Brooks Audio Design

Low-Frequency Oscillator (an oscillator that puts out an AC signal between .1 Hz and 10Hz used for a control signal). Equalization 1) The process of adjusting the tonal quality of a sound. A graphic equalizer provides adjustment for a wide range of frequency bands, and is normally inserted in the signal path after the mixing desk, before the amplifier. See Feedback. 2) Any time the amplitude of audio signals at specific set of frequencies are increased or decreased more than the signals at other audio frequencies. Brooks Cinema XR 607 Inductor A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electric circuit. Sometimes called a choke or coil. AES/EBU Professional Interface A standard for sending and receiving digital audio adopted by the Audio Engineering Society and the European Broadcast Union. Brooks Cinema Projectors kHz An Abbreviation of kilo-Hertz. Icon A visual picture or symbol on a computer screen that represents a file, program or...

A clamp-like device that is placed vertically across the guitar neck. It is used to change the pitch of the guitar, acting as a moveable nut. Frequency Response How sensitive an electronic device (mic, amplifier, speaker, etc.) is to various frequencies; often communicated with a graph. Brooks VT-50 Flange An effect caused by an approximately even mix of a modulated (varying) short delay with the direct signal. Acoustic Echo Chamber A room designed with very hard, non-parallel surfaces and equipped with a speaker and microphone; dry signals from the console are fed to the speaker and the microphone will have a reverberation of these signals that can be mixed in with the dry signals at the console. Brooks Cinema Series Flamenco A style of music with roots in Spanish and Arabic culture. Impedance 1) A term for the electrical resistance found in a/c circuits. Affects the ability of a cable to transmit low level (e.g. sound) signals over a long distance. Mea...

In electronics, a place (terminal) that has zero volts. Critical Distance The point a distance away from the sound source where the direct sound and the reverberant sound are equal in volume. Brooks Cinema KP 30 Engineer 1) A technician in charge of a recording session; Also called Recording Engineer. 2) A person with an engineering degree. 3) A person with sufficient experience in the field to be equivalent to the education one would receive earning an engineering degree. Error Concealment Putting replacement information bits into a digital audio signal to replace lost bits when the digital recording or processing system cannot verify whether the lost bits were l's or 0's but can make a good guess by comparing the known bits that were close in position to the lost bits. Brooks Cinema TX 509 Integrated Circuit (IC) A miniature circuit of many components in a small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment. Attenuator (Pot) The ...

To send an audio or control signal to. High-Pass Filter A device that rejects signals that are below a certain frequency (called the cut-off frequency) and passes signals with frequencies that are higher. Brooks TA 60 Balance 1) The relative level of two or more instruments in a mix, or the relative level of audio signals in the channels of a stereo recording. 2) To make the relative levels of audio signals in the channels of a stereo recording even. Crossover Frequency 1) The frequency that is the outer limit of one of the bands of a crossover. 2) In the Lexicon 480L delay/reverberation effects unit, the frequency at which the bass frequency reverb time is in effect rather than the mid frequency reverb time. Brooks GT 44 Active/Inactive Microphones Scientific definitions aside, active microphones generally sound better than inactive ones, but they generally cost more. They also require the use of either a battery or phantom power while inactive mics need on...

A double grounding of a line or electronic device at two different "ground" points of differing voltage. Line Input An input designed to take a line level signal. Brooks Cinema xm 808 Circuit 1) One complete path of electric current. 2) Similar to definition 1, but including all paths and components to accomplish one function in a device. Analog To Digital Converter The device which does the conversion of a quantity that has continuous changes (usually of voltage) into numbers that approximate those changes. Brooks Cinema TX 509 Hybrid A product created by the marriage of two different technologies. Meant here as the combination of a dynamic woofer with an electrostatic transducer. Byte A grouping of eight information bits. Imaging To make a representation or imitation of the original sonic event. Compander 1) A two section device that is used in noise reduction systems. The first section compresses the audio signal, before it is ...

A storage unit for digital data that has rigid disks coated with magnetic material in a housing that includes the drive mechanism. Ambient Micing Placing a microphone in the reverberant field (where the reverberation is louder than the direct sound) so as to do a separate recording of the ambience or to allow the recording engineer to change the mix of direct to reverberant sound in recording. Brooks Cinema Series Automatic Gain Control (Automatic Volume Control) A compressor with a very long release time used to keep the volume of the audio very constant. Keynote Number A number assigned to each key of a synthesizer or controller keyboard that is transmitted in the MIDI signal. Brooks QS 70 Cord (Speaker, Mic, Instrument) Used to connect a sound system together. Each type of cord is made for a specific purpose and should not be used in place of another type of cord, not even if they look alike. Also see "cable" Equalization 1) The process of a...

