Thursday, June 30, 2022

Brooks QS-70 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.

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 Cinema XS - 45 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).

Cable, TRS
A less common balanced cable that has 3 different contacts on its 1/4 inch connectors. Most headphone jacks are a good example of a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connector. These are sometimes used instead of the more common XLR connection.

Brooks Cinema GT 845 Bit
The smallest unit of digital information representing a single "0" or 1.

Compact Disc Recordable CDR
A blank Compact Disc that can be recorded on one time.

Linearity
The extent to which any signal handling process is accomplished without amplitude distortion.

Line Out (Line Output)
Any output that sends out a line level signal, such as the output of a console that feeds a recorder.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Brooks GT 845 Keying Input (Key Input)

An input on a dynamics processing device to control the device by an external audio signal.

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).

Brooks Cinema QS - 95 Boom Stand
A microphone stand equipped with a telescoping support arm to hold the microphone.

Ground
In electronics, a place (terminal) that has zero volts.

Brooks Audio Design KM 77 Ground Lift
A switch that breaks the connection between the ground point in one circuit and the ground point in another circuit.

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.

Hertz
The unit of frequency. Equivalent to cycles per second. Abbreviation: Hz.

Comb Filter
1) The frequency response achieved by mixing a direct signal with a delayed signal of equal strength especially at short delays.
2) Loosely used to also describe effects that can be achieved with comb filtering as part of the processing.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Brooks QS-70 Capacitance

The property of being able to oppose a change in voltage or store an electrical charge.

House Sync
A synchronization signal such as SMPTE time code that is used by all recorders in the control room.

Brooks Speakers Frequency Range
The range of frequencies over which an electronic device is useful or over which a sound source will put out substantial energy.

Gate
A dynamic processing device that turns a channel off or down when the signal drops below a certain level.

Brooks Cinema Projectors Line In (Input, return)
Where a signal enters the board or component.

Gain Control
A device that changes the gain of an amplifier or circuit, often a knob that can be turned or a slide that can be moved up arid down.

DC
Abbreviation for direct current.

Jam Sync
A generation of new SMPTE according to the input SMPTE signal

Monday, June 27, 2022

Brooks Cinema Projectors Flamenco

A style of music with roots in Spanish and Arabic culture.

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.

Brooks Audio Design SS 81 Harmonics
Integer multiples of a fundamental frequency, the fundamental itself being the first harmonic, its first overtone the second harmonic, etc. Attributing to instruments, voices, etc. their distinctive timbre.

Crossover, Passive
Used inside of full range speaker cabinets to separate highs, mids, and lows and send them to their respective speakers within the each cabinet. These are not as efficient as active crossovers because they require all frequencies to draw from the same source of amplification.

Brooks Cinema Series Leakage
Sounds from other instruments and sources that were not intended to be picked up by the microphone.

Chorus
1) The part of The song that is repeated and has the same music and lyrics each time; the chorus will usually give the point of the song.
2) A musical singing group that has many singers.
3) A delay effect that simulates a vocal chorus by adding several delays with a mild amount of feedback and a medium amount of depth.
4) A similar effect created in some synthesizers by detuning (reducing the pitch of, slightly) and mixing it with the signal that has regular tuning and with a slight delay.

Headphones
Devices that can be worn on the head with small speakers that fit over the ears (or sometimes into the ears).

Hard Disk Recording
The recording of digital audio onto a hard disc.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Brooks VT-50 Edit

A switch that does different things depending on the operational mode that the machine is in:
1) If a computer-controlled transport is in "Stop," pushing the "Edit" switch deactivates the computer-controlled tension system and allows the reels to be moved by hand to find the exact spot desired on the tape.
2) If the machine is in "Play", the "Edit" switch makes the take-up reel cease taking up the tape and it falls to the floor.
3) If the machine is in a fast-wind mode, the tape lifters are defeated so the tape is in contact with the reproduce head and the engineer can hear where the selections begin and end.

