2/5/2010

Signal Level and

Units of Measurements
NATIONAL BROADCASTING NETWORK (NBN-
(NBN-4)

ECE-41724 John Achilles Denna

The Decibel
- dB always describes a ratio of two
quantities that are most often related to
power (but not exclusive to).

- it expresses large quantities into smaller

figures to simplify its expression.

Basic Equation
For Power related figures:
⎛ Pi ⎞
dB = 10 log ⎜ ⎟
⎝ Po ⎠
g
For Voltage/Current related figures:
g
⎛ Ei ⎞
dB = 20 log ⎜ ⎟
⎝ Eo ⎠
• Pi = information power
• Po = reference power
• Ei = information voltage
• Eo = reference voltage

1
 2/5/2010

Problem 1
What is the ratio, in dB, of 2 watts to 1
watt?
Solution:
dB = 10log(P1÷P0)
dB = 10log(2
10l (2 ÷ 1)
dB = 10log(2)
dB = 3

Note: whenever one power is twice another, it is 3dB

greater (or if it is half the power, it is 3dB less)

Problem 2
What is the ratio, in dB, of 100 watts to 10
watts?
Solution:
dB = 10log(P1÷P0)
dB = 10log(100
10l (100 ÷ 10)
dB = 10log(10)
dB = 10

Note: whenever one power is ten times another, it is 10dB

greater (or if it is 1/10 the power, it is 10dB less)

Power-Voltage-Current Relationship
E2 E = PR
P=
R
P
P = I 2R I =
R
Compare 10V and 100V assuming load impedance of 8Ω.
Po = 10²/8 = 12.5W ; Pi = 100²/8 = 1,250W

In terms of Power ratio ; = 10 Log (1,250/12.5)

= 20dB

In terms of Voltage ratio ; = 20 Log (100/10)

= 20dB

2
 2/5/2010

dB Table
POWER VALUE Level in dB Level in dB relative
(Watts) relative to 1Watt to 1mW

1 0.00 dB 30.00 dBm

10 10.00 dB 40.00 dBm

100 20.00 dB 50.00 dBm

200 23.01 dB 53.01 dBm

400 26.02 dB 56.02 dBm

800 29.03 dB 59.03 dBm

1000 30.00 dB 60.00 dBm

2000 33.01 dB 63.01 dBm

4000 36.02 dB 66.02 dBm

8000 39.03 dB 69.03 dBm

10000 40.00 dB 70.00 dBm

20000 43.01 dB 73.01 dBm

40000 46.02 dB 76.02 dBm

80000 49.03 dB 79.03 dBm

100000 50.00 dB 80.00 dBm

1000000 60.00 dB 90.00 dBm

John Achilles Denna

Relative vs Absolute Levels

“dB” in itself, has no absolute value. It needs standard
reference value to describe a specific quantity.

Example:
“The audio console’s maximum output level is +20dB.”
Above 1milliwatt
1milliwatt.
Question : What does this expression give you?

The First Statement is meaningless because it doesn’t

specify the reference.
Adding additional information actually tells us that the
console is capable of delivering 100milliwatts into some
load.

dB to Electrical Signal Relationship

• dBm
– an expression of electrical power level referenced
to 1milliwatt.

Therefore, 0dBm = 1mW

has no reference to either voltage or impedance ! As per

Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) Volume 28.

• The typical circuit in which dBm was measured when the term was
first devised was a 600Ω telephone line. Which results to a voltage
dissipation of 0.775Vrms.

• Note : it does not necessarily mean that 0dBm automatically

equates to 0.775Vrms, this expression only applies if the load
impedance is 600Ω, but 0dBm always mean 1milliwatt.

3
 2/5/2010

Example
* The audio console’s maximum output level is
+20dBm.

** The audio console’s maximum output level is

+20dBm into a 600Ω load.

What is now the dB relationship in terms of voltage and

power of this expression ? assuming load impedance
of 600Ω.
Ans. Max. output voltage = 7.75Vrms
Max. Power output = 100mW

Decibel and Sound Level

• Most modern audio equipment (consoles, tape decks,
signal processors, etc.) are sensitive to voltage levels
in which Power output is not really a consideration
except for Power Amplifiers driving loudspeakers in
which “Watts” are a common expression.

• The term dBm expresses power ratio, so how does it

relate to voltage?
– Ans: no direct relationship, although voltage can be calculated
if the impedance is given.

• To minimize complications in the various expressions

in dB of Power and Voltage, another dB term was
proposed,…that is…..

dBu
It is the term more appropriate in expressing output
or input voltage.

an expression of output / input voltage, which implies

that 0dBu is equal to 0.775V, however dBu value
i nott d
is dependent
d t on th
the lload.
d

The voltage represented by dBu is equal to dBm if

and only if the dBm figure is derived with 600Ω
load!

