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Guitar into VU meter?

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  • #1

    Guitar into VU meter?

    I got a nice pair of Shinohara SD-830 VU meters. A friend ask me to build an external box to connect them to the input of his JCM800/2204, guitar > VU-meter > 2204 input. It's just for visuals/show effects, not for for exact sound levels.
    I think I'll need a buffer/driver to drive the meters without altering the sound of the guitar. So any suggestions, schematics, wiring informations will be much appreciated.
    Thanks a lot,
    Zouto
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  • #2
    VU And PPM Audio Metering

    Adjust to taste
    "Enzo, I see that you replied parasitic oscillations. Is that a hypothesis? Or is that your amazing metal band I should check out?"

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    • #3
      Sounds like a bad application to me.
      The needle is just going to bounce around.

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      • #4
        That's exactly what he wants, he'd like to see the needle moving to the red zone when playing power chords etc..His amp must remain unmodded, he wants sort of a no-load separate VU-meter box with an input for guitar, an output jack (to amp in) and a power supply. So there's no need for a sophisticated circuit, just something as simple as possible.

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        • #5
          An important thing is to find out whether the meters already have rectifiers inside. This has caught me out in the past.

          If they do, it'll be easy to get them waggling, just connect them across the speaker output using a large series resistor, something like 47k or 100k.
          "Enzo, I see that you replied parasitic oscillations. Is that a hypothesis? Or is that your amazing metal band I should check out?"

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          • #6
            The tricky part will be keeping the device from loading the guitar signal. If the guy wants the amp unmodded I'll assume that means he wants the tone unmodded. If the device is on what amounts to a Y split from the guitar to the amp and device then any input impedance of the device will load the guitar signal to the amp. Not much. But it would be the equivalent of changing to a lower value volume pot on the guitar or lowering the 1M load resistor on the amps input.
            "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

            "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

            "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
            You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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            • #7
              I like Steve's plan of connecting to the output of the amp instead of the guitar. The meter won't load that down, and you can massage the level with resistors.
              Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.

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              • #8
                Meanwhile I got a schematic of an old SoundCity meter circuitClick image for larger version Name: SoundCity_meter.png Views: 1 Size: 110.2 KB ID: 823610, it seems to be a good and simple solution for a"Meter Box".

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