1) In tape recording, the transducer (energy converter) that changes the audio energy from electrical energy to magnetic energy and back; also the devices that apply magnetism to the recording tape for other purposes such as in the erase head. 2) The part of a device that immediately includes the transducer to change sound or audio signals from one energy form to another. Attack The rate the sound begins and increases in volume. Brooks Cinema XB 33 Board 1) Another, less formal, term for Console. 2) A set of controls and their housing which control all signals necessary for recording and for mixing. 3) A slang shortening of the term Keyboard Instrument. Error Correct Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio. Brooks Cinema GT 845 Band Track 1) A mixdown of a song without the lead vocal or without the lead and background vocals. 2) A term with the same meaning as the term Rhythm Track. 3) The recording of the rhythm instruments in a ...

1) An Echo Chamber (a room designed with very hard, non-parallel surfaces equipped with a speaker and microphone so that when dry signals from the console are fed to the speaker, the microphone will have a reverberation of these signals that can be mixed in with the dry signals at the console). 2) A program in a delay/reverb effects device that simulates the sound of an Echo Chamber. Format 1) The number of tracks, their width, spacing and order for tape recording. 2) To prepare a digital storage medium so that it will accept and store digital information bits. Brooks Cinema xm 808 Information Bits The bits in the digital signal that make up actual values or commands being communicated as opposed to bits that are used for checking & correcting data or other purposes. Headroom 1) The level difference (in dB) between normal operating level and clipping level in an amplifier or audio device. 2) A similar level difference between normal tape operating level an...

A device that has a power amplifier and speaker in a case (or in separate cases) to reproduce the signal put out by an electric instrument (such as an electric guitar) and to allow the instrument to be heard. CPU Abbreviation of Central Processing Unit (The main "brain" chip of a computer or the main housing of a computer that contains the "brain" chip). Brooks BA 71 Headstock The area of the guitar at the end of the neck where the strings are tuned. DC Abbreviation for direct current. Brooks Cinema KP 30 Arc The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge. Boom 1) A hand-held, telescoping pole used to hold the microphone in recording dialogue in film production. 2) A telescoping support arm that is attached to a microphone stand and which holds the microphone. 3) Loosely, a boomstand. Kick (Kick Drum) Another term for Bass Drum. Guitar Controller An electric guitar or device played like an electric guitar that p...

The portion of the sound that comes from the surrounding environment rather than directly from the sound source. Fret Buzz A buzzing sound made when a note is not properly fretted. Common with cheap guitars or beginning guitar players. Brooks Cinema XB 33 Group Faders The VCA faders of individual channels that are all controlled by a Group Master Fader (a slide control used to send out a control voltage to several VCA faders in individual channels). Leakage Sounds from other instruments and sources that were not intended to be picked up by the microphone. Brooks Cinema NZ 60 Ground In electronics, a place (terminal) that has zero volts. Face The front or body of the guitar. Delay (Digital, Analogue) 1) Effect used to create echo…echo…echo…echo…echo… 2) In more advanced systems used in very large venues, delay can be used to time the arrival of the signal to the speakers in the back of the room so that people in the back hear the sound coming from...

An abbreviation of Analog to Digital Conversion (the conversion of a quantity that has continuous changes into numbers that approximate those changes), or Analog to Digital Converter. Echo 1) One distinct repeat of a sound because of the sound reflecting off a surface. 2) Loosely, used to mean reverberation (the continuing of a sound after the source stops emitting it, caused by many discrete echoes closely spaced in time). Brooks Cinema TX 509 Corner Frequency Same as Cut-Off Frequency (the highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter). (NOUN) Floor Toms The large toms to the right of the drummer. Brooks Cinema KP 30 Hi-Z An abbreviation of the term High Impedance (Impedance of 5000 or more ohms). In Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active." Group Master A slide control used to send out a control voltage to several VCA faders in individual channels, thus controlling the gain of several channels. Com...

