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Thursday, February 02, 2012
Pat Brown 02/02/12 04:27 PM,Many things around us are getting better. Computers are faster, televisions have more resolution, and dishwashers are quieter and more powerful than ever. But with all of our digital wiz-bang processors, technology has been unable to eradicate “bad sound.” Why is this so? This short piece is an attempt to shed some light on three possible causes, two of which have been completely unaffected by the technological revolution. The goal of most sound reinforcement systems is to deliver high quality… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • Analog • Audio • Consoles • Digital • Engineer • Mixer • Sound Reinforcement • System • Technician -
Monday, January 23, 2012
Pat Brown 01/23/12 03:15 PM,It is difficult to describe how something sounds. The terms are vague and subjective, and often have different meanings to different people. Sound is meant for listening, and the listening process is the most power diagnostic tool for the audio technician. Measurement systems yield lots of data, but it can be difficult to interpret. It makes perfect sense to combine the hearing process with the measurement process, allowing the benefits of each to be exploited. The process of convolution allows… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • Measurement • Sound Reinforcement -
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Pat Brown 01/10/12 03:20 PM,One of the most confusing subjects in audio? Loudspeaker power ratings. It’s generally accepted that a large loudspeaker power rating is a sign of quality and something to be desired. And it’s the performance metric that probably has the greatest influence on the consumer’s buying decision. But a closer look reveals that power rating is far less significant than other metrics regarding the performance of the loudspeaker. The term “power rating” requires further explanation to avoid misunderstanding. It’s tempting to… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • Amplifier • AV • Audio • Loudspeaker • Power • Sound Reinforcement -
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Pat Brown 11/17/11 03:51 PM,9V Transmitter For the 9V transmitter I used the Shure SC1-TA. It has a relatively low current drain (50mA) that remains relatively constant with increasing time until the battery voltage is insufficient (6.5V) to keep the unit on. This is a VHF system. AA Transmitter For the AA testing I used the Lectrosonics SM. It is an ultra-miniature digital hybrid UHF transmitter than runs from a single AA cell. The current draw is voltage-dependent. The transmitter turns off when the… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • AV • Audio • Power • Signal • Wireless -
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Pat Brown 10/18/11 03:01 PM,Almost every Syn-Aud-Con seminar has attendees from other technical fields that need to learn about sound systems and audio. These fields include networking, telephony, lighting, electrical and others. Many tell us that audio is the most confusing thing they have encountered in their technical careers – and it is no wonder. Consider the input types that may exist on a mixing console. I found all of these on units sitting around the shop. There are nine (9) analog topologies and… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • Analog • AV • Digital • Ethernet • Interconnect • Networking • Signal -
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Pat Brown 10/11/11 06:07 PM, 0 CommentsSite surveys are a necessary part of all construction trades. The ground must be firm enough to support the building. The water must drain properly. There must be adequate ingress and egress. The list goes on. Sound system designers should also perform a site survey of the auditorium to determine the conditions in which the new sound system must operate. There are a multitude of parameters that can be measured in a building, but it won’t be possible, practical or… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • AV • Audio • Business • Installation • Interconnect • Loudspeaker • Signal • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Monday, October 03, 2011
Pat Brown 10/03/11 08:51 AM, 2 CommentsA letter to a church building committee might read: Thank you again for the opportunity to provide you with a proposal for the sound system for your house of worship. While we appreciate your interest in “good stewardship” in the funding of this project, and understand your request for “church pricing” for the work, the following points should be kept in mind when determining the best value for the dollars spent. #1 - Dynamic Range Church sanctuaries are usually quieter… View this story
Filed in: Church Sound • Feature • Poll • Study Hall • AV • Audio • Business • Installation • Interconnect • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Pat Brown 09/22/11 06:28 PM, 0 CommentsHere’s a simple way to construct an irrefutable polarity test rig to check out your measurement system: 1) Get two small cone transducers to use as a reference – the simpler the better. 2) Momentarily connect a 9V battery (+ to + and – to -) to each loudspeaker. 3) The loudspeaker cones should move away from the magnet. 4) Check all of your measurement audio interconnect cables for proper polarity with a cable tester. I use simple twisted pair… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • AV • Audio • Loudspeaker • Measurement • Signal -
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Pat Brown 09/15/11 10:42 AM, 2 CommentsI’ve done enough theorizing and musing about power and power ratings in parts 1 and 2 of this series. (Read part 1 here and part 2 here.) Let’s convert some utility power into audio power. First, some details about the testing. The Source, The Load “Source” and “load” are usually associated with amplifier and loudspeaker. I had to zoom out another level and consider the AC source to the amplifier (these amplifiers need a lot of juice). The amplifier has… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Poll • Product • Amplifier • AV • Interconnect • Measurement • Signal -
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Pat Brown 09/08/11 02:23 PM, 0 CommentsHow much power can an audio amplifier produce? As you might expect, “it depends.” I will approach this from two angles - in theory and in practice. This article will deal with the theory. Part 3 will show how things play out in the real world. Importance Of Efficiency Amplifiers don’t make power. They convert it. Any audio power that comes from your amplifier must in turn come from the utility outlet that it is connected to. This is why… View this story
Filed in: Live Sound • Feature • Poll • Amplifier • Power
Articles Tagged Pat Brown
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