading. ITU-R BS.1770 defines algorithms for true-peak audio level as well as programme loudness, so this is the value to watch when delivery has a true-peak ceiling.
Short
The current short-window loudness reading shown by Resolve. It reacts much faster than an integrated programme value and is useful for judging how a section behaves right now.
Short Max
The highest Short reading reached during the current measurement pass. It helps locate the loudest short section without replacing a full-programme measurement.
Range
A loudness-variation descriptor. Treat it as information about how widely programme loudness moves, not as another peak meter.
Integrated
The programme-level loudness accumulated over the measurement. This is the reading that only becomes meaningful after the relevant programme or delivery segment has actually been measured.
2. Standards
The preset in the screenshot is visible evidence — not a universal recommendation
BS.1770-1 (LU)
Your Resolve 21 screenshot has BS.1770-1 (LU) selected. We document that exact UI state, but we do not present it as the newest ITU recommendation. ITU currently lists BS.1770-5 (11/2023) as the in-force main recommendation and BS.1770-1 as superseded. In practice, choose the metering standard required by the actual broadcaster, platform or delivery specification.
Fairlight standard selection
Blackmagic documents standard selection directly in the Fairlight loudness meter options. That is why the workflow starts with the delivery requirement, not with a memorized target number.
3. Measurement workflow
Reset, measure the relevant programme, then make decisions
1 · Reset
Start a fresh measurement when you need a clean Integrated/Range result for a programme or defined segment.
2 · Play the programme
Let the relevant material run. Watch Short for local behavior while Integrated develops across the measurement.
3 · Pause deliberately
Pause freezes the current measurement state when you need to inspect it without continuing to accumulate programme loudness.
4 · Correct and re-measure
After gain, dynamics or mix changes, repeat the relevant measurement rather than assuming the old Integrated value still represents the new mix.
4. Meter versus mastering
The meter measures compliance; the mix still has to sound right
Blackmagic documents three Fairlight loudness-monitoring methods: the program meters, the live main-bus loudness history graph and offline Analyze Audio Level. This page focuses on the live Loudness Meter interface from your Resolve 21 capture.
Use the deeper mastering guide for delivery logic, buses, final output and broader loudness workflow. The two pages are complementary rather than duplicate articles.
Meter
Tells you what the programme is measuring against the selected standard.
Mix
Dialogue, music, SFX, dynamics and tonal balance still have to work as a coherent soundtrack.
True Peak
Use it when the delivery specification has a true-peak ceiling; do not infer a universal ceiling from this screenshot.
Integrated
Meaningful only for the material that was actually included in the measurement pass.
Blackmagic's current Fairlight documentation is used for loudness-monitoring workflow and standard selection. The supplied Resolve 21 screenshot is the source for the exact visible UI labels. ITU-R BS.1770 is used for the programme-loudness/true-peak standard lineage; ITU currently lists BS.1770-5 as in force and BS.1770-1 as superseded.