Anyone use an external vu or led meter?

[The Elf]

Well I can confirm I’ve done just that not long ago. I agree - another of these things that if we let it go it will become the norm.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peevy]

Wonks wrote:Note that the Clarity M requires AES3 digital inputs, so isn't suitable for a lot of systems without some form of extra conversion device.It is a digital-input device -- It has no analogue inputs at all -- but it will happily accept coaxial or optical S/PDIF as well as AES3, so you can run it from a spare S/PDIF output on the interface if you have one...

Would something cheap and cheerful like this work for converting an analogue audio source out into the digital inputs on the Clarity M Stereo.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Digi ... s9dHJ1ZQ==

I was wondering if it could be a useful addition to my Zoom F8 for on location recording. Take the outs from the Zoom into the Clarity M Stereo. Not so much for levels but for the vector scope and correlation meter capability?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Sure... But you'll need to know -- and ideally adjust -- the analogue-digital alignment level to be able to configure the meter for accurate level and loudness displays.

[Peevy]

Sure... But you'll need to know -- and ideally adjust -- the analogue-digital alignment level to be able to configure the meter for accurate level and loudness displays.

Thanks Hugh

Could be a neat little setup to help with seeing what’s going on while recording on the F8. I think I’d be able to work out how to get the alignment right after a bit of head scratching.

And the Clarity M Stereo would be a nice bit of useful desktop bling the rest of the time!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Could be a neat little setup to help with seeing what’s going on while recording on the F8.

I find a vectorscope very useful when recording. I use a little (obsolete) dk technology meter with my nagra vi, so I can see your thinking.

[Peevy]

I find a vectorscope very useful when recording. I use a little (obsolete) dk technology meter with my nagra vi, so I can see your thinking.

Looks like I may have to give it a try!

[The Elf]

I recently discovered that I can provide the USB feed to my Clarity M *and* the power (using one of those Ripcord USB/power cables - 9V, but it seems to work OK) to it from the two USB ports on my X-Touch. Combined with a RAM mount to my X-Touch's pedestal it makes a very cable-tidy mixing station!

[Peevy]

I’m pleased to report that the Clarity M (with the cheap and cheerful analogue to digital converter as above) is working fine with the Zoom F8. (Stereo mini jack out of sub 1 & 2 to rca phonos into converter. Then connected via Toslink to Clarity M)

Loudness peak levels are about 8db up on the Clarity M as far as I can tell, but I’ve still to take a proper look at that. But main reason for the Clarity M with Zoom F8 is for the vector scope and correlation meter on location and that works great!

Also works perfect with my DAW.

[The Elf]

The Clarity M has become indispensable to me since loudness normalisation became the standard. Play the track through, check the screen - there's your answer. It really is that simple. I've always run mine as a plug-in on my monitoring output - it just sits there and does the job.



(Image moved to the right post for you! HR)

[Telegraph Audio]

We use Soviet indicators in our devices. And we do the lighting ourselves. It looks very interesting and very comfortable.

[Telegraph Audio]

Look at the https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... 37#p645437 ! This is Soviet vu ! We use them in our devices! It is very beautiful and comfortable!

[Dr Huge Longjohns]

Sorry, I'm not really understanding these two posts?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Drive-by self-promo post...

Russian-made preamps/channel strips that use Russian-made backlit VU meters. Vaguely related subject I guess... but not actually relevant to the OP's requirement for a rack-mount meter system.

New member, not familiar with the ways of the SOS forum and English not the first language. An amount of slack is being cut...

H

[jodaki]

Regarding the Clarity M Stereo.

Is this better/more accurate than the plugin meters I use in Logic (Waves Dorrough and the Logic Loudness meter)?

If so then how would I best connect it, Ive got the following options:

- USB out from my computer

spare outputs from my converter:
- adat
- coaxial spdif

- with my crookwood monitor controller

Id probably prefer the USB option for simplicity if that will work as well as the other connection types.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Is this better/more accurate than the plugin meters...

It's the same -- Loudness measurements are defined precisely and every meter uses the same algorithms.

If so then how would I best connect it

It doesn't matter from an accuracy point of view as they are all straight digital feeds... so use whichever is more convenient.

However, you might want to connect it to the dedicated meter output of the monitor controller itself, so that it follows whatever you are listening to. The only downside with that is that the meter output on the Crookwood is usually analogue, so you'd need an A-D to feed the meter.

In my own setup I have an analogue BBC-style twin-twin PPM on the Crookwood monitor controller's outputs, and a DK technologies MSD600M++ digital meter across the digital record outputs of the Crookwood mastering console.

