Monitoring Sound Levels
Sound signals from a mixing desk need to be monitored in two ways:
● Using a high-grade loudspeaker for assessment of quality, balance, etc.
● Using a suitable electrical indicator to check that the sound signal is within the prescribed limits of the system.
VU meter
The commonest indicator is the VU (volume unit) meter, which is a voltmeter of suitable ballistic and impedance characteristics, connected across the circuit to be monitored. Although cheap, the VU meter has the drawback that it cannot register short-duration signal peaks with any accuracy, although these peaks can cause undesirable overload distortion in amplifiers, recording equipment, transmitters, etc. Such a meter is nevertheless perfectly satisfactory ...
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