Can someone please explain to me what the difference is between Pro Level Audio and Consumer Level audio.
Do Podcasters benefit from having pro level audio?
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Can someone please explain to me what the difference is between Pro Level Audio and Consumer Level audio.
Do Podcasters benefit from having pro level audio?
Analog signals in/out of consumer gear are typically passed via unbalanced (2 conductor) cables terminated in RCA connectors. The nominal reference signal level is -10 dbm. This is fine for short cable runs, as you might find in the back of an old skool stereo cabinet.
Analog signals in/out of professional gear has historically been via balanced (3 conductor) cables terminated in XLR type connectors. The nominal reference signal level is +4 dbm.
The differences revolve around reliability and signal integrity.
- XLRs are locking connectors that won't come loose or get disconnected by someone tripping on a cable.
- Balanced signaling down the cable allows for balanced inputs which reject common mode noise that might be induced by a long cable run in an electrically noisy environment.
- The higher signal level also supports the use of longer cable runs that are less susceptible to noise
A podcaster can be successful using either type of gear. Many probably use a bit of both.
The thing to watch out for is combining both. You need to be careful to not overdrive the input of a consumer device with the hotter output of a piece of pro gear. Or conversely, dial up some input gain to bring up the level from a consumer CD player, for example.
Level matching is usually not a huge problem, but converting from balanced-to-unbalanced and back should be done carefully to avoid problems. There are inexpensive level matching devices that are designed to bridge these two realms reliably.