question about -10db and +4db

[danc2heaven]

hello i was wondering if someone could give me a rundown on what exactly this is and what it is for i have a 828mkII and im trying to figure out what all this means. how should i set up the mic,,, how should i set up electric guitar. thanks ,

[Studiowerks]

I'd recommend going to the Sweetwater Insync site to get a better understanding of +4dBu and -10dBV- they have a few good discussions on it. Go to the bottom of the page and do a search on dB or similar.

I'll give ya my two cents...
+4dBu represents a signal of 1.23v, while -10dBV is a 0.316v signal. So changing the inputs on the 828 to -10dBV will make them more sensitive to accept the smaller signal. What you want this set to all depends on what signal level the equipment sending the signal to the 828 has.

For guitar and mic signals, they are much lower signal levels than either of these (say 10-100mV). So use of channels 1 or 2 on the 828, or a preamp would be recommended to get a good level (and sound).

Steve

[WKWizard]

+4 is a hot signal, typically produced from a mic or instrument. A -10 signal, or line level, is typically found in signal processors and the like.

[sdemott]

-10 dBV is referenced to 1 volt: dBV = 20 * log (volts/1)
+4 dBu is referenced to .775 volts: dBu = 20 * log (volts/.775)

The +4dBu signal is a hotter signal (roughly 11/12 dB hotter) than the -10 dBV signal. The real question is what are you feeding? +4 dBu is considered "pro" and "-10" is consumer. Keep it at +4 unless you are having problems with overloading.

HTH