Audio Level Converter
Convert between dBu, dBV, volts and dBFS, with the alignment level you choose, plus peak and peak-to-peak voltage.
Results
Volts RMS
1.227653
V
The same in dBu
4.0000
dBu
The same in dBV
1.7815
dBV
The same in dBFS
-14.0000
dBFS
Volts peak
1.736164
V
Volts peak to peak
3.472327
V
Power into 600 Ω
2.51189
mW
Fixed gap between dBu and dBV
2.2185
dB
Reference voltage used
0.7745967
V
What this tool does
Three decibel scales share the same word and mean different things. dBu is referenced to 0.7746 volts, dBV to one volt, and the gap between them is a fixed 2.218 dB. dBFS is different in kind: it has no voltage of its own until you say what analogue level lines up with digital full scale — 18 dB above 0 dBu in the EBU convention, 24 in the SMPTE one. That alignment is a field here, because without it dBFS and dBu simply cannot be compared.
Formula
0 dBu = √0.6 = 0.7746 V · 0 dBV = 1 V · V = reference × 10^(dB ÷ 20) · dBu = dBFS + alignment
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
v | The level | — |
un | In what unit | — |
al | dBu that lines up with 0 dBFS | dBu |
VR | Volts RMS | V |
DU | The same in dBu | dBu |
DV | The same in dBV | dBV |
DF | The same in dBFS | dBFS |
VP | Volts peak | V |
VV | Volts peak to peak | V |
PW | Power into 600 Ω | mW |
DD | Fixed gap between dBu and dBV | dB |
ZR | Reference voltage used | V |
Worked example
- The level4
- In what unit1
- dBu that lines up with 0 dBFS18 dBu
- Volts RMS1.227653 V
- The same in dBu4.0000 dBu
- The same in dBV1.7815 dBV
- The same in dBFS-14.0000 dBFS
- Volts peak1.736164 V
- Volts peak to peak3.472327 V
- Power into 600 Ω2.51189 mW
- Fixed gap between dBu and dBV2.2185 dB
- Reference voltage used0.7745967 V
Limitations
- The calculation runs at full precision and only the display is rounded. If you copy an intermediate value and retype it, small differences can appear.
- Mixing units is the most common source of error. Convert every input to the units shown next to each field before calculating.