Sound Devices 664 - Manual (Page 22)

Metering
Input, Track, and RTN levels are displayed in the various Meter Views on the Main Screen ( see Meter
Views ). Each segment of the meter represents 1 dB. 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 664 meters is set globally from Setup Menu option SYSTEM > Meter Ballistics.
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 664 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.
664 User Guide and Technical Information
v. 2.02 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
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