Sound Devices 633 - Manual (Page 26)

Metering
All track levels are displayed on the LCD in the Main Screen. A larger red square under the 20 dBU
marker indicates clipping on the track. A large yellow square indicates limiting activity on the track.
Input clipping
Limiter active
Meters can be displayed with segments or solid lines (Setup Menu option
SYSTEM > Meter Display Style). Track Names can also be displayed on top of meters in various
styles (Setup Menu option SYSTEM > Track Names in Meters). The following screen shots demon-
strate solid meters and the available Track Name display styles.
Meter Appearance Track Name Display Style
Off
Left
Left (w/ramp)
Right
Meter Ballistics
Audio meter “ballistics” is the manner in which a visual meter responds to audio signal levels. The
ballistics of all 633 meters is set globally from Setup Menu option SYSTEM > Meter Ballistics. The
default ballistics setting is Peak + VU.
VU
VU (volume units) meter ballistics correspond closely to how the human ear perceives loudness.
This provides a good visual indication of how loud a signal will be. In VU mode, the attack and
decay of the meter signal is 300 mS. VU meters provide good visual indication of how loud a signal
will be, but provide poor information of actual signal peaks.
Peak + VU
The 633 can simultaneously display VU and Peak level information. In this mode the perceived loud-
ness (VU) is displayed as a standard bar, and the Peak signal as a single, independent segment above
the VU.
Peak Only
Peak-reading ballistics (PPM) correspond to actual signal peaks, but don’t necessarily correspond
to perceived signal loudness. Peak meters have an instantaneous attack and a slow decay to allow
visual monitoring of peak activity. Peak metering is useful when interconnecting to audio inputs on
digital equipment. In the digital realm, signal overload can cause immediate distortion.
633 User Guide and Technical Information
20
v. 1.02 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
Me
ter
ing