dBV also references voltage, but does so without regard for impedance. 0dB equals 1 volt. The dBV rating is most commonly found in reference to consumer equipment that uses operating levels of -10 dBV.

Reasonably new to this. This question arises from my search for a new/new-to-me preamp to replace my mobilePre
(which, not surprisingly, doesn't provide tracks which stack particularly quietly).

I believe that I understand the concept of headroom (i.e. - how hot a (mic) signal can the preamp handle?),
but not the measurement units.

From my mic preamp--is it better to "line out" from +4dBu balanced or
-10dBv unbalanced?

Is there a difference in sound quality?, Line noise? Etc...

Could you explain the pros and cons of both.

Much appreciated

--Stephen Patrick
voice@haylanstudios.com

Hello everyone,

I am recording in Cubase SX 3 and have read many threads about

propper levels going in...ultimately aiming for 0 dbVU. Now, it is my

understanding that 0 dbVU is roughly -18 to -20 dbfs so today when I was

bouncing a synth part (vst) I set the level out of the synth to about zero

I was trying recently to figure out why 2Vrms is 6.02 dBV instead of 3.01 dBv, and I learned that it is of course because the power in constant-load circuit is proportional to the square of the voltage. So,

dBV = 20 * log (Vmeas / 1V)

I'm going to buy a new soundcard. I am going to buy one that has balanced ins, but should I also sure that the balanced ins take +4dbu, or is -10dBV input okay? Will it even make a difference?

My preamp is a Mackie 1202, so I can send my output through either +4dBu or -10dBV.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Can someone please explain these terms to me? From what I understand, these are simply the LEVELs that a particular piece of gear is optimized to perform at (+4 dBu being at a much louder signal level than -10 dBV <- Is this correct?) .