Calista Home Theaters

Two microphones whose heads are placed as lose as possible to each other so that the path length from any sound source to either microphone is for all practical purposes, the same. IC Abbreviation of Integrated Circuit (A miniature circuit of many components that is in small, sealed housing with prongs to connect it into equipment). Calista C3-S Security System Images The squaring of the waveform that happens in the conversion of digital audio bits into analog signals. Level The amount of signal strength; the amplitude, especially the average amplitude. Calista C2-88 Projector Digital Recording 1) ADAM : (Akai Digital Audio Multitrack). 12 track recording onto Video 8 tape. 16 bit, 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rate. 2) DAT (Digital Audio Tape) Cassette-like system which has much higher quality than standard audio cassettes. Widely used in gathering sound effects, for news gathering, and for playback of music. 3) DCC (Digital Compact Cassette) Rival to DAT which...

(Said of compressors and dynamic processing units.) To combine the control input signals of two channels of a compressor (o Effects Electronic boxes (usually rack mounted) added to a PA system to subtly change and enhance the signals going through it. Examples include; Reverb, Delay, Compressor, Chorus. Calista C2-88 Projector Clock Signal The signal put out by a circuit that generates steady even pulses or steady codes used for synchronization. Head Amp British name for Preamplifier (A low-noise amplifier designed to take a low-level signal, such as the output of a tape head, and bring it up to normal line level). Calista C3-S Security System AC 1) Abbreviation for alternating current. 2) An abbreviation of the term Alternating Current (electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit; all studio signals running through audio lines are AC). Key The control of a dynamics processing device by an external audio signal. Lift 1) To boost ga...

The audio frequencies from 6000 Hz and above. Capacitor 1) A device consisting of two or more conducting plates separated from one another by an insulating material and used for storing an electrical charge. Sometimes called a condenser. 2) An electronic device that is composed of two plates separated by an insulator. Calista C3-S Security System Dry Describes a sound coming from the PA with no effects on it. Humbucker Pickups that are coupled together to get a certain sound. Calista C2-88 Projector Early Reflections The first echoes in a room, caused by the sound from the sound source reflecting off one surface before reaching the listener. Insert 1) A punch in of the all of the tracks being recorded in a recording session. 2) On Solid State Logic consoles, placing an outboard piece of gear in the channel by patching and activating a switch. Effects Electronic boxes (usually rack mounted) added to a PA system to subtly change and enhance the s...

The property of being able to oppose a change in voltage or store an electrical charge. Compressor 1) Effect used to squash the sound together. Used properly, it can take the edge off or your sound. Used improperly, it can take the life right out of your system and make it sound like an MTV mix. 2) A piece of sound processing equipment that ensures all wanted signals are suitably placed between the noise and distortion levels of the recording medium. It evens out the unwanted changes in volume you get with close-miking, and in doing so, adds punch to the sound mix. A Limiter is used to stop a signal from exceeding a preset limit. Beyond this limit, the signal level will not increase, no matter how loud the input becomes. A Limiter is often used to protect speaker systems (and human ears) by preventing a system from becoming too loud. Calista C1-9 Home Theater I/O Short for "Input/Output' and referring to: 1) An in-line console module that contains controls fo...

A product created by the marriage of two different technologies. Meant here as the combination of a dynamic woofer with an electrostatic transducer. Bi-Amplification 1) A way of optimizing the efficiency of a speaker system by separately amplifying the High Frequency (HF) and Low Frequency (LF) portions of the sound signal and sending them down two pairs of cables to the speaker. Multipin Speakon connectors have been developed to do this. 2)The process of having of having low-frequency speakers and high-frequency speakers driven by separate amplifiers. Calista C2-88 Projector Audio Most often referring to electrical signals resulting from the sound pressure wave being converted into electrical energy. FOH (Front of House) Refers to the speakers that face toward the audience. Also called the "main" speakers. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Electric Current A more formal term meaning the same as the term Current (the amount of electron charge passing a poi...

Same as Cut-Off Frequency (the highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter). (NOUN) Aux Send Short for the term Auxiliary Send (a control to adjust the level of the signal sent from the console input channel to the auxiliary equipment through the aux buss. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Frame 1) A division of one second in synchronization and recording coming from definition two. 2) The amount of time that one still picture is shown in film or video. Infinite Baffle A baffle so large that the sounds coming from one side do not reach the other side. Calista C2-88 Projector Attack The rate the sound begins and increases in volume. Board 1) Another, less formal, term for Console. 2) A set of controls and their housing which control all signals necessary for recording and for mixing. 3) A slang shortening of the term Keyboard Instrument. Cue Send Control A control that will adjust the amount of signal sent to a cue buss from a console cha...

