How to make a vu meter? ?

Could I use a lm3914 ic and a schmitt?? Schmidt?? Trigger to only make an array of Leds only light up at a certain volume. So, 10 outputs from the lm3914 and should I use lots of Schmidt triggers or only one to control the circuit using transistors? Or can I use a different set of ic's for this job? Also, sorry for being unclear.