[sdiy] Modular Levels was [SDIY] Verniers for patch recording

[Grant Richter]

> Modules with signal levels more suited to modern, low voltage electronics.
> Then you could start using nifty things like digipots. Makes interfacing to
> micros and things like that a lot easier too.

The thermal noise level is fixed by temperature. So the noise floor voltages
are pretty constant. The only way to increase signal to noise ratio is to
increase the SIGNAL. Using lower voltage ranges only degrades performance.

The reason so called "modern" analog electronics uses lower voltages is
because it requires less silicon. This increases the profitability of the
company at the customers expense. The customer is now constrained to
designing in a low voltage environment, with poorer results and extra effort
required to overcome the limitations of the low voltage product.

In digital the issue is power dissipation. 1.8 volts makes sense when there
are a billion transistors you need to get the heat away from.