Brooks Audio Design

Sound absorbing panels used to prevent sound waves from entering or leaving a certain space Ambience The portion of the sound that comes from the surrounding environment rather than directly from the sound source. Brooks RM 909 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). Effects 1) Various ways an audio signal can be modified by adding something to the signal to change the sound. 2) Short for the term Sound Effects (sounds other than dialogue, narration or music like door closings, wind, etc. added to film or video shots). Brooks Hi Fi speakers Half Step A pitch difference of the amount that is present between adjacent keys on a piano. In-Line Console A console with modules that have controls for all console sections in one long strip. Key The control of a dynamics processing device by an external audio signal. Full Range Describ

The height of a waveform above or below the zero line. Arc The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge. Brooks Hi Fi speakers Link (Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (o Cut 1) One selection (one song) on a pre4ecorded music format. 2) A term with the same meaning as Mute (to turn off a channel or a signal). 3) To reduce gain of a particular band of frequencies (with an equalizer). 4) To not pass a particular band of frequencies (said of a filter) Brooks Hi Fi reviews Diaphragm A thin flexible membrane or cone that vibrates in response to electrical signals to produce sound waves. Distortion is usually referred to in terms of total harmonic distortion (THD) which is the percentage of unwanted harmonics of the drive signal present with the wanted signal. Generally used to mean any unwanted change introduced by the device under question. Attenuation A mak

A written chart showing the melody, lyrics and chords of a tune with full musical notation. High Impedance Cord (High Z) A big word for instrument cable. These cords generally have quarter inch male ends. they tend to loose signal strength at lengths longer than 25 feet. Brooks RM 909 A/D 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. Hi-Z An abbreviation of the term High Impedance (Impedance of 5000 or more ohms). Brooks RM 909 reviews House Sync A synchronization signal such as SMPTE time code that is used by all recorders in the control room. In-Line Console A console with modules that have controls for all console sections in one long strip. Frequency Practically speaking, high frequency means high pitch and low frequency means low pitch. Aux Send Short for the term Auxiliary Send (a control to adjust th

Describes a distortion free sound with few effects. High Impedance Mic A microphone designed to be fed into an amplifier with input impedance greater than 20 k ohms. Brooks HI FI projectors File A collection of digital data stored in a computer's memory bank or on a floppy disc. Line Input An input designed to take a line level signal. Brooks RM 909 reviews Coincident Microphones (Coincident Pair) Two microphones whose heads are placed as lose as possible to each other so that the path length from any sound source to either microphone is for all practical purposes, the same. Foot Switch A switch placed on the floor and pressed by a musician to do various functions. Alternating Current Electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit. Humbucker Pickups that are coupled together to get a certain sound.

Usually undesirable result of overloading sound equipment. Reducing the levels can remedy the situation. Kilo A prefix meaning 1000. Brooks RM 909 Graphic Equalizer An device with several slides controlling the gain of audio signal present which is within one of several evenly spaced frequency bands (spaced according to octaves). Bass 1) The lower range of audio frequencies up to approximately 250 Hz. 2) Short for Bass Guitar. 3) Lower end of the musical scale. In acoustics, the range (below about 200 Hz) in which there are difficulties, principally in the reproduction of sound, due to the large wavelengths involved. 4) The lower frequencies. 5) On the soundboard this should refer to the bass guitar channel, not the bass drum. 6) The lowest frequencies of sound. Bi-Amplification uses an electronic crossover or line-level amplifiers for the high and low frequency loudspeaker drivers. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Error Detection The process of discovery that s

An input designed to take a line level signal. Acoustic Amplifier The portion of the instrument which makes the vibrating source move more air or move air more efficiently; this makes the sound of the instrument louder. Examples of acoustic amplifiers include: 1) The body of an acoustic guitar, 2) The sounding board of a piano, 3) The bell of a horn and 4) The shell of a drum. Brooks RM 909 Audio Most often referring to electrical signals resulting from the sound pressure wave being converted into electrical energy. Attack The rate the sound begins and increases in volume. Brooks HI FI projectors Foot (Foot Drum) Another name for Bass Drum (the largest drum in the Drum Kit which puts out bass frequencies and is played with a foot pedal). ADSR The letters A, D, S &R are the first letters of: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. These are the various elements of volume changes in the sounding of a keyboard instrument. Cycle 1) An alternati

