MSGEQ7 Question

[techknight]

I have noticed this chip is getting quite popular, And I had studied the datasheet.

However its not clear to me how the DC levels are interpreted. Are they stepped? or are they smooth/logarithmic levels?

Kind of a vague question but I havent seen it explained anywhere. Reason why I ask is I am going to attach the output to the ADC of an Atmega IC, and i needed to know the maximum bar level resolution i could get. Obviously the ADC is 1023, so i can have 1023 LEDs per ADC (theoretically), but just curious what the chip resolution is.

Thanks.