The “u” in dBu stands for “unloaded”

4
 2/5/2010

Example
* The console’s maximum output level is
+20dBu into a 10KΩ or higher impedance
load.
Comparing this question to the previous, …
** The audio console’s maximum output level is
+20dBm into a 600Ω load.
20dBu = 7.75V on a load equal or greater than 10KΩ
while 20dBm=7.75V into a 600Ω load. There is a
mismatch in impedance.
The 2nd example specifies for a 600Ω load to be the
same with the 1st. However, if the 1st example is made
to be connected to a 600Ω termination, the output would
probably drop in voltage, increase distortion and burn
out!.

dBV and dBv

dBu is a recent relative voltage referenced term,
and for many years, dBV denoted a voltage-
referenced, with 0 dBV = 1 Vrms.

In this case,, the NAB adopted

p the used of lower
case “v” to denote the voltage value
corresponding the power in dBm (i.e. dBv was
a voltage-related term with 0 dBv = 0.775 volts)

Relating Level to Voltage

5
 2/5/2010

Example
1. “The nominal output level is +4dBv”
2. “The nominal output level is +4dBV”

These two statements seems to be identical, but if

you’ll notice the units are not the same.

The 1st statement will deliver a nominal output of

1.23 Vrms
The 2nd statement will deliver a nominal output of
1.6 Vrms

Example
1. “The nominal output level is +4dBv”
2. “The nominal output level is +4dBu”

These two statements are the same, and the only

difference is that, the latter is the preferable
usage today.

Note: the only difference between dBu (or dBv) and

dBV is the actual voltage chosen as the
reference for 0dBV and dBu or dBv, that is 1 volt
and 0.775Vrms respectively.

Conversion of units

6
 2/5/2010

Relating dBV to dBu and dBm to Specs

The standard for Phono jack inputs and outputs are
rated in dBV (1 Volt reference)
Note:
Typical line level phono jack inputs and outputs are
intended for used with high impedance equipment, which
is basically sensitive to voltage rather than power, thus
their nominal level is -10dBV.

XLR connectors and some phone jack output levels

are rated in dBm (1mW reference) or dBu
(0.775Vrms reference)
Note:
XLR are intended for low or high impedance equipment
which has a nominal level of +4dBu (sound
reinforcement) and +8dBu (recording for broadcasting)

dbW and dB SPL

dBW
0 dBW is 1 Wat
• This unit is referenced to 1 watt

dB SPL
⎛ P ⎞
dB SPL = 20 log ⎜ actual ⎟
⎜P ⎟
⎝ reference ⎠
Where: Pa= actual pressure level
Pr= 0.00002N/m2
= 0.0002dyne/cm2

Volume, Gain, and Level

Three most often misused terms in audio:

Volume
Defined as the power level
Gain
If not specified, it refers to be transmission gain,
which is the power increase of a signal,
expressed in dB.
Level
Defined as the magnitude of a quantity in relation
to an arbitrary reference value (e.g. SPL)

7
 2/5/2010

Equal Loudness Contours

Equal Loudness Contours

• The Figure shows the relationship between phons
and decibels, and illustrates the well-known
Robinson-Dadson equal loudness contours.

Note:
Phons and decibels share the same numerical
value only at 1000 Hz.

• In general, the ear becomes less sensitive to

sounds at low frequencies, thus it takes more sound
pressure at lower frequencies and at a very high
frequencies for us to believe a sound is equally loud
as a sound at 1000Hz.

Loudness Control

8
 2/5/2010

Area of Audibility

Hearing Response
• Using the Equal loudness contour, the peak hearing
sensitivity comes between 3000 and 4000Hz in
which is the resonant frequency range of the outer
ear canal
• The small size of the ear drum also affects the
difficulty of human to respond with low frequencies
(long wavelength).
• With the equal loudness contour, it generally tell us
that the hearing ability of a human is not linear.

Dynamic Range
- It is the difference between the loudest and most
silent portion of a program signal (sound)
- For sound systems, it is the difference between
the peak output level and the electro-acoustic
noise-floor.

Dynamic Range (dB) = Loudest part of the

sound – noise floor

Dynamic range has nothing to do with dBm, dBu, or

dB SPL as it is typically referenced to dB to
denote the range of audible sounds in a particular
“program”

9
 2/5/2010

Example 1
Examine a typical rock concert:
“The sound levels at the microphones (not in the
audience) may range from 40 dB SPL (the
audience, wind, and traffic noise at the mic during a
very quiet momentary pause) to 130 dB SPL
(beyond the threshold of pain)”
pain)

Dynamic Range (dB) = 130 dB SPL – 40 dB SPL

= 90 dB

Example 2 (Electrical Dynamic Range)

“When the sound level reach 130 dB SPL at the mic,
the maximum line levels (at the mixing console’s
output) may reach +24 dBu (12.3V). Similarly when
the sound level falls to 40 dB SPL, the minimum line
level falls to -66 dBu (388 micro volts)”

Dynamic Range (dB) = +24 dBu – (-66 dBu)

= 90 dB

Acoustical Dynamic Range

• Acoustical dynamic range deal mostly with
loudspeakers
• This specify the response of the speaker (i.e. if the
speakers aren’t capable of such range, then the
output signal is distorted which lead to serious
damage on the peaks)

“Program dynamic range deal with microphones”

“Electrical dynamic range deal with audio consoles
and power amplifiers”

10
 2/5/2010

Acoustical Dynamic Range

“What are the actual sound levels that must be
produced?”

