Good VU meters?

[RoundBadge]

Any suggestions will be appreciated..
for monitoring the mix buss

[3rd world order]

ask tetness.. that monitor controller he got from shadow hills is ****ing SICK, man...

me? I use either software or the VUs in the Studer when I'm mixing.

[JonCraig]

durroughs

--jon

[rowdy finn]

i got one of these and i love it. it has a phase scope and sifam meters. also, it looks great next to an 1176 or la3a. it's made by b-b systems.
http://b-bsystems.com/images/Pictures/Products/am2b.jpg

[norman_nomad]

Sifam meters are fantastic.. very responsive. Cost a bit though.

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by rowdy finn

i got one of these and i love it. it has a phase scope and sifam meters. also, it looks great next to an 1176 or la3a. it's made by b-b systems.
http://b-bsystems.com/images/Pictures/Products/am2b.jpg

That looks cool..
how much?

[Riccardo]

Roundbadge,

Benchmark also has nice rackmountable meters.

Crookwood too, not sure they are rackmountable though.

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by 3rd world order

ask tetness.. that monitor controller he got from shadow hills is ****ing SICK, man...

me? I use either software or the VUs in the Studer when I'm mixing.

Yes,Ive seen Tet's box in person..Awesome
I just think it take forever to get one made at this point
Plus I've got an Avocet on order thumbsup

[RoundBadge]

what about the Coleman stuf?

[Fletcher]

I've been quite pleased with the Coleman stuff.

[max cooper]

http://www.dorrough.com/dorrough/

in case you need the link.

[Jeff16years]

I've been thinking about picking up the coleman MB2

http://colemanaudio.com/

[RoundBadge]

I guess It comes down to $$ now.
The Colemans[$365-400 for a stereo MB-2] will do it for sure,although the Dorroghs[$950. for a pair] have peak indicators as well..
Anyone know who sells the Dorroughs in the U.S.?

[Thermionic]

It's an awful amount to spend on a meter, but IMO, DK make the finest standalone metering units: http://www.dk-audio.com/

The site is down at the 'mo, try here for DK info:

http://musicians-gear.com/lin/data/d.../msd600-ps.htm
Google

They're not as feature-packed as some software packages, but they're accurate and intuitive.

Forgive me if you already know DK; if you've worked on a later model SSL you may have noticed the DK built into the centre-section.

I'm told DKs can surface on auction sites and broadcast clearance sales. You don't need to buy the top-of-the-range MSD600 btw, there are older B+W models and smaller colour models that start around Dorrough kind of money secondhand.

DK were called in by Sony to make custom software for SACD mastering, and considering Sony's own expertise I think that says something.

Justin

edit: I should add that one reason I suspect DK are so good at what they do is the fact that, aside from a few utility products, metering is pretty much all they do, and have done since 1987.

2nd edit: DK's later models also have the bonus function of giving you access to the A-D / D-A converters, and function as a digital patchbay; when you consider the extra useful features, the price starts to make more sense.

[jdunn]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

I guess It comes down to $$ now.
The Colemans[$365-400 for a stereo MB-2] will do it for sure,although the Dorroghs[$950. for a pair] have peak indicators as well..
Anyone know who sells the Dorroughs in the U.S.?

B&H Photo/Video sells the Dorroughs. So does Full Compass I believe. Your thread got me looking at these. Gotta get another wall wart for my Mytek DDD603 digital meter today at Electronic City.

The Dorroughs are tasty. thumbsup

[yeloocproducer]

I think manley is going to be doing something in 2006 that is based on modular mastering components... a meter section with stereo VU and mid/side VU is in the works. Not available at the present moment though.

[jdunn]

Here ya go.

B&H Photo/Dorrough

[SoundEng1]

Hello Roundbadge and Gearslutz Brothers,

If you get a chance to check out the Dorroughs let me know how they worked out, Im in the market for some meters too. Peace.

