OpenMeters

What OpenMeters is

OpenMeters is a Linux application for capturing PipeWire audio and viewing live meters and visualizations. It can capture an individual application, a device, or the default sink, with negotiated layouts of up to eight channels. Views include loudness meters, waveform visualization, an oscilloscope, a spectrogram, a spectrum analyzer, and a stereometer. Loudness options include BS.1770-5 K-weighted short-term and momentary LUFS modes, true-peak meters, and fast or slow K-weighted RMS dB modes. The spectrogram supports classic STFT rendering and time-frequency reassignment, plus a piano-roll overlay and ERB, logarithmic, or linear frequency scales. It requires a graphical Linux session, PipeWire 0.3.77 or newer, and a compatible Vulkan or OpenGL/EGL driver stack. Prebuilt releases require x86_64 GNU/Linux with glibc 2.39 or newer. Installation options are listed for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, NixOS, other distributions, and building from source. Normal desktop windows work on X11 or Wayland; Wayland bar mode requires a compositor exposing zwlr_layer_shell_v1. The project is GPL v3.0 or later, and its maker says commercial use is permitted under those terms.

Who it suits

It suits Linux users who need PipeWire audio capture with real-time metering and analysis views. It is particularly relevant to users whose system meets its graphics and PipeWire requirements.

Limits

There is no paid plan listed; the project is free and open source. Use requires a graphical Linux session, PipeWire 0.3.77 or newer, and a compatible Vulkan or OpenGL/EGL driver stack; prebuilt artifacts additionally require x86_64 GNU/Linux with glibc 2.39 or newer.

Getting started

1. Check that you have a graphical Linux session, PipeWire 0.3.77 or newer, and a compatible Vulkan or OpenGL/EGL driver stack.
2. Choose the installation route for Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora, NixOS, another distribution, or a source build.
3. If using a prebuilt release, confirm your system is x86_64 GNU/Linux with glibc 2.39 or newer.
4. Launch OpenMeters and select a PipeWire application, device, or default sink for capture.

Verdict

OpenMeters offers a wide set of audio views for Linux, including specific LUFS and spectrogram options. Confirm that your PipeWire version, graphics stack, and system architecture meet its requirements.