Brooks Audio Design

A blank Compact Disc that can be recorded on one time. Electronics 1) On a tape machine, the housing for and the channel circuitry which processes the signal to be fed to the heads, provide bias, and playback. 2) The branch of science dealing with the behaviour of electrons/charges in vacuums, gases, semiconductors and special conductors. Brooks RM 909 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 music production. Fret Buzz A buzzing sound made when a note is not properly fretted. Common with cheap guitars or beginning guitar players. Brooks HI FI projectors Golden Section A ratio of height to width to length of a room to achieve "good acoustics" and first recommended by the ancient Greeks. The ratio is approximately the width 1.6 times the height and the length 2.6 times the height

1) High-frequency variations in pitch of a recorded waveform due to fast speed variations in a recorder or playback machine. 2) Originally, and more formally, any variations (fast or slow) in pitch of a recorded tone due to speed fluctuations in a recorder or playback unit. Boundary Mic A microphone mounted on a flat plate that acts as a reflective surface directing sound into the mic capsule. Used for general pick-up over a large area. See PCC, PZM. Brooks Hi Fi reviews 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. 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

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 splits the signal from the mixing desk into high, mid and low frequencies which are then sent to three separate amplifiers. 3) An electrical circuit that divides a full bandwidth signal into the desired frequency bands for the loudspeaker components. IM Distortion An abbreviation of the term Intermodulation Distortion (Distortion caused by one signal beating with another signal and producing frequencies that are both the sum and the difference of the original frequencies present). Brooks Hi Fi reviews Equalization 1) The process of adjusting the tonal quality of a sound. A graphic equalizer provides adjustment for

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. 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). Brooks RM 909 Grouping 1) Controlling the gain of several individual channels with a Group Fader. 2) The mixing together of several individual audio signals to send a mixed signal out of the console to record a track on a multitrack tape machine. Input Overload Sending too high of a signal level into a device so that the first amplifier of the device overloads. Brooks Hi Fi reviews 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). Expander A device that ca

The smallest unit of digital information representing a single "0" or 1. Echo Send Control A control to send the signal from the input module to the echo chamber or effects device via the echo buss. Brooks RM 909 reviews Close Micing A technique of placing a microphone close to the sound source (within one foot) in order to pick up mainly the direct sound and to avoid picking up leakage or ambience. Hard Disk (Hard Disc) A storage unit for digital data that has rigid disks coated with magnetic material in a housing that includes the drive mechanism. Brooks RM 909 Bass Roll Off An electrical network built into some microphones to reduce the amount of output at bass frequencies when close-micing. High Impedance Mic A microphone designed to be fed into an amplifier with input impedance greater than 20 k ohms. Expansion The opposite of compression; for example, an expander may allow the signal to increase 2 dB every time the signal input incr

1) An alternation of a waveform which begins at a point, passes through the zero line, and ends at a point with the same value and moving in the same direction as the starting point. 2) On a Solid State Logic Console, a command to have the console computer control the tape machine to play and replay a certain section of the tape. 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 HI FI projectors Boundary Mic A microphone mounted on a flat plate that acts as a reflective surface directing sound into the mic capsule. Used for general pick-up over a large area. See PCC, PZM. Frequency The number of cycles of a waveform occurring in a second. Brooks RM 909 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 m

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. Fidelity The recording or reproduction quality. Brooks RM 909 reviews 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, Active A rack mountable unit used to separate frequencies leaving the soundboard into high's, mids, and lows with different outputs for each. Brooks Hi Fi speakers House Sync A synchronization signal such as SMPTE time code that is used by all recorders in the control room. Assistant Engineer A less elevated version of the term Second Engineer. Experienced seconds often place microphones, operate tape machines, break down equipment at the session end and keep the paperwork for the session. Active Cro

To make a representation or imitation of the original sonic event. LFO Low-Frequency Oscillator (an oscillator that puts out an AC signal between .1 Hz and 10Hz used for a control signal). Brooks HI FI projectors 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. Clip The action of deforming a waveform during overload. Brooks RM 909 reviews Line Input An input designed to take a line level signal. Electromagnetic Field Magnetic energy put out because of current travelling through a conductor. Beats Per Minute BPM The number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and there fore defining the tempo of the song. Co

Pressing and immediately releasing the switch on a computer's mouse. Bandwidth 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. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Haas Effect Simply stated, a factor in human hearing where delay has a much bigger effect on human perception of direction than level does. Ground In electronics, a place (terminal) that has zero volts. Brooks RM 909 Error Message A prompt on a computer screen telling the operator that an error has occurred. Assistant Engineer A less elevated version of the term Second Engineer. Experienced seconds often place microphones, operate tape machines, break down equipment at the session end and keep the paperwork for the session. Cardioid Pattern A microphone pick up pattern, which has maximum pick up from the front, less pick up from the sides, and least pick up from the back of the diaphra

A baffle so large that the sounds coming from one side do not reach the other side. Humbucker Pickups that are coupled together to get a certain sound. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Arc The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge. Echo Send The output of a console used to send a signal to an echo chamber or delay effects device. Brooks HI FI projectors AES An abbreviation of Audio Engineering Society. 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. Feed To send an audio or control signal to. Compression Driver The unit that feeds a sound pressure wave into the throat of a horn (in a horn loudspeaker).

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. Fade 1) A gradual reduction of the level of the audio signal. 2) A gradual change of level from one pre-set level to another. Brooks RM 909 IC Abbreviation of Integrated Circuit (A miniature circuit of many components that is in small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment). Light Emitting Diode 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. Brooks RM 909 reviews Channels These are divided into two separate categories. Input channels are those channels coming into the soundboard such as microphones and direct lines. Output channels are those leaving the board such as monitor and main outputs. Ground Loop A double grounding of a line or electronic device at two different "ground" points of diff