TASK 8 meter scaling: +10 dB input amplification in AudioLevelMeter.ToDisplay so the meters use the full bar — speech peaks (~0.2 RMS, -14 dBFS) read ~0.93 (red zone) and normal speech (~0.05, -26 dBFS) ~0.73 (yellow) at maxed volume, instead of hovering at the red edge; ≤0.001 linear still reads zero so the meter never idles on background noise; one knob shared by the mic bar and the game bar (× MicVolume gain-on-noise untouched); tests updated + new ToDisplay_Pushes_Speech_Peaks_Into_Red_At_Maxed_Volume — 171 tests passing, 0 warnings

TASKS.md

@@ -623,6 +623,22 @@ the validator → persisted), compositor bar overlay (top/bottom + above-flash),
 
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+## TASK 8 — Meter scaling amplification (voice meter uses the full bar)
+
+**Goal:** the mic (and game) meters feel light — speech peaks should peg into the red at maxed volume.
+
+### Status: ✅ Done
+
+1. ✅ `AudioLevelMeter.ToDisplay` now adds **+10 dB of input amplification** before the −60..0 dBFS → 0..1 log mapping (was raw dB): speech peaks (~0.2 RMS, −14 dBFS) read ~0.93 → red zone; normal speech (~0.05, −26 dBFS) ~0.73 → yellow; background noise ≤0.001 linear (−60 dBFS) still reads 0 (the meter never idles on it)
+2. ✅ Unit tests updated to the new mapping + new `ToDisplay_Pushes_Speech_Peaks_Into_Red_At_Maxed_Volume` (0.2 → 0.92..0.95, 0.05 → 0.72..0.75)
+
+### Design decisions
+
+1. **Amplify at the mapping, not in the VM** — one knob (`ToDisplay`), shared by the mic bar and the game bar; the `× MicVolume` gain-on-noise behavior is untouched (raising the slider still moves ambient noise up the bar).
+2. **+10 dB, not more** — louder boosts push quiet speech into the lower half and make the noise floor visible; +10 puts speech peaks solidly in red while idle stays at zero.
+
+---
+
 ## Backlog (future versions)
 
 1. v0.2 — Recording to local file (recordings carry the branding flash — see TASK 3 / `ai.md` Monetization)