Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
TheSands-12 (talk | contribs) Undid revision 1268569497 by 98.116.152.68 (talk) |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Path an audio signal takes from source to output}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2020}}
'''Audio signal flow''' is the path an [[sound|audio]] signal takes from source to output.<ref>{{cite book | title = Pro Tools 6 for Macintosh and Windows | author= Steven Roback | edition = 2nd | publisher = Peachpit Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-321-21315-0 | page = [https://archive.org/details/protools6formaci00roba/page/303 303] | url = https://
▲'''Audio signal flow''' is the path an [[sound|audio]] signal takes from source to output.<ref>{{cite book | title = Pro Tools 6 for Macintosh and Windows | author= Steven Roback | edition = 2nd | publisher = Peachpit Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-321-21315-0 | page = 303 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6kcD7mPdaXwC&pg=PT319&dq=%22audio+signal+flow%22&lr=&num=20&as_brr=3&ei=Fe47S-TAFYrSkwTjy5DMAQ&cd=2#v=onepage&q=%22audio%20signal%20flow%22&f=false }}</ref> The concept of audio signal flow is closely related to the concept of audio gain staging; each component in the signal flow can be thought of as a [[gain stage]].
In typical home stereo systems, the signal flow is usually short and simple, with only a few components. However, in recording studios and performance venues, the signal flow can often be quite complicated, with a large number of components, each of which may cause the signal to fail to reach its desired output. Knowing each component in the signal flow becomes increasingly difficult and important as system size and complexity increases.
Line 10 ⟶ 9:
Feedback, also called "Howl-Round," occurs when the output of a device is accidentally connected to its input. If the device is amplifying the signal, then the amplified output will be fed back into the input, where it will be amplified again and sent to the output, where it will return to the input, be amplified again, and sent to the output, ad infinitum. An understanding of signal flow is important in preventing feedback.
== CD
The following example will trace the signal flow of a typical home stereo system while playing back an audio CD.
Line 16 ⟶ 15:
The first component in the signal flow is the CD player, which produces the signal. The output of the CD player is connected to an input on a receiver. In a typical home stereo system, this connection will be analog and unbalanced at consumer line-level of -10dBV using RCA connectors. By selecting the proper input on the receiver, the signal is routed internally to an amplifier which boosts the signal voltage from line-level to the voltage required by the speakers. The output of the amplifier is then connected to speakers, which convert the electrical signal into acoustical sound.
== Single
The exact series of elements in a signal flow will vary from system to system. The following example depicts a typical signal flow for recording a vocalist in a recording studio.
Line 30 ⟶ 29:
The output of the EQ will then be sent to a compressor, which is a device that manipulates the dynamic range of a signal for either artistic or technical reasons.
The output of the compressor is then sent to an analog-to-digital converter, which converts the signal to a digital format, allowing the signal to be sent to a [[digital recording]] device, such as a computer.
== Vocalist
The following example traces the signal flow of a vocalist performing in a church.
Line 38 ⟶ 37:
The signal flow begins as in the previous example; singer, microphone, microphone preamplifier, EQ, and compressor. For this example, this signal then flows into a mixing board, which allows the signal to be routed to various outputs. The mixing board includes facilities for a main mix bus, which we will send to the house sound system, a monitor mix bus, which we will use to create a monitor mix for the singer, and an auxiliary mix bus, which we will use to create a second mix to be sent to the lobby and nursery.
== Band
[[File:Band Signal Flow Example.png|thumb|center|550px|A diagram of a typical signal flow for a band]]
== Broadcast
In this example, we will explore the signal flow of a hypothetical rock concert. For our example, this concert not only has a live audience, it is also being broadcast on live TV, and it is being recorded, with copies of the recording being sold to the public immediately after the concert is over. The signal from each microphone is therefore being sent to five places; the house sound system, the in-ear monitor system for the performers, the broadcast system, the recording system, and to the lobby, restrooms, and backstage areas so that people can hear the performance while outside the performance area.
Line 58 ⟶ 57:
The broadcast mix will be controlled from a broadcast truck, located in the parking lot behind the performance venue.
[[File:Arena_OB7.JPG|Arena Television OB8 working for the BBC at Wimbledon Tennis Championships, UK|thumb
The recording system will be located in another truck, located next to the broadcast truck.
| |||