Audio signal flow: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:39, 25 March 2013

Revision as of 23:27, 26 June 2013

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The on/off switch gives the engineer the option to either activate or bypass the function. The [[Fader (audio engineering)|fader]] only controls the tracks volume but is essential to the entire mix. The fader is gauged by [[decibel]]s and it is very important. It becomes critical to understand the decibel output of the audio track before recording the signal. A very loud signal can blow the speakers and greatly damage the recording equipment.

OftentimesOften, when listening to music, it is possible to almost pick out where the instrument is being played in the music. The pan knob allows engineers to “place” the instruments mentally and give the music a great feel. Human ears hear through [[binaural localization]] and can tell the difference between right and left sounds.<ref name="Alten, Stanley R 2008"/> The sound engineer's main goal in using the pan knob is to create a sonic soundscape of instruments, this would create clarity and transparency within the mix, essentially allowing each individual performer to be heard. They want to paint a picture for the listener to make the music more appealing. OftentimesOften engineers follow the pattern of how you may hear the instruments if the performance were live.

After all these selections have been adjusted to personal preference there are a few final steps. To ease the job of adjusting levels, sub groups may be assigned. This is when a group of microphone lines can be synchronized together so that only one knob controls them all. Sub group assignments are very helpful for an instrument like the drums. A drum set oftentimesoften has microphones on close to every drum and can be very hard to adjust each drum head individually. By assigning the drums to a group, the engineer will be allowed to move the output volume with one knob instead of six lines, for example.

When all audio has been sent through each step, a master mix is in place.