I forgot the link for the meter software, it is here. You can get British ones and Eurometers (EBU digital or analogue). The sound mixer for Doctor Who uses a computerised version of the British ones for his system.
I’ve already got a British radio studio desk with real PPM meters so I use the digital Eurometer for monitoring main output (as the PPMs will follow the prefade).
This picture below from a station in Groningen shows where the confusion happens. It is an analogue desk with an analogue Eurometer, and on these you are allowed to go a bit more into the red sector. (if the presenter pushes it too far, soundprocessing will force the level back down again, which is perhaps why both the level of the mixer program output and the zendlijn (studio to transmitter audio circuit) levels are shown.
I think its a community station, and they must have a few Euros to spend on all that!
On a digital recording system, this should never happen, as you are then causing a big risk of clipping and distortion, especially when the recording is later made into MP3. The best meter to use is a digital Eurometer (-60dbFS to 0dbFS)
Incidentally I’ve heard that older analogue EELA and D&R desks are sold off quite cheaply in the Netherlands, to the point where even teenagers can afford them (all they need to do is find someone with a small van to shift them). If you are planning on doing live radio or other production( they tend to be good production mixers as well), these are worth getting hold of for your home studio (if you can find space to fit them in!)
