Decibels - Here Are 6 Simple Truths

To Help Explain dB
Sunday 11.28.21

Ufuk Önen thinks the decibel has an uncanny quality! What does he mean?
According to Freud, the 'uncanny' refers to something familiar or known, yet
foreign or strange at the same time, which results in a feeling of it being
unsettling and uncomfortable. Even though for most people, decibel is a
familiar term, most of us aren’t 100% comfortable with them. If you are one of
these people, we hope that Ufuk’s 6 truths of the decibel will help to clear up
some of your questions.

Truth 1

One decibel is one-tenth of one Bel. Bel is named after Alexander Graham Bell.
Hence, the capital 'B' in dB.

Truth 2

Decibel (dB) is a unit used to measure sound pressure or signal level by

comparing it with a reference point on a logarithmic scale.

Logarithmic scale makes it easy to compare values that cover a large range.

For example, instead of saying "the threshold of hearing is 0.00002 Pa and the
level of normal conversation is about 0.02 Pa", it is much easier to say "the
threshold of human hearing is 0 dB SPL and the level of normal conversation is
about 60 dB SPL".

Truth 3

Decibel has not a value of its own. It is not a fixed unit like, for example,
kilogram, mile, cubic meter, or Fahrenheit.

Decibel is a ratio of one value to another value or a specified reference value.

Truth 4

To truly understand a decibel, one should understand how the logarithmic scale
works.

On the linear scale, the change between two values is a difference, whereas on
the logarithmic scale it is expressed as a ratio.

For example, the change from 1 to 2 is 1 on the linear scale, whereas it is a ratio of
1:2 on the logarithmic scale.

As another example, the change from 3 to 9 is 6 on the linear scale, whereas it is

a ratio of 1:3 on the logarithmic scale.

Truth 5

There are many flavours of decibel! The most common ones in today's audio
world are dB SPL, dBu, dBV, and dBFS.

Although they share the same prefix (dB), and the same system for measurement
(comparing two values on the logarithmic scale), they are quite different from
one another.

dB SPL is used to measure sound pressure levels. 0 dB SPL is referenced to

0.00002 Pa (the threshold of human hearing) and all the other values that are
measured are above this reference point. As a result, all SPL readouts are positive
values, such as 50 dB SPL or 85 dB SPL.

dBFS (dB Full Scale) is used to measure digital signal levels. The reference for
this scale is 0 dBFS and nearly all the other values that are measured are below
this point. Consequently, all dBFS readouts are negative values, such as -6 dBFS
or -20 dBFS.

dBu and dBV are used to measure voltage. The professional line level standard is
+4 dBu (1.228 Volts) and the consumer line level is typically -10 dBV (0.316). Since
0 dBu is referenced to 0.775 Volt, and dBV is referenced to 1 Volt, the readouts
might be either positive or negative values, such as -2 dBu, +6 dBu, -12 dBV, or +3
dBV.

Truth 6

Decibel calculations cannot be made by using simple arithmetic or percentages!

For example, you cannot say that 80% of 70 dB is 56 dB. This is because the dB
scale is logarithmic and percentages are linear! 50% of 70 dBu is 64 dBu because
dBu is a voltage and a reduction of a half or a doubling is a change of 6dB in
voltage. However, if it is power you are measuring then halving or doubling is a
3dB change.

As you can see decibel calculations cannot be made by using simple addition
and subtraction!

As an example, let's assume that you have a loudspeaker that has an output of 90
dB SPL at a distance of 1 meter. When you put an identical loudspeaker next to
it, you will not get 180 dB SPL. Instead, you'll get 93 dB SPL.

As another example, if you have three sound sources that have outputs of 60 dB
SPL, 75 dB SPL, and 80 dB SPL, the combined sound pressure level will not be
215 dB SPL, it will be about 81 dB SPL.

I hope these six points help you to clear up some of the question marks that you
might have had about decibel.

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