[sdiy] "Standard" signal levels and maximum voltages? How much headroom is expected?

[Neil Johnson]

Hi Matthias,

When you say
> "Professional" +4 dBu corresponds to 1.7 V peak

I suspect what you are refering to is a sine wave.
RMS is actually a statistical thing, where the "RMS value" corresponds
to +/- 1 sigma.  It ultimately comes down to a heating effect.  In
theory you could have a +4dBu RMS signal that comprises narrow 1000V
pulses spaced far apart.

This is where gain staging and the usefulness of peak LEDs comes into play.

Mixing desks often run at lower signal levels internally, perhaps
-4dBu, to give that extra headroom, especially on the summing busses.

Neil
--
http://www.njohnson.co.uk