Talk:VU meter

What is 0 VU really?

 * The original definition of 1 milliwatt into 600 ohms agrees with 0 VU = 0 dBm.
 * Federal Standard 1037C says that 0 VU = 0 dBm...
 * IEEE 152-1991 says that 0 VU is 1 mW into "a resistance equal to the magnitude of the circuit impedance", which agrees with 0 dBm.
 * "0 VU is +4 dbm and represents a voltage level of 1.228 volts."
 * "For a pure sine wave, 0 VU = 1 dBm,"
 * hints that the discrepancy is due to an "isolating resistor".
 * "0 VU is defined to be a level of +4 dBu for an applied sine wave"
 * "0 VU often refers to either a +4 dBu or a +8 dBu signal."
 * 0 VU corresponds to:
 * +8 dBm in older broadcast and telephone equipment
 * +4 dBm in balanced recording equipment
 * -10 dBV in unbalanced recording equipment
 * "The VU (or Volume Unit) system is a hangover from early radio usage when 0 VU meant 100% of the legal modulation for the particular radio station."
 * "When the VU meter indicates "0" (typically a +4 dBm level), " — Omegatron 01:13, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

0 VU = +4 dBm on sine wave. No doubt about it. That www.sizes.com article appears to misunderstand the source it cites. For a definitive answer, someone will need to go to the primary source for this: IEC 60268-17. Harumphy 09:37, 12 September 2006 (UTC)


 * No doubt for you, maybe... — Omegatron 21:53, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

MT —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.226.18.57 (talk) 07:54, 5 September 2008 (UTC)

Advent
"The first high-fidelity deck, the Advent,"  Ampex (and other) studio recorders had been using VU meters since the late 40's.  The Advent was a home tape recorder and not remotely built to the same standards as a professional machine such as any number of the Ampex or Studer machines used in radio stations/recording studios. The Advent should not even be mentioned in this article since it was NEITHER the first home "high fidelity" machine nor was it of professional quality.
 * Point taken, article changed accordingly. Maikel (talk) 15:03, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Compressed?
Quote: VCRs only included VU meters when, rarely, they provided a manual level control, which is typically required for recording live music rather than compressed television or radio broadcasts.

What on earth is meant by that? Analogue radio and TV isn't compressed. Maikel (talk) 12:10, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

Sure that's a VI (VU meter)?


It looks like a PPM to me. Maikel (talk) 13:26, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Defeatable?
Quote: Systems tailored for voice often incorporate automatic level control, usually not defeatable in inexpensive recorders.

"Defeatable", whazzat mean? Maikel (talk) 15:03, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Are we sure VU ≠ dB?
|Rev 524035108 deleted phrasing about the -20 and +3 markings corresponding to dBs, and while everybody agrees that VU meters are far from accurate regarding scale, every source I've found call the markings for a VU meter "-20 to +3 dB"
 * In The Studio: What Engineers Should Know About Meters - An excerpt from Mastering Audio: The Art and The Science by Bob Katz.
 * Handbook for acoustic ecology - Barry Truax, editor
 * The ‘vu’ Meter Legacy Shines On - Nice historical account; look for "and its range was increased to 23 dB"
 * Lastly, Peak programme meter - this one mentions IEC 60268-17 but I don't have a copy.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Arielco (talk • contribs) 04:37, 11 October 2013 (UTC)

Yes, totally agree a VU is not exactly an RMS dB. While the scale is similar, it is not the same, my experiments have confirmed that. Many times it is suggested that a VU meter is an average value meter, but that also is wrong. Please read the original paper from Chinn et.at. to understand this fact.--Vmsa (talk) 01:22, 10 March 2018 (UTC)

scale thresholds
AFAIK, ANSI C16.5-1942 defines the thresholds for VU meters at: . I think this info should make it into the main article somehow. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Poponuro (talk • contribs) 21:55, 12 November 2013 (UTC)
 * -20dB
 * -10dB
 * - 7dB
 * - 5dB
 * - 3dB
 * - 2dB
 * - 1dB
 * 0dB
 * + 1dB
 * + 2dB
 * + 3dB

External links modified
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