Brooks Audio Design

A unit that will add effects to a direct guitar signal, including a simulated instrument amplifier sound and (often) delay and reverb effects. Clock Signal The signal put out by a circuit that generates steady even pulses or steady codes used for synchronization. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Alternating Current Electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit. 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. Brooks RM 909 reviews Expansion The opposite of compression; for example, an expander may allow the signal to increase 2 dB every time the signal input increased by 1 dB. Echo Return An input of the console, which brings back the echo (reverberation) signal from the echo chamber or other echo effects device. Cancellation A shortening of the term Phase Cancellation (t...

A wire carrying signals to some place, usually fed from several sources. Kick (Kick Drum) Another term for Bass Drum. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Imaging To make a representation or imitation of the original sonic event. Key The control of a dynamics processing device by an external audio signal. Brooks RM 909 Input Overload Sending too high of a signal level into a device so that the first amplifier of the device overloads. 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. 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. LED A light that allows current to flow in one direction only and emits light ...

A recording of the continuous changes of an audio waveform. Attenuation A making smaller: reduction of electrical or acoustic signal strength. Brooks Hi Fi speakers 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. Chase The automatic adjusting of the speed of a recorder (or sequencer) to be time with another recorder. Brooks RM 909 Electric Current A more formal term meaning the same as the term Current (the amount of electron charge passing a point in a conductor per unit of time). Hi-Z An abbreviation of the term High Impedance (Impedance of 5000 or more ohms). Kick (Kick Drum) Another term for Bass Drum. Blending 1) A condition where two signals mix together to form one sound or to give the sound of one sound source or one performance. 2) Mixing the left and right signal together slightly which ma...

The area from 3 feet away from the sound source up to the critical distance. 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. Brooks Hi Fi reviews 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 Compression Driver The unit that feeds a sound pressure wave into the throat of a horn (in a horn loudspeaker). Brooks Hi Fi speakers Axis A line around which a device operates. Example: In a microphone, this would be an imaginary line coming out from the front of the microphone in the direction of motion of the diap...

Describes a sound which covers all audible frequency ranges. As in "full range speaker cabinets." Electromagnetic Induction or Pick Up The generation of electrical signal in a conductor moving in a magnetic field or being close to a changing magnetic field. Brooks RM 909 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. Floppy Disk (Floppy Disc) A round flat object (usually housed in a protective sleeve) coated with material that can be magnetized in a similar manner to tape. Brooks Hi Fi speakers Hum The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment. Linearity The extent to which any signal handling process is accomplished without amplitude distortion. In Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active." Amplifier A device which incr...

The first echoes in a room, caused by the sound from the sound source reflecting off one surface before reaching the listener. 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. Brooks Hi Fi reviews AC 1) Abbreviation for alternating current. 2) An abbreviation of the term Alternating Current (electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit; all studio signals running through audio lines are AC). Dolby Trade name for a series of noise reduction systems that have become standard on many tape playback machines. Many film soundtracks are produced using this process. Different varieties are found from Dolby B on most personal cassette players, to Dolby SR and Digital, the current state of the art for cinema. Brooks HI FI projectors Group Faders The VCA faders of individua...

The tuned frequency and (almost always) the lowest frequency that is present in the sounding of a pitch by a musical instrument. Flamenco A style of music with roots in Spanish and Arabic culture. Brooks Hi Fi reviews Diffraction The breaking up of a sound wave caused by some type of mechanical interference such as a cabinet edge, grill frame, or other similar object. Bar A term meaning the same thing as the term Measure (the grouping of a number of beats in music, most-often four beats). Brooks RM 909 Compact Disc, Read Only Memory CDROM A Compact Disc used to store digital data, such as large programs, that can be read by a computer. 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. Amplification An increasing of signal strength. Equipment Rack A cabinet with rails (or free standing rails) that have h...