A statement of the principles behind electromagnetic induction: When a conductor cuts magnetic lines of force, current is induced in that conductor. Critical Distance The point a distance away from the sound source where the direct sound and the reverberant sound are equal in volume. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Jam Sync A generation of new SMPTE according to the input SMPTE signal Ground Adapter Plug Adapts a three pronged electrical plug to a two pronged wall outlet. This bypasses the ground and may create a hum in the system. A lack of a good ground can cause mild electrical shock when touching a microphone. Calista C2-88 Projector Compact Disc, Interactive CDI A Compact Disc, usually containing audio, video, and text, which the user can interact with in that the display or playback changes after the user performs some action. Lead Sheet A written chart showing the melody, lyrics and chords of a tune with full musical notation. Equal Loudness Contour...

Used to connect a sound system together. Each type of cord is made for a specific purpose and should not be used in place of another type of cord, not even if they look alike. Also see "cable" File A collection of digital data stored in a computer's memory bank or on a floppy disc. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Floor 1) An alternate tam meaning Range (a limit on the amount the signal is reduced when the input signal is low by an expander or gate). 2) A shortening of the term Noise Floor (the level of the noise). Interface Any device that allows one unit to work, drive or communicate with another unit when they cannot do so by just feeding each other often because the units are manufactured by different companies. Calista C3-S Security System Basic Session The First session in recording an audio production to record the Basic Tracks. Ampere The unit of current, abbreviated Amp. Cue Send Control A control that will adjust the amount of si...

The recording of digital audio onto a hard disc. Comb Filter 1) The frequency response achieved by mixing a direct signal with a delayed signal of equal strength especially at short delays. 2) Loosely used to also describe effects that can be achieved with comb filtering as part of the processing. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Level The amount of signal strength; the amplitude, especially the average amplitude. Chorus Common type of effect that makes sounds fuller and thicker. Calista C3-S Security System Compact Disc CD A small optical disk with digital audio recorded on it. Limiter A device which reduces gain when the input voltage exceeds a certain level. Intermodulation Distortion Distortion caused by one signal beating with another signal and producing frequencies that are both the sum and the difference of the original frequencies. Calista Reviews Engineer 1) A technician in charge of a recording session; Also called Recording Engineer. ...

The unit that feeds a sound pressure wave into the throat of a horn (in a horn loudspeaker). AC 1) Abbreviation for alternating current. 2) An abbreviation of the term Alternating Current (electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit; all studio signals running through audio lines are AC). Calista C1-9 Home Theater Ampere The unit of current, abbreviated Amp. Distorted The way your PA sounds just before it blows up. Fuzzy and scratchy. If you hear this, it either means you have something hooked up wrong, or something in the system is going bad. It could be anything from your super expensive soundboard to a five dollar patch cord. Calista C2-88 Projector Binary A numbering system based on two. In binary there are two symbols used ("l" and "0"). Cue Send Control A control that will adjust the amount of signal sent to a cue buss from a console channel. Echo Send The output of a console used to send a signal to an ec...

1) One selection (one song) on a pre4ecorded music format. 2) A term with the same meaning as Mute (to turn off a channel or a signal). 3) To reduce gain of a particular band of frequencies (with an equalizer). 4) To not pass a particular band of frequencies (said of a filter) Cut-Off Frequency (Turnover Frequency) 1) The highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter. 2) The highest or lowest frequency passed by an audio device (the cut-off frequency is usually considered to be the first frequency to be 3 dB lower than a reference frequency in the middle of the bandwidth of the device) Calista C3-S Security System Lead Sheet A written chart showing the melody, lyrics and chords of a tune with full musical notation. AC 1) Abbreviation for alternating current. 2) An abbreviation of the term Alternating Current (electric current which flows back and forth in a circuit; all studio signals running through audio lines are AC). Calista C2-88 Proj...

