XPost: rec.audio.pro, comp.dsp   
   From: mrivers@d-and-d.com   
      
   On 11/19/2010 7:28 PM, Randy Yates wrote:   
      
   > you're bringing   
   > up a problem I hadn't even considered yet - how can you use dB for a   
   > "peak" measurement when it isn't power?   
      
   Easy . Because you WANT to.   
      
   > At this point I am questioning everything myself, but my current   
   > understanding of "peak" is the latter, or more precisely, the   
   > maximum instantaneous level of a rectified AC signal.   
      
   Actually, it's the maximum voltage of the AC signal at the   
   peak portion of the waveform. It needs to be rectified in   
   order to be seen on an analog meter, but when you have an   
   A/D converter looking at the voltage every 1/44,100th of a   
   second (or whatever the sampling rate is) it's looking at   
   the absolute voltage, not an average, not one with all the   
   peaks going in the same direction. The converter needs to   
   convert negative peaks as well as positive ones.   
      
      
   --   
   "Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be   
   operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although   
   it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge   
   of audio." - John Watkinson   
      
   http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com - useful and   
   interesting audio stuff   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)