
The Role VU Meters Play In Modern Consumer Audio Equipment
Report by Christine Harrell
Any equipment used in audio applications has at least one and usually a number of VU panel meters. These keep track of the audio signal for "loudness" with sensitivity beyond that of the human ear.VU Meter Background
Bell Labs and the CBS and NBC radio networks developed the very first VU (volume unit) panel meter in 1939 for the purpose of monitoring the audio transmission of telephone and radio signals to ensure audio was becoming broadcast at an proper level.
Most men and women know what a VU meter looks like even even though they may not comprehend it. These gauges with their needles that bounce in response to sound are ubiquitous symbols of audio recording, specifically music, employed all over the place from skilled studios to handheld tape recorders.
By searching at VU meters for the duration of a recording, a person can be certain the recording volume is high enough to produce a excellent reproduction with out excessive background noise but not so high it will lead to distortion and poor audio quality. If there are several audio sources the meters can support the user balance the signals so the final recording sounds best.
Digital and Analog Meters
The original VU panel meters were analog gauges with needles that moved in response to changing audio strength. The gauges had been marked with a red zone that indicated volume that was too high and often had an LED that lit up if the needle ever "pegged" meaning it hit the leading of the range.
Today some audio gear has switched to digital VU meters. These use rows of LEDs that light up as the audio signal changes, often with the peak level staying lit up so a listener can judge the general range of the audio signal. Digital meters have the advantage that they don't endure from inertia the mechanical effort to move the needle creates a modest delay in standard analog panel meters. Nonetheless this difference is not significant adequate to be crucial for most applications and analog meters are still popular alternatives and utilised in a variety of electronics.
Present Day VU Meters
One particular limitation of VU panel meters is they measure an regular of the sound signal so a single loud, percussive sound will usually not register on these meters and yet such an audio event can create important distortion in a recording. Far more sophisticated tools such as true peak-studying meters are obtainable but VU meters are still in widespread use. They are significantly much less high-priced than the far more advanced meters and most applications don't need the extra functionality.
Modern audio equipment, particularly gear directed at the customer rather than the professional industry, use inexpensive VU meters to offer the essential audio monitoring features but nevertheless retain the cost of the gear low. Though much more advances will come in the future, it is likely the basic VU meter will be about for a extended time to come.
About the Author
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