Where can I get a cheap VU meter?

[Last Legend]

To check average levels with. Must be cheap.

[dave-G]

try http://www.colemanaudio.com/

Their stereo VU meter is $360

-dave

[Jay Kahrs]

I'm sure there's a way to buy a VU meter and some resistors and wire it up yourself. Should be a simple DIY project. You could also look for a piece of gear with a VU meter on it. There are times when I'll send something to a tape return on the console just to see the VU reading before I hit the A/D converter.

[Tim L]

You can get raw Vu's from Selco . I have no idea what it would cost but it shouldn't be too hard to throw something together.

[Bob Olhsson]

Real VU meters are never cheap. Fake ones don't have the right ballistics and aren't uniform from unit to unit so you never really learn them.

[Dave Martin]

How cheap? I just bought a pair of raw Sifam meters for under $40 each.

[Jay Kahrs]

What else is needed to make a raw VU meter work? Is it as simple as attaching an XLR?

[Dave Martin]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
What else is needed to make a raw VU meter work? Is it as simple as attaching an XLR?

I dunno - I bought these to use in a pair of old GE broadcast limiters. In any case, thank goodnes that the tech knows what he's doing...

[JRE Productions]

It seems to me (if I remember correctly) they went inline with the audio signal. Meaning you could put them in an insert point of the main outs and get them to work without any other components as long as they are set up for the signal level you are using. (+4 or -10) Or between the outs of a board and the ins of a mixdown deck ect....

Not sure if this method would have an effect on the sound quality.

Joe

[hollywood_steve]

If you look at the schematics for any gear with onboard meters, you will almost always find a "buffer amp" located where the meter is tied into the circuit. You'll need to talk with a real tech to get the details of How and Why, but that seems to be the way it is usually done. I avoided having to learn about this when I bought a pair of Dorrough meters which are fully self-contained. If you just want to know your signal levels, you can find reasonably accurate LED meters for a lot less than real VU meters, probably about as low as $100 for a stereo pair that are self-contained like the Dorrough meters. But for real VU meters, a complete "meter system in a box" is gonna run more like $300 for the Colemans or maybe the least expensive Logitek model. For more complete info from somebody who really knows what they're talking about (unlike me) you might want to ask this question on one of the Tech forums, like the John Klett forum on RecPit.

But even though I love vintage gear (and have a bunch of the old stuff), I'd be bummed if I had to get by with just a regular VU meter anymore, even a high quality set. Once you've used a combination meter, like the Dorrough, that shows peak and average levels simultaneously, you won't want to give up that extra info - it can be VERY useful.

steve
lex125@pacbell.net

[Jay Kahrs]

Steve Remote has a box with VU meters, digital meter on LED's and a scope all in the same rack. It's pretty sweet and I want one.

[towerman]

Markertek just came out with a whole bunch of low cost small audio products that are really cool and fit the bill. They have a OMX-INVU2(unbalanced) and OMX-INVU1(balanced). They are 12VDC operated and cost 159.95 and 169.95(balanced with XLRs).

Check them out: Audio and Video Equipment - Professional Broadcast Studio Equipment - Markertek.com

[mixedupsteve]

I was looking for a monitoring solution and came across this. Anyone use these yet?

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by mixedupsteve

I was looking for a monitoring solution and came across this. Anyone use these yet?

VU meters are not cheap. Good ones will run you some bucks. You need a VU meter a 3600 ohm resistor and you can bridge a 600 ohm line. Here is more than you probably wanted to know Understanding the Volume Unit

Also as others have pointed out you normally would want to buffer the VU meter because it can increase the distortion by putting a rectifier across your audio lines.

Here is a quick schematic of a buffer amplifier. http://www.brianroth.com/library/vu-buffer.pdf

Best of luck!

[sonare]

The ultimate VU is the Dorrough Loudness Meter. I used to own a pair and then realized I did not need them, as there is no sense in going any higher than -6dBFS.

Rich

[loujudson]

Originally Posted by towerman

Markertek just came out with a whole bunch of low cost small audio products that are really cool and fit the bill. They have a OMX-INVU2(unbalanced) and OMX-INVU1(balanced). They are 12VDC operated and cost 159.95 and 169.95(balanced with XLRs).

Check them out: Audio and Video Equipment - Professional Broadcast Studio Equipment - Markertek.com

The appelation "VU" is inaccurate in this case. That's an LED audio level meter, not a VU indicator!
Cute, though.
L

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by sonare

The ultimate VU is the Dorrough Loudness Meter. I used to own a pair and then realized I did not need them, as there is no sense in going any higher than -6dBFS.

Rich

Actually the Dorrough is a loudness meter and not a VU meter per se. It gives you peak and average reading where a VU meter gives you averages. I own both the Dorroughs and VU meters and use them for different things.

There are always VU meters on Ebay ranging from ARC GL08 STEREO VU METER FOR AUDIO / HI FI PANEL MT - eBay (item 360096306474 end time Mar-07-09 22:50:53 PST)

to

SIMPSON LARGE 50'S STYLE VU METERS ALTEC PANEL, AMPEX - eBay (item 280315871203 end time Mar-01-09 10:09:27 PST)

to

COLEMAN AUDIO - MB2 Stereo Microphone VU Meters - eBay (item 310124672271 end time Mar-01-09 19:10:00 PST)

You just have to figure out what you want to spend.

[nosebleedaudio]

I have a few old MCI JH-110 meters, $20.00 ea...

[Barnabas]

FInd an old cassette recorder that has VU meters. Most people are giving them away.

[nosebleedaudio]

Originally Posted by Barnabas

FInd an old cassette recorder that has VU meters. Most people are giving them away.

Thats true, have kept reel to reel meters for same reason, just a shame to trash them..