A unit that is designed to measure perceived loudness changes in audio. The unit is basically the decibel change of the average level as read by a VU Meter. The movement of the VU Meter is designed to approximately match the ear's response to changes in level. Abbreviated VU
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.
BNO Acoustics LK-61: Processor
The part of a computer which actually performs task/calculations.
BNO Acoustics Speakers: Fidelity
The recording or reproduction quality.
Wah Wah (Wah)
A changing filter giving more and less filtering of harmonics of an instrument's sound.
Velocity
Message In synthesizers and keyboard controllers, a MIDI message giving data on how hard the key was struck.
Patch Point
One jack in a patch bay.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Friday, November 29, 2019
BNO Acoustics QT-5: Chip
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.
Y-Cord
A cable with three connectors so that one output may be sent to two inputs.
Live
1) Referring to the sound by instruments during a performance to an audience.
2) Having a large portion of reverberant or reflected sound.
Solo Switch
A switch that activates the solo function (allowing just selected channels to be heard or to reach the output).
Hard Disk Recording
The recording of digital audio onto a hard disc.
Patch Cord
A very short high Z instrument cable.
Threshold
The level at which a dynamics processing unit will begin to change gain.
2) The thread cut away from the master lacquer to make the groove, while disc recording.
Y-Cord
A cable with three connectors so that one output may be sent to two inputs.
Live
1) Referring to the sound by instruments during a performance to an audience.
2) Having a large portion of reverberant or reflected sound.
Solo Switch
A switch that activates the solo function (allowing just selected channels to be heard or to reach the output).
Hard Disk Recording
The recording of digital audio onto a hard disc.
Patch Cord
A very short high Z instrument cable.
Threshold
The level at which a dynamics processing unit will begin to change gain.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
BNO Acoustics GT-60: Condenser
An older term meaning the same thing as Capacitor (an electronic device which is composed of two plates separated by an insulator and can store charge) but sill in common use when referring to a microphone's active element.
Nut
The point on the guitar neck where the strings touch the neck and join the headstock.
Amplitude
The strength of a vibrating wave; in sound, the loudness of the sound.
Foldback
A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance.
VU
1) Short for the term Volume Unit (a unit that is designed to measure perceived loudness changes in audio).
2) A meter that reads audio voltage levels in or out of a piece of equipment and is designed to match the ear's response to sudden changes in level.
BNO Acoustics QS-4: Register
A user modified program (with changed parameters) which is stored in the memory of an effects unit, or sound module.
M
1) This is the Greek letter "mu", which is actually a forerunner of the English "M", however, the lower-case "u" is often used in place of it because of it's similar appearance.
2) This symbol is used for micro- (one millionth).
3) m s means two microseconds which is 2/1,000,000 of a second.
Nut
The point on the guitar neck where the strings touch the neck and join the headstock.
Amplitude
The strength of a vibrating wave; in sound, the loudness of the sound.
Foldback
A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance.
VU
1) Short for the term Volume Unit (a unit that is designed to measure perceived loudness changes in audio).
2) A meter that reads audio voltage levels in or out of a piece of equipment and is designed to match the ear's response to sudden changes in level.
BNO Acoustics QS-4: Register
A user modified program (with changed parameters) which is stored in the memory of an effects unit, or sound module.
M
1) This is the Greek letter "mu", which is actually a forerunner of the English "M", however, the lower-case "u" is often used in place of it because of it's similar appearance.
2) This symbol is used for micro- (one millionth).
3) m s means two microseconds which is 2/1,000,000 of a second.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
BNO Acoustics HD-70: Sound Blanket
A thick blanket that can be put on floors or hung to help prevent sound reflections.
Spaced Omni
Placing two microphones with omni directional patterns 4 to 8 feet apart where one microphone picks up the left side and one microphone picks up the right side.
Tension
The force applied by the reel motors of a tape machine during play mode so that the tape is evenly wound on to the take up reel (take up tension) and so that the tape is held against the heads (hold back tension from the supply reel).
BNO Acoustics 6k-52: 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 diaphragm.
BNO Acoustics LK-61: Talkback
The system which allows the engineer to talk into a microphone in the control room and have his voice come over the studio monitors and/or headphones so he can talk to the musicians.
Reverb (Reverberation)
1) A shortening of the term Reverberation (the persistence of a sound after the source stops emitting it).
2) Effect which may be added to sound effects during recording or to a voice during performance. Sustains the sound longer than normal, as if the sound was reverberating around a large building (e.g. cathedral). Persistence of sound after the source has ceased.