1) An alternation of a waveform which begins at a point, passes through the zero line, and ends at a point with the same value and moving in the same direction as the starting point. 2) On a Solid State Logic Console, a command to have the console computer control the tape machine to play and replay a certain section of the tape. Foldback A European term for the signal sent to the stage monitors in a live performance. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Electret Condenser A condenser microphone that has a permanently polarized (charged) variable capacitor as its sound pressure level sensor. Effects Track 1) In film production audio, a recording of the mixdown of all the sound effects for the film ready to be mixed with the dialogue and music. 2) In music recording, one track with a recording of effects to be added to another track of a multitrack recording. Calista C2-88 Projector Acoustic/Acoustical Having to do with sound that can be heard by the ears. Acoustics...

A trademark of Alesis Corporation designating its modular digital multitrack recording system released in early 1993. Electrostatic Charge The excess or deficiency of electrons in a given area. Calista C3-S Security System BPM An abbreviation of Beat Per Minute (the number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and therefore defining the tempo). Gain 1) Knob usually found at the top of each input channel on the soundboard. Used to set input levels of the separate channels to relatively equal positions. 2) The amount of increase in audio signal strength, often expressed in dB. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Bouncing Alternate name for Ping-Ponging (playing several tacks with sync playback through a console to mix them together and record them on an open track). Face The front or body of the guitar. Cut-off Rate (Slope) The number of dB that a filter reduces the signal for each octave its frequency past the filter's cut-off frequency...

1) A technician in charge of a recording session; Also called Recording Engineer. 2) A person with an engineering degree. 3) A person with sufficient experience in the field to be equivalent to the education one would receive earning an engineering degree. Delay (Digital, Analogue) 1) Effect used to create echo…echo…echo…echo…echo… 2) In more advanced systems used in very large venues, delay can be used to time the arrival of the signal to the speakers in the back of the room so that people in the back hear the sound coming from those speakers at the same time that the sound coming from the speakers in the front of the room arrives. Calista C2-88 Projector Bit The smallest unit of digital information representing a single "0" or 1. LFO Low-Frequency Oscillator (an oscillator that puts out an AC signal between .1 Hz and 10Hz used for a control signal). Calista C1-9 Home Theater Electronics 1) On a tape machine, the housing for and the channel ci...

Describes a sound which covers all audible frequency ranges. As in "full range speaker cabinets." Current The amount of electron charge passing a point in a conductor per unit of time. Calista C2-88 Projector Electromagnetic Induction or Pick Up The generation of electrical signal in a conductor moving in a magnetic field or being close to a changing magnetic field. Input Monitor A switch position and operational mode of the electronics of a tape machine where the signal at output of the electronics will be the same as the signal coming into the electronics. In this mode, the tape machine's meter will read the input signal. Calista C3-S Security System Electric Current A more formal term meaning the same as the term Current (the amount of electron charge passing a point in a conductor per unit of time). Lead The musical instrument that plays the melody of the tune, including the vocal. Hz (Hertz) 1) An abbreviation for the term Hertz ...

A prefix meaning 1000. Circuit 1) One complete path of electric current. 2) Similar to definition 1, but including all paths and components to accomplish one function in a device. Calista C2-88 Projector Effects Electronic boxes (usually rack mounted) added to a PA system to subtly change and enhance the signals going through it. Examples include; Reverb, Delay, Compressor, Chorus. Input 1) The jack or physical location of where a device receives a signal. 2) The signal being received by a device. 3) The action of receiving a signal by a device. Calista C1-9 Home Theater Guitar Processor A unit that will add effects to a direct guitar signal, including a simulated instrument amplifier sound and (often) delay and reverb effects. Feedback Control The control on a delay line or delay effects device that controls the amount of feedback. Dry Describes a sound coming from the PA with no effects on it. Bose Electromagnetic Field Magnetic energ...

1) The signal fed back to the musicians through headphones. 2) To set the tape or disc so that the intended selection will immediately play when the tape machine or player is started. 3) A location point entered into a computer controlling the playback or recording of a track or tape. 4) In MCI brand tape machines, a term meaning the same thing as Sync Playback (where the record head is used as a playback head for those tracks already recorded). Initialize To prepare a digital storage medium (like a floppy disk) so that it will accept and store digital information bits. Calista C2-88 Projector Electrons Negatively charged particles, which revolve around the centre of atoms. The movement of such electrons down a conductor causes electrical current. Cycle 1) An alternation of a waveform which begins at a point, passes through the zero line, and ends at a point with the same value and moving in the same direction as the starting point. 2) On a Solid State Logic...