Gain Reduction
The working of a limiter or compressor reducing gain during high-level passages.

Brooks GT 845 Isolation
A containing of the sound wave in a certain area so that it will not leak into other areas and/or unintended mics.

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.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 CD (Compact Disc) :
1) Digital sound storage medium. Provides a high quality source of music, sound effects etc. Also used as a playback medium for sound effects etc. by large theatres with long running shows, although CDR (Recordable CD) is becoming more affordable by the day.
2) An abbreviation of the term Compact Disc (a small optical disk with digital audio recorded on it).

Folded Horn
A speaker design where the speaker points back into the cabinet and bounces around finally coming out large ports in the front. It is intended to maximize low frequencies in a relatively small cabinet.

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.

Frequency Response
How sensitive an electronic device (mic, amplifier, speaker, etc.) is to various frequencies; often communicated with a graph.

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Brooks Cinema GT 845 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.

Inductor
A device designed primarily to introduce inductance into an electric circuit. Sometimes called a choke or coil.

Brooks Audio Design TM-22 Centre Frequency
The frequency of the audio signal that is boosted or attenuated most by an equalizer with a peak equalization curve.

Haas Effect
Simply stated, a factor in human hearing where delay has a much bigger effect on human perception of direction than level does.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Front Loaded
A speaker cabinet where the speaker faces out toward the front.

Efficiency
The acoustic power delivered for a given electrical input. Often expressed as decibels/watt/meter (dB/w/m). ESL �" Abbreviation for electrostatic loudspeaker.

Echo Return
An input of the console, which brings back the echo (reverberation) signal from the echo chamber or other echo effects device.

Effects Track
1) In film production audio, a recording of the mixdown of all the sound effects for the film ready to be mixed with the dialogue and music.
2) In music recording, one track with a recording of effects to be added to another track of a multitrack recording.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Electromagnetic Theory

A statement of the principles behind electromagnetic induction: When a conductor cuts magnetic lines of force, current is induced in that conductor.

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 Cinema QS - 95 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).

Line Input
An input designed to take a line level signal.

Brooks Audio Design KM 77 Cancellation
A shortening of the term Phase Cancellation (the energy of one waveform significantly decreasing the energy of another waveform because of phase relationships at or close to 180 degrees).

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)

Crosstalk
Leakage of an audio signal into a channel that iris not intended to be in, from an adjacent or nearby channel.

Generating Element
The portion of the microphone that actually converts the movement of the diaphragm into electrical current or voltage changes.

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Brooks Cinema xm 808 Fret Buzz

A buzzing sound made when a note is not properly fretted. Common with cheap guitars or beginning guitar players.

Ground Lifter
An adapter that takes a three prong power cord and plugs into a two prong outlet, used to disconnect the third (ground) pin of the power outlet. WARNING: It can be VERY DANGEROUS to have no ground connection to the case by using a ground lifter and not grounding the unit by other means.

Brooks Cinema NZ 60 In
Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active."

Level
Sets output volume of individual PA input channels. Usually positioned as sliders at the bottom of the soundboard.

Brooks QS - 95 Jam Sync
A generation of new SMPTE according to the input SMPTE signal

Bridge
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.

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.

Flange
An effect caused by an approximately even mix of a modulated (varying) short delay with the direct signal.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Brooks XB 22 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

Equalizer (Parametric, Graphic)
This is used to filter out and adjust specific frequencies in the PA. This is the part of the PA where you have the most control over the band's overall sound. It is also the number one weapon against feedback.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Amplification
An increasing of signal strength.

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.

Brooks QS 70 Half Step
A pitch difference of the amount that is present between adjacent keys on a piano.

Harmonics
Integer multiples of a fundamental frequency, the fundamental itself being the first harmonic, its first overtone the second harmonic, etc. Attributing to instruments, voices, etc. their distinctive timbre.

