The mic preamp explained: gain, impedance, transformers and colour
The mic preamp is the first link in any recording, and one of the least understood. Gain and noise, input impedance, transformer…
Features
System tuning for live sound: measurement, time alignment and target curve explained
Tuning a PA is not "EQ by feel". It is measuring, aligning in time and phase, then shaping a coherent response across…
On-air processing explained: how broadcast sound is shaped before transmission
Between the console and the transmitter sits a box that decides how a station sounds: the broadcast processor. AGC, multiband, limiter, clipper,…
Studio acoustic treatment: absorption, diffusion, bass and room modes
Before the mic, before the monitors, there is the room. An untreated studio lies about what you hear, and no plugin fixes…
Monophonic, paraphonic, polyphonic: making sense of synth polyphony
One note, a few notes, many notes: behind those three words hides the single most structuring choice when buying a synth. Here…
How to connect powered speakers to a mixer: line level, balanced cabling and gain
Main output at line level, balanced run, MIC/LINE sensitivity and gain structure: the complete method for wiring a powered speaker to your…
Patch and stageboxes in live sound: from the analogue snake to audio-over-IP
The patch is the invisible skeleton of a live show. Analogue snake, digital stagebox, splits, channel naming, redundancy: here's how to connect…
Sampling explained: from sample to groove, how a sampler really works
Record a sound, map it across a keyboard, chop it into slices, stretch it without changing its pitch: here's how a sampler…
EQ explained: filters, bells, shelves and notches in the mix
The equaliser is the most-used and most-misunderstood tool in mixing. Filters, bells, shelves, Q, phase: here's how an EQ actually works, and…
Sample rate, bit depth and conversion: understanding resolution in digital audio
Sample rate, bit depth, A/D-D/A conversion: this guide untangles what sample rate and bit depth actually govern, why 24-bit serves headroom rather…