[A101]

There is also RTW
I have their digital desktop unit

[20to20]

Again, how much for the b-b systems [w/ the x/y scope]...?

[Jim vanBergen]

I have a set of three racked A-40's in my mix room. They are fabulous, I love monitoring VU and PPM simultaneously.

I have used Coleman and B&B. The B&B is more expensive but VERY nice (I love the Lissajous phase scope!) But I like the analog FEEL of the Durroughs while having the security of the PPM. Its a great duality! They are better than my console meters and I also get great security for my ProTools work.

Worth every penny. ALMOST no regrets, I HATE the wall wart!

[D Pinder]

Another vote for the Coleman box.

[Jonathan Starr]

I have the Coleman dual unit and it works great as a simple unit.

Now that you evil slutz have exposed me to the Durroughs, I lust for a dual 40 analog with peak function and pretty colors.

Why did I have to check out this thread?

[TRW]

Some people can't get on with bargraph meters....if thats you then the coleman or b-b look pretty good and Sifam meters are nice quality...

Dorroughs and RTWs look very nice as do DK, however I'll toss another brand into the pot right now:

Wohler metering is fantastic. I believe they use the same digital drivers as Dangerous Music do in their mastering stuff, MQ etc (PrimeLED)....the resolution is fantastic and the display shows simultaneous peak and VU ballistics. Here is a link to the LM106HR (higher res than the cheapest Dorrough and RTW - 0.5dB mid scale)....in person they look absolutely stunning.

Really, really nice metering.
http://www.wohler.com/meters.html

Last time I got a quote for a 53-segment meter it was around £300, so maybe 500-600 USD....the 106 segment above would likely be similar to the Dorroughs, around 1k...but its better IMO.

They do a 30 segement in 1dB steps that might be even cheaper.

HTH
Tom

[grahluk]

Big +1 on both the Dorroughs and DKs. Waaaaay better than analog VU. The Mytek digtal ones are pretty good too. After getting used to simultaneous peak and RMS readings I don't think I could go back. Besides unless you recalibrate or modify an analog VU your -18 or -20 dBFS signal anywhere near full range will bend those needles so far into the red that you might as well not have meters at all. On the software side Metric Halo's Spectra Foo does things hardware meters can't come close to. Approaching a forensic audio tool. On the cheaper side Elemental Audio's Inspektor does a good job of the Dorrough/Mytek style metering in software and it's FREE!

[A101]

These Logitek ones also look good.
It would be nice to have analog on one side and digital on the other, both on the same rack pannel.
www.logitekaudio.com
Any users of these meters?

[MIKEHARRIS]

Dorrough is cool...you can combine both analog and digital meters...do you require moving needles?? the Dorrogh display combines both peak reading and VU
http://www.dorrough.com/dorrough/pro...__380-d_e.html

[silverdisk]

For what its worth, ive never heard of anyone doing a deaf mix with durroughs,

IHAVE heard of people actually releasing deaf mix they did with good old VU's (needles etc..)

although thoughs durroughs do kick ass, especially for mastering and calibration and technical things like that.

no flames please, just adding some information to the mix

[A101]

Originally Posted by silverdisk

For what its worth, ive never heard of anyone doing a deaf mix with durroughs,
IHAVE heard of people actually releasing deaf mix they did with good old VU's (needles etc..)

Why would someone do a deaf mix relaying only on the PPL or VU?

On the other hand I personally find it easier to reference my audio signals through LED bargraph displays.
Furthermore, I’d rather prefer more modern high-end audio gear designers to integrate LED bargraph meters to their designs (or at least have both VU and LED options).

[XSergeantD]

Just make my own. Did this one for the Sony OX3-RD. First rendidtion ended up leaving with the guitarist, so when the engineer came in again and their new client was afraid of the 'digital sound,' this was made and the heater plate was hooked to the knob (along w/ some LEDs below to really make the sucker glow when they went to HOT - and they bought it (fell for it).
Spin and Purge was something from way back working on the Focusrite Forte at ELS