Audio Monitoring
Laika provides audio meters and monitoring for every viewer.
Audio Meters
Section titled “Audio Meters”What You See:
Every viewer tile with an active source displays audio meters at the bottom. Each meter represents one audio channel from the NDI® source.
Meters show real-time audio levels:
- Green: Normal levels (below threshold, typically -20dB to -12dB)
- Yellow: Approaching peak (above green threshold, below red)
- Red: Hot levels (above red threshold, typically -6dB or higher)
8-Channel vs 16-Channel:
By default, Laika displays meters for the first 8 audio channels. If your sources send 16 channels and you want to see all of them:
Menu → File → Preferences → Enable 16-Channel Audio
This doubles the meter count shown on each viewer.
Audio Monitoring (Listening)
Section titled “Audio Monitoring (Listening)”Audio Control Icons:
Each viewer tile displays audio controls:
- Speaker Icon (Centre): Click to toggle audio monitoring on/off for this viewer
- Blue Diamonds: Visual indicators showing stereo pairs that are actively being monitored
Enabling Audio Monitoring:
Click the speaker icon on any viewer to enable audio monitoring for that source. The viewer’s audio plays through your selected audio output device (speakers/headphones).
Multiple Viewer Monitoring:
You can monitor multiple viewers simultaneously — all enabled viewers mix together in your audio output. Click the speaker icon on each viewer you want to hear.
This is useful when:
- Monitoring multiple camera feeds with comms audio
- Listening to program and preview simultaneously
- Checking audio sync across multiple sources
- Verifying backup feeds match primary feeds
Stereo Pair Indicators:
Blue diamond indicators appear on viewers when stereo pair monitoring is active. These show which channel pairs (L/R) are currently being monitored as stereo pairs rather than individual mono channels.
Disabling Audio Monitoring:
Click the speaker icon again to stop monitoring that viewer’s audio.
Audio Routing:
Monitored audio plays through the device selected in File → Preferences → Audio Output Device. If you change devices while monitoring, Laika restarts the audio stream automatically (may take 1-2 seconds).
Audio Configuration
Section titled “Audio Configuration”Setting Audio Output Device:
Menu → File → Preferences → Audio Output Device
Select your preferred playback device from the dropdown. Laika lists all available system audio outputs.
Changes apply immediately if monitoring is active.
Audio Thresholds:
Menu → File → Preferences → Audio Section
Green Threshold: Level in dB where meters transition from green to yellow (default: -20dB)
Red Threshold: Level in dB where meters transition from yellow to red (default: -6dB)
Adjust these to match your facility’s operating levels. Broadcast typically uses stricter thresholds than post-production.
Disabling Audio Meters:
If you don’t need audio meters (saves minimal GPU resources):
Menu → File → Preferences → Show Audio Meters → Off
This hides all meters but doesn’t affect monitoring capability.
Audio Troubleshooting
Section titled “Audio Troubleshooting”No meters showing:
- Verify the source is sending audio (check Debug Viewer)
- Ensure “Show Audio Meters” is enabled in Preferences
- Confirm source hasn’t dropped connection
No sound when monitoring:
- Check audio output device selection
- Verify system audio isn’t muted
- Confirm source is actually sending audio (meters should be active)
- Try selecting a different viewer to reset monitoring
Choppy or distorted audio:
- Audio monitoring runs independently of video — if audio is choppy, it’s likely a network issue
- Check Debug Viewer for dropped audio frame counters
- Verify sender bitrate isn’t exceeding network capacity