[The Elf]

Id probably prefer the USB option for simplicity if that will work as well as the other connection types.

With USB it's pretty much a case of plug and forget. I've had no problems.

The pain for me was always having to trail the (very short) power cable to a convenient location, but once I discovered the trick above that became a non-issue.

[jodaki]

With USB it's pretty much a case of plug and forget. I've had no problems.

I initially thought of this in terms of freeing up the screen space taken by the meter plugins in Logic when Im mixing (I have them open quite a lot). So getting the meters onto my desk would be great.

But I like Hugh's idea of meters across the monitor controller for general playback too so I can have a look at the levels of whatever Im playing. I think doing this would be a good exercise for tuning my ears.

With that in mind I'm thinking I might try connecting the Clarity M Stereo to BOTH its optical and USB ports and switching between them so it can monitor my controller and DAW.

I think I could take the analogue out of my controller, into a channel on a spare interface, then optically out to the Clarity M Stereo, and also connect the computer to the USB. I could turn off the DAW feed using the IO plugin and turn off the controller feed using my controller pod. Or even easier if the Clarity had a source select switch.

[ConcertinaChap]

I've been thinking about the same issue. On my audio interface (an Apollo 8) I've set the monitor output to bypass the output gain, i.e. disabling the AI's volume control because I'm using a monitor controller. The monitor output can be duplicated to the S/PDIF output so all I need do is plug the Clarity M into the S/PDIF and I'll get everything metered at it's full value from the interface. So I don't think I'd need to use the USB route at all. Does that sound right?

CC

[Hugh Robjohns]

Yes.

[BillB]

At the other end of the scale (see what I did there? ) there are things like the Thomann t-racks DB meter for less than £50... but you're looking at a standard chip-based meter like those in budget consoles which won't have particularly accurate ballistics. It does have input trimmers, though, so it can be calibrated to some extent.


https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_t.racks_dbmeter.htm

Just to follow up on this cheap 'VU Meter'. I was looking for something similar and came across an American Audio VU Meter - which appears to be identical to the Thomann unit. Having seen a number of YouTube videos which denounced its metering capabilities (as Hugh says, it could show the presence of a signal, but that's about it) I nonetheless picked one up because of this site:
http://kevin.kevino.org/tubes/aa.shtml
which goes into detail about the shortcomings of the unit but also provides a circuit/hack to better calibrate the meter. It is still on my list of rainy day projects, but strangely, there are never enough rainy days...

[BillB]

Just to add to the sum of human knowledge on this specific point, i recalled an exchange with the author of the American Audio VU meter hack, as follows:

Me:
I was very interested in your Log amp conversion for the American Audio VU meter. The schematic shows 4 capacitors per channel but I can only see 4 in total on the board you made, and only 2 diodes. Did you solder some components on the underside, or is the schematic different to what you built?

Kevin:
It's been quite a while since I did this so I'm going off of memory....
Diodes: Each pair of diodes are wired in parallel with one mounted directly over the other. Only one of each pair is visible in the photo because the lower one of each pair is hidden from view by the upper one.
Caps: The four caps you can clearly see in the photo are the input and output caps.
There are only two more, running from plus 10 v and ground to make the floating ground and those are shared by both channels. (The TL072 has only one set of power pins for both sides.)

Hope that helps anyone treading this path...

[ConcertinaChap]

Just an update on those Clarity M Stereos for £210 at DV247 (or MusicStore.de ...). They are out of stock and not expected in until March sometime. However the full fat Clarity M is in stock for just £255 which strikes me as even more of a bargain since it does everything the stereo does but with future proofing. So with the whiplash action of superbly trained muscles I clicked the "Buy" button.

https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/TC-Elec ... 012891-000

CC

[Luke W]

I'd noticed that the 5.1 version is only slightly more expensive, seems like a bit of a steal at the current price.

I'm sure I'll still manage to hang on until they're double the price again...

[jodaki]

For some reason TC marketing people have made it difficult to compare features between the M and M Stereo and it looks from some photos that there may be some stereo features lacking on the M (for example the M Stereo looks to have overload indicators in the TP section, and it has a balance-o-meter display not shown in photos of the M where it is analysing stereo). Does anyone know if there actually are any differences apart from the M being able to work with surround?

In other words, does the M have all of the stereo analysing features of the M Stereo?

[Hugh Robjohns]

Having seen a number of YouTube videos which denounced its metering capabilities...

From the description of symptoms, and the proclaimed 'fix' it sounds like the thing was built with linear LED-driving chips rather than logarithmic ones!

H