Mackie 1402-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual Glossary - Page 6

dipping The opposite of peaking, of course, used in audio to describe the shape of a frequency response curve. A dip in an EQ curve looks like a valley, or a dip. Dipping with an equalizer reduces a range of frequencies. (See guacamole.) dynamic microphone The class of microphones that generate electrical signals by the movement of a coil in a magnetic field. Dynamic microphones are rugged, relatively inexpensive, capable of very good performance and do not require external power. dither This is an interesting technique to reduce the audibility of low level noise in a digital recording. Low level random noise is added to the analog signal before the sampling stage, reducing an effect called quantization error. doubling A delay effect, where the original signal is mixed with a medium (20 to 50 ms) delayed copy of itself. When used carefully, this effect can simulate double-tracking (recording a voice or instrument twice). dynamics processor A type of processor that only affects the overall amplitude level of the signal (sometimes as a function of its frequency content), such as a compressor, expander, limiter, or gate. dynamic range The range between the maximum and minimum sound levels that a sound system can handle. It is usually expressed in decibels as the difference between the level at peak clipping and the level of the noise floor. dry Usually means without reverberation, or without some other applied effect like delay or chorusing. Dry is not wet, i.e., totally unaffected. DSP Digital Signal Processing can accomplish the same functions found in analog signal processors, but performs them mathematically in the digital domain, with more precision and accuracy than its analog counterpart. Since DSP is a software-based process, parameters and processing functions are easily changed and updated by revising the software, rather than redesigning the hardware. DSP can be found in an outboard effects device, such as a reverb or delay unit, or it can be integrated into a DAW or digital mixing console. E echo The reflection of sound from a surface such as a wall or a floor. Reverberation and echo are terms that are often used interchangeably, but in audio parlance a distinction is usually made: echo is considered to be a distinct, recognizable repetition (or series of repetitions) of a word, note, phrase or sound, whereas reverberation is a diffuse, continuously smooth decay of sound. Echo and reverberation can be added in sound mixing by sending the original signal to an electronic (or electronic/acoustic) system that mimics natural echoes, and then some. The added echo is returned to the mix through additional mixer inputs. dual mono A mode of operation for a stereo amplifier that routes a single input to both channels, but still allows independent level control over each amplifier output. effects device or effect processor An external signal processor used to add reverb, delay, spatial or psychoacoustic effects to an audio signal. An effects processor may be used 6