Brainstorm with Douk Audio: Help Design New Digital VU Meters (Rewards Inside!)

[Dualbert]

I am a big fan of the 70s aesthetic (when hi-fi was still big).

Throughout my youth (a long time after the 70ies...), some of the stuffy West German living rooms still had futuristic looking devices (rarely or never used) that clashed strongly with the rest of the interior: yellow and green scales and lights, metallic buttons that looked like “the pinnacle of engineering” to me.

Back then, companies like SABA (Schwarzwälder Apparate BauAnstalt), Telefunken, and Dual still existed. A bit of that old-catalogue aesthetic would be great (instead of the record player/tape machine animation) to be represented in todays high-tech.

Here are a few examples of the aesthetic I'm talking about (many may see it as a relic, I still love it).
Black, yellow, red, green(!). Especially the curret VU-meters lack a bit of green


Dual VU-meter:

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Dual Anleitungen & Kataloge/Dual Kataloge/Dual 1978 Programm 2/01.jpg

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Dual Anleitungen & Kataloge/Dual Kataloge/Dual 1978-79 Programm/dual78-79-01.jpg

Telefunken:

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Telefunken/1977-78-Report/17.jpg

to catch more of that vibe:

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Saba/1975-1/0001.jpg


There was also a company called Tesla that produced tape machines:

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Tesla/Tesla B730/Tesla-B730-001.jpg

SABA tape machine:

Detail:

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Saba/1978-Saba-Gesamtprogramm/069.jpg

Source: https://www.hifi-archiv.info/Saba/1977/0040.jpg

Sorry if this became more of a pinterest-mood board.

 

[RickS]

For VU meters, really prefer mechanical ones. If was implementing a soft display, a multi-color spectrum analyzer is what I would do…

You can find these as phone apps with nice options.

 

[SHB]

3 ideas for meter options:

• Dual takes on the classic VU meter that run simultaneously: one meter shows the standard, average level (black needle)with a second that shows peaks & holds for a half second before decaying (red needle)

• A horizontal, bar meter with both peak & average weighting

• An RTA

The features:

• It actually shows the real power being sent to the speakers: obviously, some type of calibration protocol will be needed

• Totally nonreactive electronics that don’t alter the signal to the speaker in any (audibly) significant way

• A variety of background colors

• Brightness controls

• A Retina quality display

• Onboard power supply - no wall/line wart

• Little to no visible bezel from the front view.

• Make large enough that everyone wants on (eye/sex appeal)

If it’s actually useful, I’ll buy one regardless of the price. If it serves no actual purpose, no, thank.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Would be hard to top what RME has done.

 

[dualazmak]

In case if @Douk Audio is really serious about designing excellent, I mean excellent in design + functionalities + durability + after-services + etc., LCD/OLED screen multi-mode VU-PP-others meter module, COSMIC VU2 PREMIUM (VU Multimeter, 2U, 4.3"LCDx2, Made in Japan) would be a nice reference for your consideration; I already touched on this product in my post #611 on the thread "VU Meters: Let's See 'Em!!";

 

[RickS]

Like the RME, but for something more constrained by size and price, find the Motu M4 metering to be very useful...

 

[JeffS7444]

Steampunk or mechanical wristwatch-inspired, including blued analog meter needles, brass and polished hardwood accents.

Post-apocalyptic: Cracked glass, randomly flickering backlight.

Four seasons: Different color themes for each, with occasional background animations (snow, falling blossoms, rain, autumn leaves)

China: Come on, everyone loves pandas, bamboo, noodles and dumplings. Maybe have panda react to signal levels, snooze at low levels.

Easter egg: Looks normal, but every once in awhile, something amusing happens for a few seconds.

 

[007Shorty]

To this day, I am fascinated by the functional and visual design of the control panel used in the Apollo missions. For me, it's a fantastic design. I don't know how or whether some of these design elements could be applied to audio equipment and VU Meters, but it would certainly look great.
(source: https://www.space.com/apollo-command-module-control-panel-replica-kickstarter)

 

[jck2001]

I am not interested in vu meters as a visualizer. I want a vectorscope.

Vectorscope would indeed be awesome!

 

[Zakazulu]

If it's a digital screen, 1 of the options should be a Multi bar spectrum.

Something like this would be nice.