Gain Staging / dB Sum Calculator mechanism

Model scope

Needs review because the correlated-input behavior is underspecified and the +6 dB rule is only valid for equal, phase-aligned sources. The instrument should require an explicit level reference and distinguish uncorrelated power summation from coherent complex-amplitude summation.

• The uncorrelated formula Lsum=10log10(Σ10^(Li/10)) is correct only when all levels use the same reference and represent power or mean-square/RMS quantities, and the signals are statistically uncorrelated.
• The stated correlated rule of "+6 dB per doubling" is valid only for equal-level, phase-aligned coherent sources. It is not a general formula for correlated signals with unequal levels, partial correlation, or arbitrary phase.
• For general coherent signals, the required formula is Lsum=20log10(|Σ10^(Li/20)e^(jφi)|), which requires phase information that the input specification does not provide.
• The term "correlation assumption" is ambiguous: statistical uncorrelatedness, partial correlation, and phase-coherent summing produce different results.

Units and conventions

• All source levels are logarithmic levels with the same reference and are directly comparable; mixing dB SPL, dBu, dBV, and dBFS without reference conversion is invalid.
• The uncorrelated formula assumes each Li represents a power-compatible level, such as RMS power level or a dB level proportional to mean-square amplitude.
• The coherent +6 dB shortcut assumes equal levels, identical reference, phase alignment, and no clipping or limiting.
• For dBFS inputs, the arithmetic sum can exceed 0 dBFS; the result is a theoretical level before digital clipping.

Inspectable vector

One of 4 source-bound review vectors:

{
  "inputs": {
    "source_levels_db": [
      0,
      0
    ],
    "correlation_assumption": "uncorrelated"
  },
  "expected_outputs": {
    "summed_level_db": 3.0103
  },
  "working": "Convert each level to linear power: 10^(0/10)=1 and 10^(0/10)=1. Sum powers: 1+1=2. Convert back: 10log10(2)=3.0103 dB."
}

Failure boundary

BREAK_CLAIMED · SELF_FLAGGED

An empty source list produces log10(0), which is undefined. The instrument must reject this input or explicitly represent the result as undefined rather than returning a finite summed level.

Other records

Sources and evidence

These pointers bind the page to evidence. They do not grant authority or collapse verification into deployment.

• VERIFIED_LEDGER.json
• evidence-tranche4/tranche4-results.json
• BOUNDARY_HAZARD_CATALOG.json