However, even before such extremes, it’s a common producer and mix engineer’s task to target unpleasant, prominent frequencies and employ EQ tools to lessen volumes at specific points where needed. These can become exaggerated to the point where they become unpleasant. This is where certain frequencies are amplified as a result of the ‘construction’ of the sound and the way it is subsequently produced. We’d recommend picking a level somewhere between 80 and 90 dB(SPL), although some prefer even lower levels.Īlmost all sounds, whether produced acoustically or electronically, contain resonance. Typically your monitoring level should be calibrated with a pink noise reference signal (at 0dBFS) and the SPL meter in your listening position set to C-weighting, slow response. As a result, it’s advisable to determine your preferred monitoring level and stick to it, avoiding the temptation to push the master level control up. Prolonged exposure to high sound pressure levels not only leads to fatigue, it can also cause long-term damage to your hearing. In the studio, the most important use for an SPL meter is to measure your monitoring level. The S (slow) setting usually uses a 1s integration time, F (fast) uses 125ms and I (impulse) uses 35ms. SPL meters often have a speed setting for adjusting how quickly the meter responds to level changes. A-frequency weighting is the most common system, based on the equal loudness contours, while C-weighting is used to measure peak sound pressure. To confuse things, SPL measurements are sometimes made using weightings designed to replicate the response of the human ear. The measurement dB(SPL) is the one most people use to refer to how loud a sound is. One of the most common uses of decibels is to measure sound pressure levels. Whether you’re working with digital or analogue, any signal above 0dBFS or 0dBVU is usually bad news in terms of sound quality. The Volume Unit is a hangover from the days of analogue radio broadcasting and tape recorders, where 0VU was the highest allowable signal level. Analogue equipment tends to use dBVU (referenced in Volume Units) in a similar way to dBFS, where 0dBVU is the nominal maximum signal level. On professional audio equipment, 0dBFS is usually set at +4dBu.Ĭommercial equipment tends to use -10dBV as the 0dBFS reference point. Attempting to push a signal beyond this level will instantly result in the waveform becoming squared off at the peaks. In digital equipment, 0dBFS is the highest possible signal level. We did warn you that decibels can be confusing!ĭecibel meters on hardware and in software are usually used to display dBFS or dBVU, measurements of the level of a signal relative to a defined maximum (in digital equipment this is the point just before clipping occurs, whereas in analogue equipment it refers to the highest level before the signal starts to degrade). The only caveat is that you should pay attention to capital letters – dBu was originally known as dBv and is occasionally still referred to in this way by Americans. If you’re working exclusively with professional equipment then you can just about forget that dBV exist and concentrate on dBu. In the case of the dBu, it is referenced to a signal with a root mean square magnitude of 0.775 Volts (RMS is essentially a method of calculating the average magnitude of a wave with positive and negative elements), while dBV is referenced to 1V RMS. This measurement of micropascal is the lowest pressure (and therefore quietest sound) that can be perceived by the human ear.įor electrical audio signals, the most common scales used to measure level are dBu (the professional standard) and dBV (more common in consumer equipment). This is more accurately termed dB(SPL) and is referenced to sound pressure level in air, where 0dB(SPL) equates to 20 micropascals (uPa). Probably the most common everyday use of the decibel unit is as a measurement of the level of intensity of an acoustic sound. There are three main areas where you’ll find decibels used for audio measurements, and the context should give you a clue about which type is being used. The result of this lazy naming is that we often have to infer the reference point from the context.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |