Peak Program Meter (PPM)

An alternative to VU meters (see WFTD archives “VU Meter“), Peak Program Meters have fast rise times (30 times faster than VU meters) and a much slower fallback or decay time. Peak Program Meters respond to peak levels rather than average levels. This makes them especially useful in situations where distortion or overload is a significant concern, as in digital applications. Because other meters, (i.e. VU meters) respond more slowly, giving an average level reading, they are not as useful for indicating maximum levels or peaks. Popular in Europe, PPMs are found in mechanical, LED, and/or plasma forms in a variety of equipment types.