A while back, I posted a replacement for the Anna Vu visual's background. It looked like this:



The problem is, when I created it, I was basing it on a sliced-up image of a larger VU meter that had a different sweep for the needles than the visual. So on this meter, the numbers are essentially meaningless.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the numbers SHOULD read on this scale, in order to be accurate?

I'd like it to simulate an analogue VU meter where it is allowed to go over 0dB. I mean, no one is going to use this to callibrate anything are they?

It currently does that (0's about the middle), but I don't know much about analog VU meters, so I don't know what the other numbers mean.

+3 dB should be the point where the needle pegs. 0dB would be where the color starts to change. I'm charging up my camera - we have some meters here.

I love this idea.
this is my favorite visual.

Attached pic of VU meter...



Sorry it is so blurry... but +3 is the extreme right point (where a needle would peg) and 0dB is where the color goes to red. This particualy VU meter is labeled like so:

-20
-10
-7
-5
-3
-2
-1
0dB
+1
+2
+3

NOTE: BBS bug... editing a post with a pic replaces the UBB code with html code..

Why would these numbers and that scale be correct for the empeg display?

They wouldn't be. At all! This is an analouge display that I photographed. But, considering that nobody is going to use the VU Meter display to calibrate anything, it is just for fun. I work in broadcasting and all of my co-workers just love that VU meter display!

Yeah, I don't see how we could make an analog meter be accurate on the empeg display and still look like an analog meter. Because the empeg's needles will never go past 0db.

So anything we do will be a fake image.

Okay, how about this RAW file (attached)?

Incidentally, the new RAW file I just posted looks like this:

But I liked the idea of a faked one...

Oh well, I guess the normal VU will have to do for now! (no RAW viewer yet)

I especially like scew heads!

Still two left cahnnels?

ok great, I love it,
now how do I save my current vu meter background for backup, and how do I put tis new one in place ?

Still two left cahnnels?

SHIT.

Okay, I'll fix that...

Okay, attached is the proper file with the correct L and R indicators.

To install these fille onto the player, please see this FAQ entry. Don't bother to back up the original file because you can always get it back by installing an upgrade.

I like the new vu back... but when you have info:line turned on it squishes it strangely. Is there anything that can be done to help this?

Tom

The squishing of the visuals with info:line was a REQUESTED FEATURE that got implemented in a recent version of the software. There is no way to override it other than to use a full-screen visual.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, PEOPLE!

Yeah... this one can get kinda ugly.... now [bold]who[/bold] requested it!?! heehee I am impressed that it can be done, but prefered it the other way.. guess it serves me right for not visiting the forum during the time it was discussed.

Its only good on spectral plot visuals......oh well. Maybe Hijack could disable it? Anyway just uploaded the new VU meter image and me likes

For what it's worth, there are *two* standards for relating dBFS to VU (and dBu.) From my studio days, I recalled using -18dBFS as my 0VU reference point.

However, a quick Google and perusal turned up both EBU R68 and SMPTE RP155, which define different VU/dBFS standards. Basically, omitting the rest of the curve, SMPTE likes to see -20dBFS == +4 dBu == 0VU, and EBU defines -18dBFS == 0dBu == VU.

Thus, the interested reader could choose either of those. Personally, I'll stick with EBU.

So, based on those specs, what should the numbers in my graphic read?

Tony,

I love the new graphic VU meter. Awesome job.

One thing though... I think the first version has a better color scheme as far as the "Red Zone" goes. The newer version doesn't seem obvious enough.

Maybe it's because in the first version that area is actually brighter, instead of darker... Hmm...

If I'm given an accurate set of numbers to put on it, I'll change the red zone back to white and post it...

Oy. I hadn't looked closely at how the "needles" respond; it looks to me like they're peak reading rather than VU reading.

Anyway, I ran a -14dBFS 1k tone through it, and the needles on the standard Anna VU visual deflected to the right edge of the second segment from the left. So that would be about +4VU on the EBU scale, which should peg the meter. Or, perhaps I'm missing something -- I'm not giving this a lot of thought, unfortunately.

Given that, I think it's probably best to just have a fun little visual, as we have, and ignore what I said earlier.

Mmm.. that's cool. Dunno about the corner rivets, though.

Cheers

I really like the visual-squishing feature, since without it a ton of the spectrum-style visuals get "lost" behind the info-line.

Cheers

I think I mentioned in Wish List that the squishing suits some visuals better than others. IMHO, some should squash (spectrolog), some should just be shifted up (timeshade), and some should be either simply overlaid or shifted so that the centre is still centred (analogue clock, anna vu).

I used to use the "Line" info mode constantly and only switched to "Track" mode when wanting to find out what album a song was from. Now, because of the squish I just toggle between Track and Transient .....

Not that this is a standard, but it is a reference point...on my Sony TC-K444 ES II cassette recorder the meters are labeled Peak Program Meter and marked off as:
- infinity
- 40 dB
- 30 dB
- 20 dB
- 10 dB
- 4 dB (and on a different scale labeled as OVU )
There is a double D Dolby symbol at ~ -3dB
0 dB (this is where the meter goes red)
+ 2 dB
+ 4 dB
+ 6 dB
+ 8 dB

Digging further, from the 3rd edition of Modern Recording Techniques pg245, reads:

In reply to:

---

A peak meter reads higher at point A than at point B, even though the loudness level is the same (A being a sharp transient, vs B a more sinusoidal wave.)

A VU meter reads the rms level and ignores peaks that do not contribute to loudness.

Volume units indicated on the meter are equal to dB for sine waves, but for other waves or complex signals, the VU meter actually reads between the rms and peak values of the signal. For these waves, volume units are larger than dB.

---

There now that clears things up...(ack!) Since sine waves are pretty boring to listen too after a while, I guess we'll have to consign ourselves to seeing something close. Regardless, it looks to me like Anna VU is actually a peak meter but it really doesn't matter much as we enjoy the visual either way. Also, zero VU is considered the standard operating level.

That relates to my one complaint with the "improved" version of this visual in the v2 release--we have seemed to have lost the slight lag that real VU meters have (momentum of getting/keeping the needle in motion) but have gotten a much more responsive display.

Brad's picture shows what are probably the "more standard" VU ratings: -20, -10, -7, -5, -3, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3 w/0 and up in red. I would suggest we use -20, -10, -5, -3, 0, +3.

I would suggest we use -20, -10, -5, -3, 0, +3.

So the last one I uploaded is actually pretty close to OK considering that the end-point marks aren't labeled because of lack of space.