ABSTRACT
CHAPTER OUTLINE Basic Specifications..................................................................................................................87 Attenuator ....................................................................................................................................88 Impedance ....................................................................................................................................88 The Confusion.............................................................................................................................89 The SVI and Peaks.................................................................................................................. 90 The “Modern” VU Meter........................................................................................................ 90 Calibration Using the VU Meter ......................................................................................... 90 Bibliography................................................................................................................................ 90
The Standard Volume Indicator (SVI) (also commonly known as a VU meter)
was originally developed by the Bell System around 1940. It was standardized
in 1942 (American Standards Association (ASA), C16.5-1942: American
Recommended Practice for Volume Measurements of Electrical Speech and
Program Waves), and has ever since been the most used e and perhaps most misused and misunderstood e analog level meter in audio. The latest reaffirma-
tion of the standard was issued by the IEC in 1990. The ANSI standard was
withdrawn in 1999.