3) Adding the acoustics of a concert hall.
4) A most basic and necessary effect. Think of it like this. If you stand in a big empty warehouse and shout, "Hey!", you will hear a sort of "reverberation" surround you. It's sort of like an echo, but not exactly. Think of it as audio afterglow.
Attenuation
A making smaller: reduction of electrical or acoustic signal strength.
Spaced Omni
Placing two microphones with omni directional patterns 4 to 8 feet apart where one microphone picks up the left side and one microphone picks up the right side.
Tension
The force applied by the reel motors of a tape machine during play mode so that the tape is evenly wound on to the take up reel (take up tension) and so that the tape is held against the heads (hold back tension from the supply reel).
BNO Acoustics 6k-52: 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 diaphragm.
BNO Acoustics LK-61: Talkback
The system which allows the engineer to talk into a microphone in the control room and have his voice come over the studio monitors and/or headphones so he can talk to the musicians.
Reverb (Reverberation)
1) A shortening of the term Reverberation (the persistence of a sound after the source stops emitting it).
2) Effect which may be added to sound effects during recording or to a voice during performance. Sustains the sound longer than normal, as if the sound was reverberating around a large building (e.g. cathedral). Persistence of sound after the source has ceased.
3) Adding the acoustics of a concert hall.
4) A most basic and necessary effect. Think of it like this. If you stand in a big empty warehouse and shout, "Hey!", you will hear a sort of "reverberation" surround you. It's sort of like an echo, but not exactly. Think of it as audio afterglow.
Attenuation
A making smaller: reduction of electrical or acoustic signal strength.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
BNO Acoustics Speakers: Pin Plug
1) A term with the same meaning as RCA Plug.
2) The common audio connector found on most stereo systems with a center pin as one connection and an outer shell as the second connection.
BNO Acoustics 6k-52: Whammy Bar
See Tremolo
Link
(Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (or dynamic processing unit) so that both channels always have the same gain and are triggered to change gain by either channel's signal.
BNO Acoustics HD-70: Sound Pressure Wave
Alternate compressions (compacting together) and rarefactions (spreading apart) of air particles moving away from something that is vibrating between 20 and 20,000 times a second or a similar occurrence in another substance (such as water).
BNO Acoustics QT-5: Open
Short for the term Open Circuit.
Capsule
1) The variable capacitor section of a condenser microphone.
2) In other types of microphones, the part of the microphone that includes the diaphragm and the active element.
BNO Acoustics LK-61: 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
2) The common audio connector found on most stereo systems with a center pin as one connection and an outer shell as the second connection.
BNO Acoustics 6k-52: Whammy Bar
See Tremolo
Link
(Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (or dynamic processing unit) so that both channels always have the same gain and are triggered to change gain by either channel's signal.
BNO Acoustics HD-70: Sound Pressure Wave
Alternate compressions (compacting together) and rarefactions (spreading apart) of air particles moving away from something that is vibrating between 20 and 20,000 times a second or a similar occurrence in another substance (such as water).
BNO Acoustics QT-5: Open
Short for the term Open Circuit.
Capsule
1) The variable capacitor section of a condenser microphone.
2) In other types of microphones, the part of the microphone that includes the diaphragm and the active element.
BNO Acoustics LK-61: 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
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
BNO Acoustics HD-70: Throat
The small opening in a horn or in a driver through which the sound pressure wave passes from the driver to the horn.
BNO Acoustics BP-40: Sustain
1) A holding out of the sounding of a pitch by an instrument.
2) The level that a sound will continue to play at when a synthesizer key is held down.
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
Amplifier (Power amp, Head)
It's the part of the sound system that actually magnifies or "amplifies" the sound. In other words, it makes stuff louder.
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.
Voltage
The electrical force pushing electrons to obtain electrical current.
BNO Acoustics GT-60: Solo Switch
A switch that activates the solo function (allowing just selected channels to be heard or to reach the output).
BNO Acoustics BP-40: Sustain
1) A holding out of the sounding of a pitch by an instrument.
2) The level that a sound will continue to play at when a synthesizer key is held down.
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
Amplifier (Power amp, Head)
It's the part of the sound system that actually magnifies or "amplifies" the sound. In other words, it makes stuff louder.
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.
Voltage
The electrical force pushing electrons to obtain electrical current.
BNO Acoustics GT-60: Solo Switch
A switch that activates the solo function (allowing just selected channels to be heard or to reach the output).