What Your PreAmp VU Meter Isn't Telling You

Don't let your VU meter fool you - watch this video for the whole story and understand how to properly read your preamp for accurate gain staging. Different pre-amps can add different flavor...and you can't only go by what the VU meter shows you.  See link in bio for our complete series on pre-amps.

#preamps #outboardgear #recordingstudio #vu #vumeter #proaudio #gainstaging

[sytiravajous]

VU meter's purpose is to show you when the input signal is too loud for the gear. The meter however, doesn't magically know what's too much for the machine. You have to do that calibration yourself with the gear's limit as a reference. When the signal is too hot and it's saturating too much, THAT's when the needle should be "in the red".

[gorshenbag]

Who is choosing preamps based on their metering? Who cares? Most preamps don’t have and don’t need metering. Also, -20dB is not that “hot.” No idea why he is saying that. Just use the meters built into your recording device/software. The internet is riddled with bad or pointless information.

[Rastafarai]

I will still.never understand how -20 is louder