Upon installation, you’re not greeted with a skeuomorphic wooden box or glowing tubes. Many free VU meters are surprisingly utilitarian. mvMeter2, for instance, gives you a clean, resizable GUI – dark background, clear scale, and a needle that moves with satisfying smoothness. No fluff. And honestly? That’s a relief. I don’t need 3D shadows; I need to know if my kick drum is hitting -3 VU.