Sound equipment that converts the low voltage, low current signal from a tape deck, mixer etc. into a higher current signal suitable for driving speakers. See Power Amplifier, Crossover. Effects Track 1) In film production audio, a recording of the mixdown of all the sound effects for the film ready to be mixed with the dialogue and music. 2) In music recording, one track with a recording of effects to be added to another track of a multitrack recording. Brooks SS 81 Hall Program A setting of a digital delay/reverb effects unit that approximates concert halls. Hall programs are characterized by pre-delay of up to 25 ms. Charge The electrical energy of electrons. The energy is in the form of a force that is considered negative and repels other like forces (other electrons) and attracts opposite (positive) forces. Brooks Cinema KP 30 Insert 1) A punch in of the all of the tracks being recorded in a recording session. 2) On Solid State Logic consoles, placing...

Simply stated, the fact that in an un-obstructed area (like an open field) the sound pressure level will drop to half-pressure (-6 dB) every time the distance to the sound source is doubled. Howlback British term for the term Feedback (the pickup of the signal out of a channel by the input of the channel or the howling sound that this produces). Brooks GT 845 Foldback A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance. Fidelity The recording or reproduction quality. Brooks XB 33 Dynamic Mic Robust type of microphone which picks up the sound on a diaphragm connected to a coil of wire which moves within a magnet. An alternating current is induced into the wire which provides the electrical output. Most dynamic mics have low output impedance of 200 Ohms. See Condenser Mic. Infinite Baffle A baffle so large that the sounds coming from one side do not reach the other side. Hz (Hertz) 1) An abbreviation for the term Hertz (th...

1) An abbreviation of the term Amplifier (A device which increases the level of an electrical signal. 2) An abbreviation of Ampere (the unit of current). 3) An abbreviation of amplitude (the height of a waveform above or below the zero line). Compressor 1) Effect used to squash the sound together. Used properly, it can take the edge off or your sound. Used improperly, it can take the life right out of your system and make it sound like an MTV mix. 2) A piece of sound processing equipment that ensures all wanted signals are suitably placed between the noise and distortion levels of the recording medium. It evens out the unwanted changes in volume you get with close-miking, and in doing so, adds punch to the sound mix. A Limiter is used to stop a signal from exceeding a preset limit. Beyond this limit, the signal level will not increase, no matter how loud the input becomes. A Limiter is often used to protect speaker systems (and human ears) by preventing a system from beco...

A making smaller: reduction of electrical or acoustic signal strength. Chord Three or more musical pitches sung or played together. Brooks Cinema RM 909 Echo 1) One distinct repeat of a sound because of the sound reflecting off a surface. 2) Loosely, used to mean reverberation (the continuing of a sound after the source stops emitting it, caused by many discrete echoes closely spaced in time). Line Level 1) An amplified signal level put out by an amplifier and used as the normal level that runs through the interconnecting cables in a control room. 2) A low level signal such as the signal in a guitar cord. Most parts of a PA require a line level signal. Remember, however, that speaker outputs are not line level. Plugging speaker outs into line ins will result in damage to the equipment Brooks M 44 CD (Compact Disc) : 1) Digital sound storage medium. Provides a high quality source of music, sound effects etc. Also used as a playback medium for sound effects ...

Pickups that are coupled together to get a certain sound. Acoustic Echo Chamber A room designed with very hard, non-parallel surfaces and equipped with a speaker and microphone; dry signals from the console are fed to the speaker and the microphone will have a reverberation of these signals that can be mixed in with the dry signals at the console. Brooks Speakers Capo A clamp-like device that is placed vertically across the guitar neck. It is used to change the pitch of the guitar, acting as a moveable nut. Folded Horn A speaker design where the speaker points back into the cabinet and bounces around finally coming out large ports in the front. It is intended to maximize low frequencies in a relatively small cabinet. Brooks RM 80 First Generation A descriptive term meaning original (as opposed to a copy). Effects Track 1) In film production audio, a recording of the mixdown of all the sound effects for the film ready to be mixed with the dialogue and mus...

A condenser microphone that has a permanently polarized (charged) variable capacitor as its sound pressure level sensor. Chorus 1) The part of The song that is repeated and has the same music and lyrics each time; the chorus will usually give the point of the song. 2) A musical singing group that has many singers. 3) A delay effect that simulates a vocal chorus by adding several delays with a mild amount of feedback and a medium amount of depth. 4) A similar effect created in some synthesizers by detuning (reducing the pitch of, slightly) and mixing it with the signal that has regular tuning and with a slight delay. Brooks SS 81 Balls 1) The depth and thickness of a sound, usually on the bottom end of the EQ (as in "needs more balls"). 2) The strength of the voice on the mic (as in "check it like you have some balls"). Cycles Per Second A unit used in the measure of frequency, equivalent to Hertz. Cycles Per Second is an outdated term repla...

