Audio

Front 1

Dynamic Mic

Back 1

Uses a moving coil to generate voltage. Better at recording low frequencies like a bass drum because of it's physical durability and good mid-range processing.

Front 2

Condenser Mic

Back 2

Requires an external power source either battery or phantom. Characterized by a high sensitivity and a higher frequency response than dynamics. Can record pretty much whatever a dynamic can. Better for instruments that play at high frequencies.

Front 3

Pickup pattern

Back 3

The directions from which a mic processes sound

Front 4

Omnidirectional

Back 4

A mic that is sensitive to sound from all directions

Front 5

Unidirectional

Back 5

A mic that is sensitive to sound from it's front only.

Front 6

Sensitivity

Back 6

Measures the voltage that a microphone produces which indicates its efficiency

Front 7

Proximity Effect

Back 7

An increase in bass or low frequencies the closer a microphone is to the sound source.

Front 8

Balanced vs. Unbalanced line

Back 8

Balanced: A microphone that has two conductors and a shield.

Unbalanced: A mic that has one condcutor with a shield that acts as the second conductor

Front 9

Companding

Back 9

A mixture of "compression" and "expansion". It's used to increase dynamic range and reduce noise inherent in a transmission system. The signal is compressed during the transmission and expanded at the receiver.

Front 10

Multipath problems

Back 10

This is a phenomenon where more than one signal reaches the receiver and creates phase mismatching.

Front 11

Wireless Diversity Reception

Back 11

A technique used to deal with dropout in the transmission to a receiver.

Front 12

Sound Chain

Back 12

A chain made up of a microphone, a console, a signal processor and a recorder.

Front 13

Crossover Network

Back 13

Separates bass frequencies from treble frequencies at a crossover point. It directs each set of frequencies to a driver that is equipped to handle the different wavelengths.

Front 14

Crossover Frequency

Back 14

The point in a crossover network where the bass frequencies are separated from the treble frequencies.

Front 15

Speaker Linearity

Back 15

Frequencies being fed to a loudspeaker at a particular loudness are reproduced at the same loudness.

Front 16

Speaker Sensitivity

Back 16

The sound-pressure level a loudspeaker produces. A speakers sensitivity rating is a good indication of it's efficiency

Front 17

Speaker Coverage Angle

Back 17

The point at which a loudspeaker level is down 6 dB compared with the on-axis output.

Front 18

Far vs. Near field monitoring

Back 18

Far field monitoring: has more reflected sound, speakers are 10+ feet away from the listener.

Near: Much less reflected sound, more direct sound. 2-4 feet from listener.

Front 19

Sweet Spot

Back 19

The focal point between a set of speakers where a mix is heard exactly as the mixer intended it to be heard.

Front 20

Anechoic Chamber

Back 20

A room with no reflections in it of any kind

Front 21

Drivers in a three-way loudspeaker

Back 21

There are two Crossover points and three drivers: a woofer, a mid-range and a tweeter

Front 22

Speaker distortion and the cause

Back 22

Distortion is the appearance of a signal in the reproduced sound that was not in the original sound. It's caused by sending too much power through a speaker and can damage it.

Front 23

Active vs. Passive Speakers

Back 23

Active speakers tend to be more expensive. There are optimized power amps for each driver in active speakers. Better driver circuitry protection and short and direct connections between amps and drivers.