Alignment / Level question

[aaron]

Ok, I'm in the process of aligning my Fostex model 80 and kickin' it back into shape. I do have a question though.

The manual calls for a -10dbV, 1khz signal for all the rep/rec adjustments. What is this level in VOLTAGE? I have a scope, so I could measure peak-to-peak, but if it's just a 1khz signal, could I also measure it with a AC voltmeter with a 0-2V range? What is -10dbV in RMS/peak-to-peak?

Once I know what I'm measuring and exactly what voltage it is, I'll be able to continue.

Thanks!
-aaron

[jerrymac]

maybe this will help:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_ar ... ibels.html

it's tough to look up stuff about db on a search engine, i just sifted through a lot of stuff about computer programming and databases (dbs) to find this. I knew I had seen it before...
jerrymac

[aaron]

ohhh.. ok. So .316Vrms is -10dbV. Now, would it be ok to measure this votlage with a regular old AC voltmeter? I have one that has a 0-2V range.

[jerrymac]

i think so. the thing that i think is weird is that possibly an AC voltmeter acts as a load and can change the reading? there's that whole thing about the .775 across a 600 ohm load equaling 1dBu...if you've got a scope, you could check and see the difference. although, really, i bet 0.316 on the meter would be fine.

[aaron]

I'd think that the impedance of the voltmeter would be high enough compared to the output of the tape deck to make it irrelevant...

How does everyone else here measure level when you don't have a VU meter for reference?

[stewd]

i've always been curious on how to align and calibrate VU meters?