Why decibel instead of bel

Pushing the fader above 0 dB will boost the signal. Pulling the fader below 0 dB will attenuate, or reduce, the signal. In the case of a fader on a mixing console or in a DAW, unity gain is the 0 dB reference point.

Decibel values above unity are positive and decibel values below unity are negative. Values greater than that reference point are written as positive numbers, while values lesser than that reference point are written as negative numbers. Decibels can be used to describe quantities that relate to many things, including light, sound, radio waves, and electricity. For many applications of the decibel, there are standardized reference points for defining 0 dB in absolute terms.

Each application has its own suffix i. The references for 0 dB listed in this chart bring meaning to the various types of decibels. Therefore, we know that 80 dB SPL is 80 decibels louder than the quietest sound humans can hear.

Therefore, the highest level possible in a fixed point digital audio system is 0 dB FS. If a digital audio signal exceeds 0 dB Full Scale in a fixed point system, digital clipping will occur.

This will allow you to find the ratio in decibels between absolute units like volts, watts, or pascals. A decibel and a Bel have the same relationship as a decimeter and a meter. The formula for decibel calculations will make a lot more sense if you understand how the decibel relates to the Bel.

To do this, simply determine the ratio between the two powers by dividing the second power by the first power. The decibel is one tenth of a Bel. To convert Bels to decibels, you simply multiply by For many, the most confusing aspect of using the decibel is deciding which formula to use in a given situation. Pro Tools. Notice how the fader scale is intentionally and mistakenly shown with 12dB on top.

That is done to induce you to do the right thing while mixing imitating a mixing console. Free Store with custom merch. No hidden fees. Decibel from A to Z This is a brief list of things you should keep in mind about decibel: There is more than one kind of decibel.

The dB has no embedded unit. It has to be applied to things like tension, voltage, sound pressure, etc. Decibels are relatives. The dB will always be comparing something to a unit of reference. That being said: All kinds of decibels have their own unit of reference. Decibels are a comparative unit.

When we talk about dB, we are talking in comparison. If we say something has X decibels, we are already comparing two things — in this case the actual number with the unit of reference of the scale we are using. But here is a list of where decibels are easy to find: dBSPL: Charts comparing volume in different situations of our daily life; decibel meters, recomendation of mixing volume levels; car audio championships.

Highly used in calculation, due to the 1V reference. Pascal is the international unit of measurement for sound pressure. This gets to the very essence of how sound works when transduced into electricity.

To go into it in-depth is a bit beyond the scope of this article, but you can check out this piece for a deeper look into dBu. As engineers, we rely on the decibel to evaluate the specifications of microphones, compressors, and audio interfaces. These specifications tell us something before we ever hear this gear in action. We qualify how hard a preamp can be driven before it incurs distortion. We do this not only to achieve better sonics, but to ensure greater consistency: you never know when you have to revisit a project and recall settings!

We also calibrate our gear. Mastering engineers calibrate their converters with their analog hardware to ensure they have the right amount of headroom.

We could doubtlessly get into other types of decibels. That is the topic for a textbook however, not a blog post. Or would you rather feel your way through? Learn the basics of digital audio and how a computer handles sound, from audio sample rate to bit depth.

Understanding signal flow in DAW-based recording and mixing is vital for efficient music production. Learn the basics through two simple, downloadable charts. Digital reverb is a game-changer. In this article, we discuss how digital reverb works and considerations when using it. Get top stories of the week and special discount offers right in your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. Never Miss an Article! But hold the phone: we use the decibel, not the Bel.

How did that come to be? So, what is a decibel anyway? On a linear scale, this is only twice as great as the original number. If we start at 10 on a logarithmic scale and count upward by only ONE space, this represents a fold increase in quantity. This method of representing numbers is of great value in situations where large variations in quantity are involved, such as the differences in sound intensity.

This universal scientific scale is now known as the decibel, which is a logarithmic way of describing the ratio between two quantities. The story of how it came to be so named is quite straightforward. Telephone circuits are prone to losses in signal power over transmissions lines, and thus a need existed to quantify the magnitude of these losses. This is the amount of power or signal intensity that was lost over one mile of cable.

Over time, this measure was standardized and renamed as the Transmission Unit, or the TU. In honor of Graham Bell, this measure was eventually renamed again to the Bel. One tenth of a Bel is thus a decibel, which is the unit of measure now used universally. Let's face it, there are times and places in life when it is harder to wake up from a deep sleep than others.