The area from 3 feet away from the sound source up to the critical distance. Acoustic/Acoustical Having to do with sound that can be heard by the ears. AcousticsThe behaviour of sound and its study. The acoustics of a room depend on its size and shape and the amount and position of sound-absorbing and reflecting material. Brooks BA 71 Instrument Amplifier A device that has a power amplifier and speaker in a case (or in separate cases) to reproduce the signal put out by an electric instrument (such as an electric guitar) and to allow the instrument to be heard. Highs Short for the term High Frequencies (the audio frequencies from 6000 Hz and above). Brooks SS 81 Error Correct Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio. Lead The musical instrument that plays the melody of the tune, including the vocal. Balanced input/output A "balanced" connection is one that has three wires to move the signal. One is a ground, and the ot...

The condition of obtaining a change at the output of the device which is proportional to the change occurring at the input. Lead Sheet A written chart showing the melody, lyrics and chords of a tune with full musical notation. Brooks TA 60 Icon A visual picture or symbol on a computer screen that represents a file, program or disc that can be used. Hard Disk Recording The recording of digital audio onto a hard disc. Brooks SS 81 Beat 1) The steady even pulse in music. 2) The action of two sounds or audio signals mixing together and causing regular rises &.falls in volume. Crossover, Passive Used inside of full range speaker cabinets to separate highs, mids, and lows and send them to their respective speakers within the each cabinet. These are not as efficient as active crossovers because they require all frequencies to draw from the same source of amplification. Insulator A substance such as glass, air, plastic, etc., that will (for all pract...

1) Any musical instrument controlled by pressing a key. 2) The part of the computer that has the keys. Instrument Out Direct Feeding the output of an electric instrument (like an electric guitar) to the recording console or tape recorder without using a microphone. Brooks Cinema Series Isolation Booth/ Isolation Room A room that prevents loud sounds from other instruments from leaking in: an isolation booth is usually a smaller room that could be used for only one musician. Compact Disc, Interactive CDI A Compact Disc, usually containing audio, video, and text, which the user can interact with in that the display or playback changes after the user performs some action. Brooks Cinema ZL 44 LED A light that allows current to flow in one direction only and emits light whenever a voltage of a certain level or beyond is applied to it. Feed To send an audio or control signal to. Generating Element The portion of the microphone that actually converts th...

1) An effects device where the amount of the effect can be controlled by a musician with his foot. 2) The beater mechanism of a foot drum that is activated by the drummer's foot to play the drum. 3) Any device, like a volume control, that can be operated by the foot. Input 1) The jack or physical location of where a device receives a signal. 2) The signal being received by a device. 3) The action of receiving a signal by a device. Brooks GT 44 Kick (Kick Drum) Another term for Bass Drum. Hum The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment. Brooks QS-70 Amplitude The extreme range of a signal. Usually measured from the average to the extreme. Filter 1) A device that removes signals with frequencies above or below a certain point called the cut-off frequency. 2) An equalizer section, used in this sense because filters are used with other components to give an equalizer its frequency response characteristics....

A switch placed on the floor and pressed by a musician to do various functions. Chorusing 1) A term meaning the same thing as Chorus (Definition 3 or 4). 2) In some delay effects devices, a term used to mean the term Depth (the amount of change in the controlled signal by the control signal). Brooks XB 22 Hypercardioid Pattern A microphone pick up sensitivity pattern where the least sensitive pick up point is more than 90 degrees but less than 150 degrees off axis (usually 120 degrees). Bank 1) A collection of sound patches (data as to the sequence and operating parameters of the synthesizer generators and modifiers) in memory. 2) A group of sound modules as a unit. Brooks Cinema NZ 60 Bouncing Alternate name for Ping-Ponging (playing several tacks with sync playback through a console to mix them together and record them on an open track). Expander A device that causes expansion of the audio signal. Hall A large building designed for concerts; ...

