Trey LaCroix Posted March 29, 2020 Report Share Posted March 29, 2020 I’m using this time to reconfigure my cart and was wondering if someone could recommend a physical peak meter I could stick above my recorder. My Scorpio has a tiny ass screen that has been pissing me off as of late. Want some big bright bulbs! *I realize the "something" is a single world. It autocorrected to that when I typed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TVPostSound Posted March 29, 2020 Report Share Posted March 29, 2020 https://reverb.com/item/31922225-dorrough-40-c2-stereo-pair-black Loudness and peak!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanovich Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 also recommend the dorrough meters. or if you want some VU peak meters, sifam also makes different kinds that you can rack up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey LaCroix Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, TVPostSound said: https://reverb.com/item/31922225-dorrough-40-c2-stereo-pair-black Loudness and peak!! 2 minutes ago, ivanovich said: also recommend the dorrough meters. or if you want some VU peak meters, sifam also makes different kinds that you can rack up Can Dorrough meters run on DC? I seem to recall that they only run on AC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanovich Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, Trey LaCroix said: Can Dorrough meters run on DC? I seem to recall that they only run on AC. I believe most of them can run on 10v-16v and use about 6watts. the sifam analog meters dont require any power if you decide not to power the lamps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 32 minutes ago, ivanovich said: ... the sifam analog meters dont require any power if you decide not to power the lamps If it were me I wouldn't use a bare VU meter in this application without the benefit of a buffer amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben lowry Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Another recommendation for Dorrough meters. Easy to integrate on a cart if you stay digital. I put a horizontal 280D (or maybe the 280DE) digital peak meter on a previous cart/recorder iteration and loved it. I fed the Mix signal on an AES pair out from the 788T, so the recorder's 8 LED meters were dedicated to isos. Fast peak response, easy to read. Non-dimmable backlight, so on a dark stage I'd put some ND gel across it. The light is weak in direct sun. Power was 6V or 7V DC, I believe, so I fed 12V to a switching inline regulator. They are pricey new, but I found mine used for $100. https://www.dorrough.com/PDF/280Digital.pdf Or a cl-12 or cl-16... Best, Ben Lowry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Wingman>iPad? I had Dorroughs in my studio for years, not what I'd call location-rugged...and BIG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonG Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I used to run a Dorrough meter on my cart. I made a cable to connect it to my DC distro in place of the AC adapter and it worked fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 I used to feed audio into the return of an SD 302 mixer, and use its meters, esp with my PSC M6 (which had very NON-daylight or dark-room readable meters). I also got a couple more mic pres that way too. Great Dorrough-esque meters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Ya, I was thinking a used SD 302 or maybe a MixPre-D (the model before the current generation). The 302 offers Peak, VU, Peak Hold, and a couple combos. There are four or so settings. On the brightest setting, those LEDs will burn a hole in your corneas. 😉 But you'll be able to read them in sunlight. You adjust the brightnes through the little * button under the left end of the meters. (As you probably recall). Also, the LED dance when you power off still impresses people. Trey, you mention bright. How bright do you need? Dorrough meters are totally cool, but I've only seen them inside; not sure how bright they get. Same with iPads (at least, my older one isn't great in the sun). Do you need something bright enough for sunlight or shaded sunlight? Is that an issue for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joinwooHK Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Sound devices ipad app? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey LaCroix Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 12 hours ago, Jim Feeley said: Ya, I was thinking a used SD 302 or maybe a MixPre-D (the model before the current generation). The 302 offers Peak, VU, Peak Hold, and a couple combos. There are four or so settings. On the brightest setting, those LEDs will burn a hole in your corneas. 😉 But you'll be able to read them in sunlight. You adjust the brightnes through the little * button under the left end of the meters. (As you probably recall). Also, the LED dance when you power off still impresses people. Trey, you mention bright. How bright do you need? Dorrough meters are totally cool, but I've only seen them inside; not sure how bright they get. Same with iPads (at least, my older one isn't great in the sun). Do you need something bright enough for sunlight or shaded sunlight? Is that an issue for you? Preferably pretty bright. I'd like to use them in sunlight and on stage. This thread has actually go me thinking about pulling my 442 out of the closet and putting it up there. Totally didn't think about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 5 hours ago, Trey LaCroix said: Preferably pretty bright. I'd like to use them in sunlight and on stage. This thread has actually go me thinking about pulling my 442 out of the closet and putting it up there. Totally didn't think about that. More extra channels and deeper routing possibilities, vs much heavier, more DC. The meter on the 302 isn't a lot smaller than that of the 442. The only reason I would not want to wire the 302 into a cart is that it is so handy to have around loose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey LaCroix Posted March 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 41 minutes ago, Philip Perkins said: More extra channels and deeper routing possibilities, vs much heavier, more DC. The meter on the 302 isn't a lot smaller than that of the 442. The only reason I would not want to wire the 302 into a cart is that it is so handy to have around loose! I agree the 302 would be a more sleek solution. However, I have since pulled out my 442 and forgot how much resolution there is from 0/-20 - +20/0 . I might give it a whirl in my garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sciproductions Posted March 31, 2020 Report Share Posted March 31, 2020 Maybe also consider a 702T? Could be used as a backup recorder for a mix and can take AES in. Always found their meters to be really reliable and a great visual indicator. Also I reckon now days you might be able to get one cheaper than a 302. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.