Interface
Any device that allows one unit to work, drive or communicate with another unit when they cannot do so by just feeding each other often because the units are manufactured by different companies.

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.

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Brooks Cinema KP 30 Compander

Outboard sound equipment. Combination of a Compressor and an Expander.

Basic Session
The First session in recording an audio production to record the Basic Tracks.

Brooks XT 20 Group Faders
The VCA faders of individual channels that are all controlled by a Group Master Fader (a slide control used to send out a control voltage to several VCA faders in individual channels).

Cable, 1/4 inch
An unbalanced cable most often used for instruments and patch cords. Commonly referred to as "guitar cords".

Brooks Cinema TX 509 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)

Baffles
Sound absorbing panels used to prevent sound waves from entering or leaving a certain space

Line Input
An input designed to take a line level signal.

Critical Distance
The point a distance away from the sound source where the direct sound and the reverberant sound are equal in volume.

Monday, June 20, 2022

Brooks Cinema GT 845 Ambient Field

A term with the same meaning as the term Reverberant Field (the area away from the sound source where the reverberation is louder than the direct sound).

Ground Lifter
An adapter that takes a three prong power cord and plugs into a two prong outlet, used to disconnect the third (ground) pin of the power outlet. WARNING: It can be VERY DANGEROUS to have no ground connection to the case by using a ground lifter and not grounding the unit by other means.

Brooks Cinema KM 22 Formant
An element in the sound of a voice or instrument that does not change frequency as different pitches are sounded.

Lead Sheet
A written chart showing the melody, lyrics and chords of a tune with full musical notation.

Brooks KS-55 Cue Send Control
A control that will adjust the amount of signal sent to a cue buss from a console channel.

Echo Send
The output of a console used to send a signal to an echo chamber or delay effects device.

Link
(Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (o

Boom
1) A hand-held, telescoping pole used to hold the microphone in recording dialogue in film production.
2) A telescoping support arm that is attached to a microphone stand and which holds the microphone. 3) Loosely, a boomstand.

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Brooks GT 845 Cord (Speaker, Mic, Instrument)

Used to connect a sound system together. Each type of cord is made for a specific purpose and should not be used in place of another type of cord, not even if they look alike. Also see "cable"

Central Processing Unit
1) The main "brain" chip of a computer that performs the calculations and execution of instructions.
2) The main housing of a computer that contains the "brain" chip as opposed to other pieces of the computer system such as keyboards, monitors, etc.

Brooks Cinema TZ 505 First Generation
A descriptive term meaning original (as opposed to a copy).

Interface
Any device that allows one unit to work, drive or communicate with another unit when they cannot do so by just feeding each other often because the units are manufactured by different companies.

Brooks M 44 Flange
An effect caused by an approximately even mix of a modulated (varying) short delay with the direct signal.

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.

Edit
A switch that does different things depending on the operational mode that the machine is in:
1) If a computer-controlled transport is in "Stop," pushing the "Edit" switch deactivates the computer-controlled tension system and allows the reels to be moved by hand to find the exact spot desired on the tape.
2) If the machine is in "Play", the "Edit" switch makes the take-up reel cease taking up the tape and it falls to the floor.
3) If the machine is in a fast-wind mode, the tape lifters are defeated so the tape is in contact with the reproduce head and the engineer can hear where the selections begin and end.

Keyboard Controller
A device that has the standard music keys of piano but puts out MIDI signals

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Brooks Cinema XS - 45 Error Correct

Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio.

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.

Brooks TA 60 Console
A set of controls and their housing, which control all signals necessary for recording and mixing.

Clicking
Pressing and immediately releasing the switch on a computer's mouse.

Brooks Cinema RM 909 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.

Amplifier
A device which increases the amplitude (level) of an electrical signal (making it louder).

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.

Ambient Field
A term with the same meaning as the term Reverberant Field (the area away from the sound source where the reverberation is louder than the direct sound).

Friday, June 17, 2022

Brooks Cinema XR 607 Foot Pedal

1) An effects device where the amount of the effect can be controlled by a musician with his foot.
2) The beater mechanism of a foot drum that is activated by the drummer's foot to play the drum.
3) Any device, like a volume control, that can be operated by the foot.

Integrated Circuit (IC)
A miniature circuit of many components in a small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment.

Brooks KM 77 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.

Crosstalk
Leakage of an audio signal into a channel that iris not intended to be in, from an adjacent or nearby channel.

Brooks Cinema XS - 45 Group Faders
The VCA faders of individual channels that are all controlled by a Group Master Fader (a slide control used to send out a control voltage to several VCA faders in individual channels).

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.

Analog (Analogue)
Representative, continuous changes that relate to another quantity that has a continuous change.

Critical Distance
The point a distance away from the sound source where the direct sound and the reverberant sound are equal in volume.

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Brooks QS 70 Amplifier

A device which increases the amplitude (level) of an electrical signal (making it louder).

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).

Brooks RM 80 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).

Boom Stand
A microphone stand equipped with a telescoping support arm to hold the microphone.

Brooks QS - 95 Foldback
A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance.

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 diaphragm.

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).

Foot Switch
A switch placed on the floor and pressed by a musician to do various functions.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Brooks KM 77 Input/Output Module

A set of controls, on one housing, for an in-line console that has two channels (one for recording and one for monitoring) and has controls for all console sections.

Folded Horn
A speaker design where the speaker points back into the cabinet and bounces around finally coming out large ports in the front. It is intended to maximize low frequencies in a relatively small cabinet.

Brooks Cinema GT 845 Corner Frequency
Same as Cut-Off Frequency (the highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter). (NOUN)

Hi-Z
An abbreviation of the term High Impedance (Impedance of 5000 or more ohms).

Brooks GT 845 Ground Loop
A double grounding of a line or electronic device at two different "ground" points of differing voltage.

Error Correct
Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio.

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.

Early Reflections
The first echoes in a room, caused by the sound from the sound source reflecting off one surface before reaching the listener.

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Brooks SS 81 Harmonic Distortion

The presence of harmonics in the output signal of a device which were not present in the input signal.

Leakage
Sounds from other instruments and sources that were not intended to be picked up by the microphone.

Brooks KS-55 Format
1) The number of tracks, their width, spacing and order for tape recording.
2) To prepare a digital storage medium so that it will accept and store digital information bits.

Input/Output Module
A set of controls, on one housing, for an in-line console that has two channels (one for recording and one for monitoring) and has controls for all console sections.

Brooks QS 70 Beat
1) The steady even pulse in music.
2) The action of two sounds or audio signals mixing together and causing regular rises &.falls in volume.

Electret Mic
A condenser microphone where the capacitor plates are given a charge during manufacture which they retain, therefore requiring no external power supply.

Feedback
1) The delayed signal sent back to the input of a delay line, used in repeat-echo effects.
2) The pickup of the signal out of a channel by its input or the howling sound that this produces.
3) In an amplifier, the phase reversed output signal sent back to its input, reducing gain but also distortion and noise.
4) This occurs when the sound coming out of the speakers goes back into the microphones, then back out the speakers, then back into the mics…and so on. This can build very quickly to a point where everyone in the room is holding their ears and screaming at you. It can also cause damage to the PA.

Haas Effect
Simply stated, a factor in human hearing where delay has a much bigger effect on human perception of direction than level does.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Brooks Cinema KP 30 Capo

A clamp-like device that is placed vertically across the guitar neck. It is used to change the pitch of the guitar, acting as a moveable nut.

Isolation
A containing of the sound wave in a certain area so that it will not leak into other areas and/or unintended mics.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Crossover, Passive
Used inside of full range speaker cabinets to separate highs, mids, and lows and send them to their respective speakers within the each cabinet. These are not as efficient as active crossovers because they require all frequencies to draw from the same source of amplification.

Error Message
A prompt on a computer screen telling the operator that an error has occurred.

Brooks QS-70 Fundamental
The tuned frequency and (almost always) the lowest frequency that is present in the sounding of a pitch by a musical instrument.

Headphones
Devices that can be worn on the head with small speakers that fit over the ears (or sometimes into the ears).

Crossover, Active
A rack mountable unit used to separate frequencies leaving the soundboard into high's, mids, and lows with different outputs for each.

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)

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Brooks GS 15 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.

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.

Brooks Cinema TX 509 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.

Flange
An effect caused by an approximately even mix of a modulated (varying) short delay with the direct signal.

Brooks KS-55 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.

Analog (Analogue)
Representative, continuous changes that relate to another quantity that has a continuous change.

BPM
An abbreviation of Beat Per Minute (the number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and therefore defining the tempo).

Error Correct
Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio.

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Brooks QS-70 Electrons

Negatively charged particles, which revolve around the centre of atoms. The movement of such electrons down a conductor causes electrical current.

Dry
Describes a sound coming from the PA with no effects on it.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Chase
The automatic adjusting of the speed of a recorder (or sequencer) to be time with another recorder.

Error Concealment
Putting replacement information bits into a digital audio signal to replace lost bits when the digital recording or processing system cannot verify whether the lost bits were l's or 0's but can make a good guess by comparing the known bits that were close in position to the lost bits.

Brooks QS 70 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.

Error Message
A prompt on a computer screen telling the operator that an error has occurred.

Half Step
A pitch difference of the amount that is present between adjacent keys on a piano.

Formant
An element in the sound of a voice or instrument that does not change frequency as different pitches are sounded.

Friday, June 10, 2022

Brooks Cinema GT 845 Group

1) A number of channels or faders that can be controlled by one Master VCA slide.
2) A shortening of the term Recording Group (a buss or the signal present on a buss).

Bi-Directional Pattern
A microphone pick up pattern which has maximum pick up directly in front and directly in back of the diaphragm and least pick up at the sides.

Brooks M 44 Gain Control
A device that changes the gain of an amplifier or circuit, often a knob that can be turned or a slide that can be moved up arid down.

Foldback
A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance.

Brooks Cinema RM 909 Limiter
A device which reduces gain when the input voltage exceeds a certain level.

Formant
An element in the sound of a voice or instrument that does not change frequency as different pitches are sounded.

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.

Input Overload
Sending too high of a signal level into a device so that the first amplifier of the device overloads.

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Brooks Cinema ZL 44 Error Correct

Exact replacement of lost information bits in digital audio.

Crosstalk
Leakage of an audio signal into a channel that iris not intended to be in, from an adjacent or nearby channel.

Brooks Cinema GT 845 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.

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 makes the instruments sound closer to the center of the performance stage. 3) A method of panning during mixing where instruments are not panned extremely left or right.

Brooks QS-70 Equipment Rack
A cabinet with rails (or free standing rails) that have holes to accept screws at standard spaces and used to house outboard gear.

Chamber
1) An Echo Chamber (a room designed with very hard, non-parallel surfaces equipped with a speaker and microphone so that when dry signals from the console are fed to the speaker, the microphone will have a reverberation of these signals that can be mixed in with the dry signals at the console).
2) A program in a delay/reverb effects device that simulates the sound of an Echo Chamber.

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.

IC
Abbreviation of Integrated Circuit (A miniature circuit of many components that is in small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment).

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Brooks Cinema TZ 505 Distortion

Usually undesirable result of overloading sound equipment. Reducing the levels can remedy the situation.

Direct box
Used in line to convert a high impedance signal into a low impedance signal.

Brooks VT-50 Central Processing Unit
1) The main "brain" chip of a computer that performs the calculations and execution of instructions.
2) The main housing of a computer that contains the "brain" chip as opposed to other pieces of the computer system such as keyboards, monitors, etc.

Figure Eight Pattern
Another name for Bi-directional Pattern (microphone pickup pattern picking up best from the front and back of the diaphragm and not picking up from the side of the diaphragm).

Brooks SS 81 Feedback
1) The delayed signal sent back to the input of a delay line, used in repeat-echo effects.
2) The pickup of the signal out of a channel by its input or the howling sound that this produces.
3) In an amplifier, the phase reversed output signal sent back to its input, reducing gain but also distortion and noise.
4) This occurs when the sound coming out of the speakers goes back into the microphones, then back out the speakers, then back into the mics…and so on. This can build very quickly to a point where everyone in the room is holding their ears and screaming at you. It can also cause damage to the PA.

High Impedance Mic
A microphone designed to be fed into an amplifier with input impedance greater than 20 k ohms.

Compact Disc Recordable CDR
A blank Compact Disc that can be recorded on one time.

Clipping
Distortion of a signal by its being chopped off. An overload problem caused by pushing an amplifier beyond its capabilities. The flat-topped signal has high levels of harmonic distortion which creates heat in a loudspeaker and is the major cause of loudspeaker component failure.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Brooks Cinema ZL 44 Insert

1) A punch in of the all of the tracks being recorded in a recording session.
2) On Solid State Logic consoles, placing an outboard piece of gear in the channel by patching and activating a switch.

Active/Inactive Microphones
Scientific definitions aside, active microphones generally sound better than inactive ones, but they generally cost more. They also require the use of either a battery or phantom power while inactive mics need only be plugged into the mic cord in order to work. In most playing situations, the subtle improvement in sound quality from an active mic isn't worth the extra cost and hassle. One possible exception it the headset mic. Put simply, inactive headset mics just plain suck. Active headset mics put out a much stronger signal and feed back much less.

Brooks VT-50 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.

High Impedance Mic
A microphone designed to be fed into an amplifier with input impedance greater than 20 k ohms.

Brooks Cinema XB 33 Equalizer (Parametric, Graphic)
This is used to filter out and adjust specific frequencies in the PA. This is the part of the PA where you have the most control over the band's overall sound. It is also the number one weapon against feedback.

Leakage
Sounds from other instruments and sources that were not intended to be picked up by the microphone.

ID
An index signal (digital data that gives the machine information of where selections start, their selection number, etc.) on a DAT or CD.

In
Short For "in the circuit," in other words "active."

Monday, June 6, 2022

Brooks Speakers 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)

Keyboard
1) Any musical instrument controlled by pressing a key.
2) The part of the computer that has the keys.

Brooks BA 71 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.

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 VT-50 Amplitude
The height of a waveform above or below the zero line.

Hum
The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment.

Early Reflections
The first echoes in a room, caused by the sound from the sound source reflecting off one surface before reaching the listener.

Compressor
A signal processing device that does not allow as much fluctuation in the level of the signal above a certain adjustable or fixed level.

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Brooks QS 70 Balance Control

A control on a stereo amplifier that when moved clockwise will make the right channel louder (and the left channel softer) and will do the reverse when moved counter-clockwise.

Chase
The automatic adjusting of the speed of a recorder (or sequencer) to be time with another recorder.

Brooks TA 60 Flat
1) Lower in musical pitch.
2) A slang term used to describe the sensitivity to frequency of a microphone, amplifier, etc., as being even at all frequencies, usually within 2 dB.
3) Refers to the frequencies on the EQ when they are arranged in centred neutral positions.

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

Brooks BA 71 Format
1) The number of tracks, their width, spacing and order for tape recording.
2) To prepare a digital storage medium so that it will accept and store digital information bits.

Action
In guitar playing, action refers to how far the strings sit off of the guitar neck. When strings are close to the neck, it is referred to as "Low Action". When the string sit far above the neck, it is called "High Action". Guitars with low action are easier to play, but make sure they are not too close, or it could causing buzzing.

Limiter
A device which reduces gain when the input voltage exceeds a certain level.

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.

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Brooks XB 22 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.

Electret Mic
A condenser microphone where the capacitor plates are given a charge during manufacture which they retain, therefore requiring no external power supply.

Brooks XB 33 House Sync
A synchronization signal such as SMPTE time code that is used by all recorders in the control room.

LED
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 TM-22 Hum
The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment.

Crisp
Describes a good clean high midrange sound. It can be good or bad depending on the look on the face of the guy who said it.

Centre Frequency
The frequency of the audio signal that is boosted or attenuated most by an equalizer with a peak equalization curve.

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.

Friday, June 3, 2022

Brooks M 44 Floor

1) An alternate tam meaning Range (a limit on the amount the signal is reduced when the input signal is low by an expander or gate).
2) A shortening of the term Noise Floor (the level of the noise).

Bi
A prefix meaning two.

Brooks Cinema Projectors Bar
A term meaning the same thing as the term Measure (the grouping of a number of beats in music, most-often four beats).

Ground Adapter Plug
Adapts a three pronged electrical plug to a two pronged wall outlet. This bypasses the ground and may create a hum in the system. A lack of a good ground can cause mild electrical shock when touching a microphone.

Brooks Cinema GT 845 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

Electric Instrument
Any musical instrument that puts out an electrical signal rather than an acoustic sound.

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).

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.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Brooks Cinema Series Analog Recording

A recording of the continuous changes of an audio waveform.

Arc
The visible sparks generated by an electrical discharge.

Brooks GT 44 BPM
An abbreviation of Beat Per Minute (the number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and therefore defining the tempo).

Digital Recording
1) ADAM : (Akai Digital Audio Multitrack). 12 track recording onto Video 8 tape. 16 bit, 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rate.
2) DAT (Digital Audio Tape) Cassette-like system which has much higher quality than standard audio cassettes. Widely used in gathering sound effects, for news gathering, and for playback of music.
3) DCC (Digital Compact Cassette) Rival to DAT which also plays standard audio cassettes.
4) MiniDisc : Uses computer disk technology, rather than tape. A laser heats an area of magnetic disk which is then written to by a magnetic head. When cooled, the magnetic information is read from the disk by laser. Tracks can be named, and are instant start. Very theatre-friendly system.
5) Direct to Disk : Uses the hard disk present in most PCs as the recording medium.

Brooks Cinema TZ 505 Face
The front or body of the guitar.

Input Overload
Sending too high of a signal level into a device so that the first amplifier of the device overloads.

Fletcher Munson Effect
A hearing limitation shown by Fletcher Munson Equal Loudness Contours (as music is lowered in volume, it is much more difficult to hear bass frequencies and somewhat harder to hear very high frequencies).

Crisp
Describes a good clean high midrange sound. It can be good or bad depending on the look on the face of the guy who said it.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Brooks TA 60 Envelope

1) How a sound or audio signal varies in intensity over a time span.
2) How a control voltage varies in level over time controlling a parameter of something other than gain or audio level.

Frequency
The number of cycles of a waveform occurring in a second.

Brooks GS 15 Bi-Amplification
1) A way of optimizing the efficiency of a speaker system by separately amplifying the High Frequency (HF) and Low Frequency (LF) portions of the sound signal and sending them down two pairs of cables to the speaker. Multipin Speakon connectors have been developed to do this.
2)The process of having of having low-frequency speakers and high-frequency speakers driven by separate amplifiers.

Hum
The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment.

Brooks XB 22 Capacitance
The property of being able to oppose a change in voltage or store an electrical charge.

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.

Gain Structure
The way in which the gain varies in the stages or sections of an audio system.

Foot Switch
A switch placed on the floor and pressed by a musician to do various functions.

Brooks HI FI projectors Compact Disc CD

A small optical disk with digital audio recorded on it. Cycle 1) An alternation of a waveform which begins at a point, passes throug...