Is it too loud or not loud enough? If you are not sure, the new TC Electronic TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 will let you know. The TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 is a standalone, multichannel loudness meter featuring a touch screen, flexible layout options, and a consistent loudness readout. It's compatible with international broadcasting standards, including American, European, and Japanese.

Useful for broadcast ingest and transmission, as well as for post-, film-, and live-production applications, the TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 is a full-featured stereo and multichannel loudness and true-peak level meter. The unit complies with international broadcasting standards and displays numbers representing loudness on the large color touch screen.

The new loudness meter comes in six basic configurations based on connectivity, features, and physical size. Choose a 7-inch or 9-inch touch screen, stereo or multichannel, and whether or not you want the Radar Meter to be included with the multichannel version. You can also choose between a number of I/O options. The TC TouchMonitor TM9 comes standard with 16 digital balanced inputs and outputs, while the TC TouchMonitor TM7 features 8 analog and 8 digital inputs and outputs. However, an additional number of I/O configurations on either balanced or unbalanced connectors (Sub-D or BNC) are available as well. TC Electronic notes that an SDI 3G I/O card will be available for the TM9 in 2011.

In addition, you can expand or upgrade the TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 by installing optional software instruments (meter types), such as Real Time Analyzer, or upgrade from Stereo Mode to Multichannel Mode. A complete overview of the basic configurations and the available hardware and software options are available at the TC Electronic Web site.

TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 features at a glance:

• 7" or 9" color touch screen (16:9 TFT)
• Consistent readouts
• Conforms to international broadcast standards, including American, European, and Japanese
• Easy and fast touch screen control with context-sensitive onscreen help
• Flexible screen layout options -- resize and reposition any instrument (meter type)
• Powerful DSP -- parallel display of multiple instruments
• Flexible I/O options, including analog, AES3, AES3id, and so forth
• Connectivity -- Ethernet / LAN, USB, VGA, and GPIO ports
• Modular software structure lets you add optional instruments as needed

TC Electronic plans on releasing the TC TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 in December, 2010; prices begin at $4,264 (MSRP). For more details, visit tcelectronic.com/touchmonitor.