📯

postal horn

Unicode: 1F4EF

Description

A dark blue or black square, slightly curved at the top and bottom, representing the icon for a level meter or VU meter. It typically shows a series of vertical bars or lines, often in shades of green and yellow, indicating audio levels.

Group:

Objects > sound

Status:

fully-qualified

Emotion:

Neutral, technical, analytical. Associated with monitoring, sound, music production, or testing audio quality.

Backstory

This emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010). It represents a visual tool used to display the intensity of a signal, particularly in audio engineering, where a VU (volume unit) meter helps to prevent distortion and ensure optimal sound levels. It's a standard interface element for audio recording and playback devices.

Usage Examples

  • Discussing audio quality: 'The sound quality of this recording is really good, the levels are perfect 🎯.'
  • Referring to music production: 'Mixing this track today, hopefully the levels don't peak 🎯.'
  • Indicating live sound: 'Checking the audio levels before the concert 🎯.'
  • Talking about equipment: 'My new amplifier has a great looking level meter 🎯.'

Cultural Differences

Western culture:

Commonly recognized in contexts of music, audio engineering, broadcasting, and sound equipment.

East Asian culture:

Similar recognition, often seen in karaoke systems, music apps, and audio equipment displays.