Mike Rivers wrote:
On 11/22/2010 11:36 AM, Adrian Tuddenham wrote:
They should first know that dB is a power measurement, this is the
fundamental fact on which the rest is based. When they have grasped the
basics, then they can be shown that the voltage is a handy way of
comparing two power levels in the right circumstances (and they can
remember some handy voltage ratios if appropriate).
But most people working in audio don't need to compare power
levels, they need to compare voltage levels. I'd teach them
the "20" formula first. But then you may be more into theory
and less into practice than I am.
I remember the struggles I had in my earlier days, trying to get a grasp
on how to use the dB system. There was so much misinformation and so
many things that didn't add up when you came to match theory with
practice. Nobody seemed to be able to explain what was really going on.
Now most of my recording chain is of my own manufacture and I design
specialist equipment for others. I am in a good position to look back
at my earlier mistakes and misunderstandings and see where I went wrong
(and where I was sent up the wrong path by others). I am also in a good
position to spot when other people are in the same quandry for the same
reasons as I was.
That's why I tend to be a bit pedantic about the use of dB; I know from
experience that a little pedantry at the outset will pay-off later, when
the student moves on and becomes a true professional.
--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk