Mackie SR24•4 Owner's Manual page 48

output circuit without the use (and ex-
pense) of additional amplifiers or
transformers. See also balanced.
input module
way that real consoles were built was in
modular fashion, one channel per module.
See channel strip.
knee
curve not unlike the sharp bend in your leg.
Also used in describing dynamics processors.
level
strength or volume. Audio signals are some-
times classified according to their level.
Commonly used levels are: microphone level
(–40dBu or lower), instrument level (–20 to
–10dBu), and line level (–10 to +30dBu).
line level
and +30dBu.
main house speakers
These are usually the largest and loudest
loudspeakers, and are usually positioned so
Appendices
that their sound seems to come from the area
of the main stage.
mains
master
A mixer may have several master controls, which
may be slide faders or rotary controls.
mic amp
mic level
phone. A mic level signal (usually but not
always coming from a microphone) is gener-
ally below –30dBu. With a very quiet source
(a pin dropping?) the signal can be –70dBu or
lower. It is also possible for some microphones
to deliver more signal than this; in which case
it may be referred to as a "hot" mic level. Al-
ternately, you can just say, "Boy, is that loud! "
mic pre
mic preamp
plifier which functions to bring the very low
signal level of a microphone (approximately –
50dBu) up to line level (approximately
0dBu). Mic preamps often have their own vol-
ume control, called a trim control, to properly
46
A holdover from the days when the only
A knee is a sharp bend in an EQ response
Another word for signal voltage, power,
A signal whose level falls between –10dBu
The main loudspeakers for an SR system.
See main house speakers.
A control affecting the final output of a mixer.
See mic preamp.
The typical level of a signal from a micro-
See mic preamp.
Short for microphone preamplifier. An am-
set the gain for a particular source. Setting
the mic preamp gain correctly with the trim
control is an essential step in establishing
good noise and headroom for your mix.
mixer
An electronic device used to combine various
audio signals together into a common output.
Different from a blender, which combines vari-
ous fruits together into a common libation.
monaural
Literally, pertaining to or having the use of
only one ear. In sound work, a monaural has
to do with a signal which, for purposes of com-
municating audio information, has been
confined to a single channel. One microphone
is a mono pickup; many microphones mixed
to one channel is a mono mix; a mono signal
played through two speakers is still mono,
since it only carries one channel of informa-
tion. Several monaural sources, however, can
be panned into a stereo (or at least two-chan-
nel, if you are going to be picky) mix.
Monaural SR is common for environments
where stereo SR would provide an uneven re-
production to the listener.
monitor
In sound reinforcement, monitor speakers
(or monitor headphones or in-the-ear moni-
tors) are those speakers used by the
performers to hear themselves. Monitor
speakers are also called foldback speakers. In
recording, the monitor speakers are those
used by the production staff to listen to the
recording as it progresses. In zoology, the
monitor lizard is the lizard which observes the
production staff as the recording progresses.
Keep the lizard out of the mixer.
mono
Short for monaural.
mult
Probably short for multiple. In audio work, a
mult is a parallel connection in a patch bay or
made with patch cords to feed an output to more
than one input. A "Y" cable is a type of mult con-
nection. Also a verb, as in "Why did you mult the
flanger into every input in the board?"
noise
Whatever you don't want to hear. Could be
hum, buzz or hiss; could be crosstalk or digital
hash or your neighbor's stereo; could be white
noise or pink noise or brown noise.
noise floor
The residual level of noise in any system. In
a well designed mixer, the noise floor will be a
quiet hiss which is the thermal noise gener-