dBRMS ?

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dhuebbe

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i have tried to see what the difference between dbs and dBRMS and all the other terms for volume....cant find it. what does dBRMS mean? i have LOGIC, so how can i see in that what my levels are at in terms of dBRMS? PLease elaborate as much as possible.
can you translate -20dBRMS to another way of writing it?

Thanks for your time
 
dhuebbe said:
i have tried to see what the difference between dbs and dBRMS and all the other terms for volume....cant find it. what does dBRMS mean? i have LOGIC, so how can i see in that what my levels are at in terms of dBRMS? PLease elaborate as much as possible.
can you translate -20dBRMS to another way of writing it?

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...

dB(A), dB(B), and dB(C) weighting These symbols are often used to denote the use of different frequency weightings, used to approximate the human ear's response to sound, although the measurement is still in dB (SPL). Other variations that may be seen are dBA or dBA. According to ANSI standards, the preferred usage is to write LA = x dB, as dBA implies a reference to an "A" unit, not an A-weighting. They are still used commonly as a shorthand for A-weighted measurements, however. dBd dB(dipole) — the forward gain of an antenna compared to a half-wave dipole antenna. dBi dB(isotropic) — the forward gain of an antenna compared to an idealized isotropic antenna. dBFS or dBfs dB(full scale) — the amplitude of a signal (usually audio) compared to the maximum which a device can handle before clipping occurs. In digital systems, 0 dBFS would equal the highest level (number) the processor is capable of representing. This is an instantaneous (sample) value as compared to the dBm/dBu/dBv which are typically RMS.(Measured values are usually negative, since they should be less than the maximum.) dBr dB(relative) — simply a relative difference to something else, which is made apparent in context. The difference of a filter's response to nominal levels, for instance. dBrndB above reference noise See also dBrnC. dBcdB relative to carrier — in telecommunications, this indicates the relative levels of noise or sideband peak power, compared to the carrier power.
 
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The short of it is that "dB" by itself, means nothing. Well, it means DeciBel (1/10th of a Bel). But without a reference, it means nothing.

dBRMS (Root Mean Squared) is generally a measurement over time.

-20dBFS/RMS would be a level that rides around -20dBFS (Full Scale) over time - Not peaking at -20dBFS, but having an average energy of -20dBFS.

-20dBRMS, while we're on the subject, is just under 0dBVU (depending on where the converters are calibrated to, which is generally around or under -18dBFS being equal to line level) -- which is a nearly universal level at which all audio gear is spec'd and is designed to run at optimally.
 
very helpful

Thank you, that has cleared up a lot. I am still a little confused as to how this relates to Logic's levels. I dont have a screenshot, but if you go to this web page, and pause the video at around 1 second after it starts, youll see the logic mixer. The reading on the levels is at an average of "2". What does this "2" mean, is it "2 dBRMS"? I see no label for what the level is. BASICALLY: CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IM LOOKING AT AND WHAT IS THE "2"?
haha
heres the link

http://www.absolute.hu/images/descriptions/apple/logicmagyar.mov

again, thank you for your time, it's a great help to me.
 
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You're almost undoubtedly looking at dBFS (Full Scale).

The signals you're recording should individually sit "around" -18dBFS and peak up around -12dBFS or so here and there.

Ideally...
 
did you check the video>? i want to know what the logic level IS. In the VIDEO, it reads around "2" so the track should be at around "12" (not EVERY time, just IN RELATION to what you just poseted). do you see what im trying to understand? im just confused by logics numbers, i dont know if theyre dBFS!?! not trying to sound like a dick. haha, juist frustrated.
 
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I download the video.

In most if not all DAW's the master fader will be a dbfs reading as well as the fader readings (Logic included in the part you pointed out).

Now, some may include alternative metering scales but you really want to work with dbfs in the digital world since dbfs is what applies best in this situation.

As far as the 2 you're seeing, that is dbfs also. Though dbfs only goes up to 0, the fader itself is relative to the audio on that channel. The meter is more telling of the actual level of course and you can go above 0dbfs but you're clipping anything past 0. If you stick a tone generator in a channel and you set it at 0.00 and pull up the fader just slightly your master will clip. This is why it is not wise to have a single sound too loud because anything else you stick on top will make you clip.

It is important to read the manual for your software to better understand how its meters operate. For example, Cubase does some weird stuff that I don't even remember. The numbers are really not that important.
 
dhuebbe said:
i have tried to see what the difference between dbs and dBRMS and all the other terms for volume....cant find it. what does dBRMS mean? i have LOGIC, so how can i see in that what my levels are at in terms of dBRMS? PLease elaborate as much as possible.
can you translate -20dBRMS to another way of writing it?

Thanks for your time
Click to expand...

About 15 sek into the video, Notice the meter to the far right in the Multi mtr "analyzer" plugin showing the values for peak vs RMS.
 
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I know what it looks like in an analyzer, its spells it out. But in THE MIXER (WHICH IS MY QUESTION) WHAT ARE THE MIXER READINGS IN THE FIRST SECOND OF THE VIDEO. ONLY ON THE MIXER.
Thanks
 
dBFS. And horribly, horribly hot. Faders down around -10dB with individual tracks peaking around -2dBFS.

That was done for looks - Not sound. Someone had to *make* it suck that hard - That didn't come naturally.
 
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