Audio Signal Levels Explained: Mic, Instrument, Line, and Speaker

Learn the difference between mic level signal, instrument level signal, line level signal, and speaker level signal. Use these concepts to capture recordings free of excess noise and distortion while in the studio and on-stage.

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0:00 - Intro
0:29 - Overview
0:57 - Line Level Signal
3:28 - Mic Level Signal
4:44 - Instrument Level Signal
7:59 - Speaker Level Signal
8:51 - Outro

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[louislopezmusic]

Incredible video!! One of the most succinct explanations of how audio levels work. Thanks!

[GEMINDIGO]

Very helpful and informative.Thanks for the free education!

[andrefairclough]

This is a great video giving info an how to differentiate the differences between all of those signal paths

[RocknRollkat]

Excellent presentation, well thought through.

[GustavoAndradeMusic]

Excellent explanation bro, thank you for that!

[arielmata]

I have a PA speaker that has a built in switch for the input line and mic. If I intend on hooking up the mixer (mic´s, guitars and bass) to the speaker, which one should I select on the switch, the Line or the mic option?

[sujithjoyabraham]

Thanks Charles...super helpful. Do you happen to know if iPhone's (Series 11 and above) expect a mic level input signal when using an external (ie. condenser or dynamic) mic? I ask because I see a lot of people seemingly going from a mixer board to an iphone to connect their mics and generally it looks like they are sending a line level signal. Not sure if this is causing any damage to the phone or if there's a better way to send the signal.

[mrfender]

So is it ok that the xlr inputs on the foh mixer all have preamps? Its it still ok to run a line level signal into the xlr input on the mixer even though it has a preamp in it?

[leaveitorsinkit]

I normally DI my guitar straight into my DAW, but the signal that I record is often very weak. Do I need to use a preamp in conjunction with the interface OR do I just need to do some gain staging inside the DAW?

[mrfender]

So you basically read word for word from the post on the website?

[joonajks]

Audio Recording at -20 peeking at -12 great for talking head YouTube videos in your opinion?

[aurelianepuras]

You look like, Schumacher!
Schumacher of sound 🤘👍👌

[Theis]

Had to put it in x0.75 speed to keep up😅