A compressor with a very long release time used to keep the volume of the audio very constant. Baffles Sound absorbing panels used to prevent sound waves from entering or leaving a certain space Brooks Cinema xm 808 Distortion Usually undesirable result of overloading sound equipment. Reducing the levels can remedy the situation. Line In (Input, return) Where a signal enters the board or component. Brooks VT-50 Cue Send Control A control that will adjust the amount of signal sent to a cue buss from a console channel. Echo Send The output of a console used to send a signal to an echo chamber or delay effects device. Clock Signal The signal put out by a circuit that generates steady even pulses or steady codes used for synchronization. Auxiliary Output or Send An additional output from a sound desk that can be used for foldback or monitoring without tying up the main outputs. Each input channel will have a path to the Aux buss. Also used for fe...

1) A slang term with the same meaning as the term IC (a miniature circuit of many components that is in small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment). 2) The thread cut away from the master lacquer to make the groove, while disc recording. Active Crossover Uses active devices (transistors, IC's, tubes) and some form of power supply to operate. Brooks Cinema XB 33 Bar A term meaning the same thing as the term Measure (the grouping of a number of beats in music, most-often four beats). Frequency The number of cycles of a waveform occurring in a second. Brooks Cinema RM 909 Crossover 1) A route leading from one side of the stage to the other, out of the audiences view. 2) An electronic filter in a sound system that routes sound of the correct frequency to the correct part of the speaker system. Different speakers handle high frequencies (tweeters) and low frequencies (woofers). Sometimes known as a crossover network. An active crossover ...

A microphone which converts sound pressure changes into changes of capacitance. The capacitance changes are then converted into electrical voltage variations (an audio signal). Amplification An increasing of signal strength. Brooks Speakers Cable, 1/4 inch An unbalanced cable most often used for instruments and patch cords. Commonly referred to as "guitar cords". Cable, TRS A less common balanced cable that has 3 different contacts on its 1/4 inch connectors. Most headphone jacks are a good example of a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connector. These are sometimes used instead of the more common XLR connection. Brooks TA 60 Bridge The bridge assembly, or just "bridge" is an area on the face of the guitar where the string meet or are connected to the face. Capo A clamp-like device that is placed vertically across the guitar neck. It is used to change the pitch of the guitar, acting as a moveable nut. Flutter 1) High-frequency variations i...

Having to do with sound that can be heard by the ears. AcousticsThe behaviour of sound and its study. The acoustics of a room depend on its size and shape and the amount and position of sound-absorbing and reflecting material. Bass Roll Off An electrical network built into some microphones to reduce the amount of output at bass frequencies when close-micing. Brooks SS 81 Jack Bay A series of jacks which have connections for most of the inputs and outputs of the equipment in the control room. Clip The action of deforming a waveform during overload. Brooks KS-55 Inductance The property of an electric circuit by which a varying current in it produces a varying magnetic field that introduces voltages in the same circuit or in a nearby circuit. It is measured in henrys. Clicking Pressing and immediately releasing the switch on a computer's mouse. Boom Stand A microphone stand equipped with a telescoping support arm to hold the microphone. Inpu...

To prepare a digital storage medium (like a floppy disk) so that it will accept and store digital information bits. Harmonic Distortion The presence of harmonics in the output signal of a device which were not present in the input signal. Brooks QS-70 Input/Output Module A set of controls, on one housing, for an in-line console that has two channels (one for recording and one for monitoring) and has controls for all console sections. Jack 1) Anywhere you plug something in. 2) Segmented audio connector. Mono Jacks have two connections �" tip and sleeve, and are unbalanced. Stereo jacks have three connections �" tip, ring and sleeve. B-type jacks (also known as Bantam jacks) were originally designed for use in telephone exchanges and provide a high quality (and expensive) connection in jackfields. A-type jacks are cheaper and more common, but more fragile. A type jacks are available in 2 sizes : quarter inch and eighth inch. 3) A connector mounted on the...

Used to connect a sound system together. Each type of cord is made for a specific purpose and should not be used in place of another type of cord, not even if they look alike. Also see "cable" House Sync A synchronization signal such as SMPTE time code that is used by all recorders in the control room. Brooks Cinema XR 607 Cancellation A shortening of the term Phase Cancellation (the energy of one waveform significantly decreasing the energy of another waveform because of phase relationships at or close to 180 degrees). Clean Describes a distortion free sound with few effects. Brooks XT 20 Horn 1) The part of the speaker that emits midrange and higher range frequencies. 2) A speaker or speaker enclosure where sound waves are put into a narrow opening (by a speaker cone or driver) and the narrow opening flairs out to a larger opening. Input Impedance The opposition to current flow by the first circuits of a device. Line Out (Line Output) ...