Audio Terms BOLD Flashcards
Transducer
It’s a device that converts energy from one form to another.
Imagine sound waves reaching a microphone - the microphone acts as a transducer, transforming the mechanical energy of those waves into an electrical signal that represents the sound.
Speakers are also transducers, working in reverse. They take the electrical signal, interpret its information, and convert it back into physical vibrations
Here are some other types of audio transducers you might encounter:
- Pickups: These convert the vibrations of strings or other instrument parts into electrical signals for guitars, basses, and other instruments.
- Cartridges: Found in record players, they convert the tiny grooves pressed into vinyl records into electrical signals.
- Headphones and earphones: These take the electrical signal and produce tiny vibrations that move air directly towards your ears,
Coaxial Speaker
A coaxial loudspeaker is a type of speaker system where multiple drivers, responsible for different sound frequencies, are mounted on the same axis and radiate sound from a single point. Micah also called them concentric circle speakers.
MADI
MADI, standing for Multichannel Audio Digital Interface, is a digital audio interface widely used in professional audio applications. It’s essentially a standardized method for transmitting multiple channels of digital audio over a single cable.
Here’s a breakdown of its key points:
- Standardized: Developed and published by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) as AES10, ensuring compatibility between different brands and devices.
- High channel count: Can transmit up to 64 channels of digital audio at 48 kHz sampling rate, 32 channels at 96 kHz, and 16 channels at 192 kHz.
- Cable types: Traditionally uses coaxial cables, but optical fiber versions are also available for longer distances and immunity to electromagnetic interference.
Applications:
- Common in broadcast, live sound, and recording studios for connecting mixing consoles, digital multitrack recorders, stage boxes, and other audio equipment.
MADI offers several advantages over other digital audio interfaces:
- Simplicity: Easy to set up and use, with no complex network configuration required.
- Reliability: Robust and stable transmission, even in demanding environments.
- Cost-effectiveness: Often more affordable than other high-channel-count solutions.
limitations:
- Limited distance: Coaxial cables are limited to around 100 meters, while optical fiber can extend to several kilometers.
- Unidirectional
- Not a network: Not designed for complex routing or control like network audio protocols (e.g., Dante, AVB).
VCM
VCM in professional audio stands for VIRTUAL Circuitry Modeling. It’s a technology used to digitally recreate the sound and characteristics of analog audio equipment, specifically focusing on capturing the subtle nuances and non-linearities that contribute to the warm, rich tones often associated with analog gear.
Here are some key points about VCM:
- VCM employs advanced digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms to model the individual components of analog circuits, such as transistors, capacitors, and transformers.
VCM’s are frequently used in various professional audio equipment, including:
- Digital mixing consoles: Many brands, particularly Yamaha, integrate VCM plugins within their consoles, allowing producers to apply emulations of classic compressors, equalizers, tape machines, and guitar amps directly in the digital mixer’s workflow.
- Audio effects processors: Dedicated VCM plugins or standalone hardware units are available,
- Musical instruments: Some digital keyboards and synthesizers utilize VCM technology to model the sound and response of classic analog instruments,.
Benefits:
- Warmer, richer sound: It provides a more “analog” character, adding depth, warmth, and subtle harmonic distortion that enhance the audio quality.
- Versatility: VCM plugins offer a vast library of classic effects and instruments, allowing for creative exploration and experimentation without requiring expensive physical equipment.
Milan AVB
In professional audio, Milan AVB (Milan) refers to a set of specifications and certifications that ensure interoperability and reliability for networked audio devices. It’s built on top of the Audio Video Bridging (AVB) protocol, adding an application layer specifically designed for the demands of professional audio systems.
What it is:
- Open standard: Developed by major audio manufacturers like Meyer Sound, AVID, L-Acoustics, and d&b, ensuring vendor-neutral compatibility.
- Deterministic networking:
Guarantees low latency and synchronized audio delivery, crucial for live sound and studio applications.
- Scalability: Supports large and complex audio setups with numerous devices and channels.
- Reliability: Prioritizes audio streams and minimizes network congestion, even in demanding environments.
- Plug-and-play: Milan-certified devices work seamlessly with each other, simplifying setup and configuration.
- Key features:Streams multiple audio formats: Supports standard formats like PCM, AES3, and Dante, allowing integration with existing systems.
- Redundancy: Ensures uninterrupted audio even if a network component fails.
- Quality of Service (QoS): Prioritizes critical audio streams over other network traffic.
- Stream discovery and management: Makes it easy to find and configure devices on the network.
Benefits of using Milan AVB:
- Simplified workflows: Streamlines setup and configuration compared to proprietary systems.
- Reduced costs: Eliminates the need for vendor-specific converters and adapters.
- Increased flexibility: Allows for easy expansion and reconfiguration of your audio system.
- Improved reliability: Ensures consistent and error-free audio delivery.
DSP
DSP
Digital Signal Processor
Here’s what a DSP can do in the music world:
- Adjust volume: Want to turn up the guitar solo? A DSP can boost that part.
- Equalization (EQ): It acts like a graphic equalizer, letting you add or remove bass, treble, and other frequencies.
- Effects: Want echo or reverb? A DSP can create those effects digitally.
- Noise reduction: Got some background hum? A DSP can help silence it.
