Mackie 1402-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual Glossary - Page 10

K may have several master controls, which may be slide faders or rotary controls. knee A knee is a sharp bend in a curve (an EQ frequency response or compressor gain curve) not unlike the sharp bend in your leg. L level Another word for signal voltage, power, strength or volume. Audio signals are sometimes classified according to their level. Commonly used levels are: microphone level (-40 dBu or lower), instrument level (-20 to -10 dBu), and line level (-10 to +30 dBu). line level A signal whose level falls between -10 dBu and +30 dBu. M main (house) speakers The main loudspeakers for a sound reinforcement system. These are usually the largest and loudest loudspeakers, and are usually positioned so that their sound seems to come from the area of the main stage. mains Short for main or house speakers in a sound reinforcement system. master A control affecting the final output of a bus on which one or more signals are mixed. A mixer mic amp See mic preamp. mic level The typical level of a signal from a microphone. A mic level signal (usually but not always coming from a microphone) is generally lower than -30 dBu. With a very quiet source (a pin dropping?) the signal can be -70 dBu or lower. Some microphones, notably vintage or vintagestyle condenser mics, deliver a higher signal level than this for the same sound pressure level. A "hot" mic output level isn't necessarily a measure of the microphone's quality, it's just an option that the designer chose. mic pre Short for mic preamp. mic preamp Short for microphone preamplifier. An amplifier whose job is to bring the very low microphone level signal up to line level, or in the case of a mic preamp built into a mixer, the mixer's internal operating level (approximately 0 dBu). Mic preamps often have their own volume control, called a trim control, to properly set the gain for a particular source. Setting the mic preamp gain correctly with the trim control is an essential step in establishing good signal-tonoise ratio and sufficient headroom for your mix. MIDI Acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI is the music industry's standard serial communication protocol for the interface and control of musical instruments. 10