XONE:92
User Guide
31
Glossary
The following section is included to help you understand some of the technical terms and
jargon referred to with consoles of this type. It is by no means a complete reference.
Please refer to specialist audio publications should you wish to know more.
Amplitude
Another term used for signal level.
Asymmetric EQ
An equaliser with a different
amount of cut and boost of the frequency bands.
This is used to restrict the available boost so
preventing system overload while providing
extended cut to allow dramatic performance effects
by ‘killing’ selected frequencies.
Attenuate
Reduce the signal level.
Aux
Auxiliary. An independent mix derived from
the channels for various functions. This can be set
pre (before) or post (after) the channel fader. Pre-
fade sends are often used for foldback monitors or
DJ sampler effects feeds. Post-fade sends are
often used for reverb effects, zone and special
recording feeds.
Balanced, Unbalanced
Refers to the type of input
or output signal connection. An unbalanced
connection has two signal carrying conductors, one
of which is the cable shield. A balanced connection
has three conductors, two for signal and a shield
which is connected to earth. Because the signal
conductors are at the same impedance and of
opposite polarity they are better able to cancel and
therefore reject interference and noise pickup. It is
standard practice to use balanced connections for
long cable runs, for example to amplifiers, or cables
carrying sensitive or low level signals, for example
microphones.
Bandpass
A filter with a bell-shaped response for
attenuation of frequencies either side of the centre
frequency.
Beat Mixing
Using the variable pitch controls on
turntables/CD players to synchronise the rhythm
track of two separate songs, so that the beat
remains constant when smoothly cross-fading from
one to the other.
Bi-amping
Providing separate amplifiers to drive
the high and low frequency units in a loudspeaker.
This requires a crossover processor that splits the
frequency band into low and high. Bi-amping
usually produces a cleaner and more controllable
sound in larger systems.
BPM
Beats Per Minute. The measurement of the
rhythmic beat of the music.
Booth
The area, often enclosed, where the DJ
operates. Usually provided with local booth monitor
loudspeakers.
Cardiod
The response of a microphone which is
more sensitive in front than behind. This is
generally used for vocal miking to reduce acoustic
feedback.
Cut Mixing
Moving the cross-fade control sharply
from one side to the other, to either pick out a
sound, a hi-hat, kick drum etc, or to drop straight
into another record. Also known as chopping.
Cartridge
The pickup in a turntable. Uses a
needle to pick up vibrations from the record (vinyl)
and convert this to electrical signals that feed the
console. The cartridge is usually fitted to a
removable headshell that plugs into the turntable
arm.
Clipping
The harsh distorted sound that results
when the signal hits the maximum level possible.
This is set by the power rail voltage. Above this
there is simply no more voltage available so the
signal is ‘clipped’.
Compact Disc
(CD) Well established stereo
player using digitally mastered pre-recorded flat
discs. Becoming popular with DJs as a replacement
or alternative to vinyl mixing. Recordable CDs are
now available.
Crossfader
A short horizontally mounted fader for
smoothly fading one music track in while fading the
other out. Often used by the DJ for cutting and
layering sounds while mixing.
Cue
A monitor system provided for the DJ or
console operator to check individual channel signals
using headphones while lining up tracks ready to
introduce into the mix. This does not affect the main
console outputs.
DAT
Digital Audio Tape. A type of digital 2 track
recorder that uses a small tape cartridge to produce
high quality recordings in a compact format.
dB
Decibel. The unit of measurement for audio
signal level. This is logarithmic to follow the
response of the human ear. ‘dB’ is a relative
measurement to compare one level with another, for
example gain from input to output. ‘dBu’ is an
absolute measurement referenced to a voltage
standard where 0dBu = 0.775V rms. The console
main outputs operate at the professional ‘high’
standard of +4dBu (1.23V) = ‘0’ reading on the
meters. '’dBV’ is a similar measurement but refers
to a 1V standard. It is common for consumer
equipment to operate a the ‘low’ standard of –
10dBV (316mV). ‘dBA’ refers to sound pressure
level and is measured using the ‘A’ scale that
‘hears’ in the same way as the human ear.