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. Amplitude The height of a waveform above or below the zero line. Brooks RM 909 File A collection of digital data stored in a computer's memory bank or on a floppy disc. Guitar Processor A unit that will add effects to a direct guitar signal, including a simulated instrument amplifier sound and (often) delay and reverb effects. Brooks Hi Fi speakers Lift 1) To boost gain of audio at a particular band of frequencies with an equalizer. 2) An elevation device in the star trek series of TV programs. Cycles Per Second A unit used in the measure of frequency, equivalent to Hertz. Cycles Per Second is an outdated term replaced by Hertz in 1948. Contact Microphone A device that senses vibrations and puts out an audio signal proportional to the vibrations. Jack Bay A series of jacks which

A control to send the signal from the input module to the echo chamber or effects device via the echo buss. Ground Lift A switch that breaks the connection between the ground point in one circuit and the ground point in another circuit. Brooks HI FI projectors Decibel (dB) 1) Relative measurement for the volume (loudness) of sound. Also used to measure the difference between two voltages, or two currents. See Zero dB. 2) A numerical expression of the relative loudness of a sound. The difference in decibels between two sounds is ten times the common logarithm of the ratio of their power levels. 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 Hi Fi reviews Barrier Micing A method of placing the head of a microphone as close as possible to a reflective surface, preventing phase cancellation. Insert 1) A punch in of the all of the tra

A baffle so large that the sounds coming from one side do not reach the other side. Gain Reduction The working of a limiter or compressor reducing gain during high-level passages. Brooks RM 909 reviews Fret Buzz A buzzing sound made when a note is not properly fretted. Common with cheap guitars or beginning guitar players. 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. 3) The action of removing signals of some frequencies and leaving the rest. 4) A mechanical device to smooth out speed variations in tape machines called a Scrape Flutter Filter- more usually called a Scrape Flutter Idler Brooks HI FI projectors Balls 1) The depth and thickness of a sound, usually on the bottom end of the EQ (as in "needs more balls"). 2) The s

1) The range of frequencies over which a tape recorder, amplifier or other audio device is useful. 2) The range of frequencies affected by an equalization setting. Frequency The number of cycles of a waveform occurring in a second. Brooks RM 909 In Port A jack on a MIDI device or computer that will accept an incoming data signal. Bit The smallest unit of digital information representing a single "0" or 1. Brooks HI FI projectors Head Amp British name for Preamplifier (A low-noise amplifier designed to take a low-level signal, such as the output of a tape head, and bring it up to normal line level). BPM An abbreviation of Beat Per Minute (the number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and therefore defining the tempo). Auxiliary Input or Return A route back into the sound desk for a signal sent to a piece of outboard equipment via an auxiliary send. Auxiliary Output or Send An additional output from a sound desk th

Abbreviation of Central Processing Unit (The main "brain" chip of a computer or the main housing of a computer that contains the "brain" chip). Balanced input/output A "balanced" connection is one that has three wires to move the signal. One is a ground, and the other two (called conductors) carry signals of equal value. This is why they are called balanced. Low Z cables and connections are the most common example. Brooks RM 909 Cut-Off Frequency (Turnover Frequency) 1) The highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter. 2) The highest or lowest frequency passed by an audio device (the cut-off frequency is usually considered to be the first frequency to be 3 dB lower than a reference frequency in the middle of the bandwidth of the device) Inductor A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electric circuit. Sometimes called a choke or coil. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Controller 1) In MIDI, a device that gene

1) Having a pleasing amount of low frequencies compared to mid-range frequencies and high frequencies. 2) Having a pleasing mixture of the various instrument levels in an audio recording. 3) Having a fairly equal level in each of the stereo channels. 4) A method of interconnecting electronic gear using three-conductor cables. In Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active." Brooks RM 909 reviews Error Correct Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio. Corner Frequency Same as Cut-Off Frequency (the highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter). (NOUN) Brooks Hi Fi reviews Current The amount of electron charge passing a point in a conductor per unit of time. Frame 1) A division of one second in synchronization and recording coming from definition two. 2) The amount of time that one still picture is shown in film or video. Bulk Dump Short for System Exclusive Bulk Dump (a method of transmitti

(Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (o Capacitance The property of being able to oppose a change in voltage or store an electrical charge. Brooks RM 909 reviews Driver See transducer. Dynamic Range �" The range between the quietest and the loudest sounds a device can handle (often quoted in dB). Inverse Square Law 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. Brooks HI FI projectors In Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active." Contact Microphone A device that senses vibrations and puts out an audio signal proportional to the vibrations. ADSR The letters A, D, S &R are the first letters of: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. These are the various elements of volume changes in the sou

1) A division of one second in synchronization and recording coming from definition two. 2) The amount of time that one still picture is shown in film or video. Coax Two-conductor cable consisting of one conductor surrounded by a shield. Brooks HI FI projectors 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 case of a device or on a panel. Amplifier Sound equipment that converts the low voltage, low current signal from a tape deck, mixer etc. into a higher current signal suitabl