Ans:
That all depends on the distance between the
audience and the loud speakers and how loud the
sound one wants to be at the audience.

The peak sound level we might accept as

reasonable facsimile for this excitement is
120dBSPL

Dynamic Range
Dynamic range of the system can be increase by:
– Increasing the sound system maximum sound level
capability
– Making the environment quieter (good acoustical
treatment) in which it also cut down the excess
reverberation

Note:
for every 3dB increase in sound level requires exactly
twice the capability in both power amplifiers and
speakers (this leads to another cost)

Dynamic Range
When dynamic range of the program material
exceeds the dynamic range capability of the sound
system, some combination of the following will
result:

– Program peaks will be distorted due to clipping and/or

loudspeaker break-up
– Quiet passage will not be heard because they will be
below the electrical and/or acoustic noise floor.

11
 2/5/2010

Dynamic Range (Compressor)

Compressor
• A signal processing device that cuts down the
dynamic range into a certain level

• Compression side effects:

– Making quiet breath sounds louder
– Creating a pumping effect
– Increasing the distortion of low frequency signals

Note:
distorting on peaks is not acceptable either, thus we may
use compression only above a given threshold,
otherwise not at all.

Compressor
• The key to understanding compressors is always
to think in terms of increasing level changes in
dB above the threshold point.

• A compressor makes these increases smaller

smaller.
From the example, for every 1.6 dB increase
above the threshold point the output only
increases 1 dB. In this regard, compressors
make loud sounds quieter. If the sound gets
louder by 1.6 dB and the output only increases
by 1 dB, then the loud sound is now quieter.

12
 2/5/2010

Compression above a threshold

Compressor Applications
• Reduce the dynamic range of a vocal to enable
it to remain present and audible in a mix when
competing with other amplified instruments.
Used when mixing both live and recorded
material.

• Reduce dynamic range of vocalists and other

musical instruments that exceed the recording or
reproduction capability.

• Prevent clipping and distortion in live sound

systems or recording chains.

Compressor Applications
• Produce louder recordings for broadcast.

• Control the creation of sound. When used in

conjunction with microphones and instrument
pickups,
p p , compressors
p help
p determine the final
timbre by selectively compressing specific
frequencies and waveforms.
– Common examples are fattening drum sounds,
increasing guitar sustain, vocal smoothing, and
bringing up (punching) specific sounds in the mix.

13
 2/5/2010

Limiters
• Permits compression to be applied above a set
threshold level
• An electronic device that limits the output level
from rising any higher, with infinite compression, or
very much higher, with 10:1 compression,
regardless of further increases in input signal
• Typical compression ratio is from 8:1 to 20:1

Example
• Suppose the threshold is set to +15dBu, and the
compression ratio is 10:1, so long as the input to
compressor is below +15dBu, the limiter’s output
level exactly matches its input

14
 2/5/2010

Compander
• A noise reduction system (companders) which
allows the original program dynamics to be
maintained throughout the recording and playback
process by compressing the program dynamic
range before it goes onto tape , and complimentary
expanding
di ththe d
dynamici range as th
the program iis
retrieved from the tape

Headroom
• It is the average electronic line level in the concert
sound (+4dBu), corresponding to an average
sound level of 110dBSPL at the microphone.
• A.K.A. Nominal program level

• The difference between the nominal and highest

(peak) level in a program

15
 2/5/2010

Headroom

Headroom = Peak Level – Nominal level

= 130dBSPL – 110dBSPL
= 20dB

Headroom = Peak Level – Nominal level

= +24dBu – (+4dBu)
= 20dB

Why Headroom is Important

• As specification, it tells us the ability of the sound
system to handle loud program peaks
• Sound systems with greater headroom will be
able to handle louder peaks before distorting or
destroying itself

Headroom Requirements
Choice on headroom figure depends on:
– Type of program material
– The Application
– Available budget for amplifiers

Typical Headroom Values

15 to 20dB – for musical application in which high fidelity is
the ultimate consideration
10 dB – for sound reinforcement application (in which
compressor or limiter can help hold the
program peaks within the chosen headroom
value, thus avoid clipping problems)

16
 2/5/2010

Dynamic Range and Headroom

References
• Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook
• Master Handbook of Acoustics
• JBL Sound System Design

Thank you for your

attention….

17
 2/5/2010

John Achilles Denna

18