I have a Digi 002 with -10db rca and +4db 1/4" outputs. My CD recorder has rca -10db inputs. I once used the +4db output to the CD recorder, and the sound was loud and distorted. So my question is this...if I had a CD recorder with balanced XLR +4db inputs, would a CD made with this recorder be LOUDER than a disc recorded with my -10db CD recorder?
Thanks
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djjmk wrote: :?: So what's the difference between the -10 signal
djjmk wrote: :?: So what's the difference between the -10 signal and the +4 signal for the cd recorders? If there's no sonic difference, why make different operating levels?
+4 level was the norm in the 40's and 50's for recording studios and broadcast applications. Some gear even ran at +10dB! My LA4's have +4 / +10 dB switches on their back panels. In the 50's and 60's as home hi fi became popular, many manufacturers went with -10 and even -20 dB systems.
+4 systems may be balanced or unbalanced. -10 systems could be run balanced as well but I have never seen it ... Typically +4 systems have more headroom and are capible of running a bit quieter than prosumer -10 systems. This is simply a difference in operating level of the input and output amplifiers and will not affect the level being recorded to disc or tape.
Mackie gave a nod of recognition to the quandery of different operating levels for the home studio operator when they designed their recording and sound reinforcment mixers. They chose to run their operating levels at 0dB, effectivly "bridging the gap between +4 and -10 gear ....
Kurt Foster
-10db levels vs. +4db levels Thanks for all the helpful info!
-10db levels vs. +4db levels
Thanks for all the helpful info! This forum is very valuable! One last question...so if I recorded 2 cds with 2 different recorders, (one at -10 and the other at +4db) and used a sound meter to measure the decibels from my speakers at a fixed volume, both recorders would have the same decibel level? :roll:
No.
No.