Hello everyone!

I have just started my audio engineering diploma course at SAE. Its all really cool, but I have a few problems getting my head around logarithms.

Does anyone out there know of a good place online where I might find find some help?

Thanks!

Hmmm what seems to be the problem...

Logarithms are fairly easy if you have a calculator.

I assume you are considering calculating decibels from two given values? Either volts or watts?

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-21,GGGL:en&q=decibel+calculator

That search string would get you started, but if you need walking through how the forumla works, I'll reply and post that too.

Cheers
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Recording Studio Suntans

Yes, thank you.

Its the formulas I am having a little trouble with. Some guidance would be much appreciated.

Cheers

For voltage you would use:

dB = 20 log (v2/v1)

This means twenty times the logarithm of the v2/v1 sum.

For example if we took a mixing console fader and found one point to read

0.125 and then moved the fader higher and measured it to read 0.25 the sum would be as follows:

0.25/0.125 = 2

log 2 = 0.30102999566398119521373889472449

20 x 0.30102999566398119521373889472449 = 6

+6dB

So the increase from 0.125 to 0.25 = +6dB

I used these figures because a doubling always is +6, as is a halving -6.

So if you place a microphone twice as far away from a sound source you would have a -6 drop off in output.

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for watts we use:

dB = 10 log (P2/P2)

Having P2 as the hightest value gives a + output.

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Often we use a reference level, for example 0dBu = 0.775.


Does that help?
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Recording Studio Suntans

Yes thank you, that will prove very useful.

Cheers

sorry guys! lol, i'm a noob at this stuff, its my dream and all to become a recording engineer. i already know the schol i'm gonna go to after i graduate. but what the heck is a logarithm?
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i happen to think avril lavigne is a rather talented individual. so be nice today! dont judge someone you dont know. true artists should be able to express themselves in any way possible! lol <3

Here is the definition of logs:

LOGARITHMS
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Recording Studio Suntans