AUL/AAS Sound & Stage/Stagecraft Intro to PA’s - Small PA.

AUL/AAS Sound & Stage/Stagecraft

Intro to PA’s - Small PA

PAPAstands for

Public AddressNOT Parents Association,

Port Authority or Pennsylvania

IN THE PRODUCTION WORLD…

Lo-Z – Low Impedance

Hi-Z – High Impedance

Impedance is a measure of

resistance.


EQ stands for

EQUALIZE or EQUALIZER

An EQUALIZER allows you to

CUT ( - ) or BOOST ( + ) the

frequencies of an audio signal


Venue

Means the site, place,

location, scene, setting or

spot where an event is.

The word venue derives from the Latin

venire (to come), and implies a place

that people come to.


Transducer

A transducer is a device,

usually that converts one

type of energy or physical

attribute to another.


ElectroacousticThe conversion of sound

into electricity and vice

versa, as in a microphone or

a speaker.

Electro: Electricity + Acoustic: having to do

with hearing or with sound as it is heard


i.e. (id est) is a Latin phrase

meaning ‘that is’

"That is (to say)" in the sense of "that

means" and "which means", or "in

other words", or sometimes "in this

case", depending on the context

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

e.g. (exempli gratia ) is a Latin

phrase meaning 'for the sake of

example'

Usually shortened in English to 'for

example'. Often confused with id est

(i.e.).

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

A public address or "PA" system

is an electronic amplification

system used to reinforce a given

sound, e.g., a person making a

speech, prerecorded music, or

message, and distributing the sound

throughout a venue.

Public address systems typically

consist of input sources,

preamplifiers and/or signal routers,

amplifiers, control and monitoring

equipment, and loudspeakers.

Input sources refer to the

microphones and CD Players that

provide a sound input for the

system.

There is some disagreement over

when to call these audio systems

Sound Reinforcement (SR)

systems or PA systems.

Some audio engineers distinguish

between the two by technology

and capability, while others

distinguish by intended use, e.g.

SR systems are for live music,

while PA systems are usually for

reproduction of speech and

recorded music in buildings and

institutions.

Small systems

The simplest PA systems consist

of a microphone, a modestly-

powered mixer-amplifier (which

incorporates a mixer and an

amplifier in a single cabinet) and

one or more loudspeakers.

Small systems cont.

Simple PA systems of this type,

often providing 50 to 200 watts of

power, are often used in small

venues such as school

auditoriums, churches, and small

bars.

Large venue systems

For popular music concerts, a

more powerful and more

complicated PA System is used to

provide live sound reproduction.

Large venue systems cont.

In a concert setting, there are

typically two complete PA systems:

the "main" system and the

"monitor" system.

Each system consists of microphones,

a mixing board, sound processing

equipment, amplifiers, and speakers.


The "main" system (also known as

"Front of House", commonly

abbreviated FOH), which provides

the amplified sound for the

audience, will typically use a

number of powerful amplifiers

driving a range of large, heavy-duty

loudspeakers.


A large club may use amplifiers to

provide 1000 to 2000 watts of

power to the "main" speakers; an

outdoor concert may use 10,000

or more watts.


The "monitor" system reproduces

the sounds of the performance

and directs them towards the

onstage performers (typically

using wedge-shaped monitor

speaker cabinets), to help them to

hear the instruments and vocals.


The monitor system in a large club

may use amplifiers to provide 500

to 1000 watts of power to the

"monitor" speakers; at an outdoor

concert, there may be several

thousand watts of power going to

the monitor system.


At a concert in which live sound

reproduction is being used, sound

engineers and technicians control

the mixing boards for the "main"

and "monitor" systems, adjusting

the tone, levels, and overall

volume of the performance.

Power amplifiers

Power amplifiers boost a signal

level and provide current to drive a

loudspeaker. Generally, an

amplifier or simply amp, is any

device that changes, usually

increases, the amplitude of a

signal.

Mixer

In professional audio, a mixing

console, or audio mixer, also called

a board, soundboard, or desk is an

electronic device for combining

(also called "mixing"), routing, and

changing the level, timbre and/or

dynamics of audio signals.

Mixer cont.

A mixer can mix analog or digital

signals, depending on the type of

mixer. The modified signals

(voltages or digital samples) are

summed to produce the combined

output signals.

Speaker

A loudspeaker (or "speaker") is an

electroacoustic transducer that

converts an electrical signal into

sound.

Speaker cont.

The speaker pulses in accordance

with the variations of an electrical

signal and causes sound waves to

propagate through a medium such

as air or water.

AUL/AAS Sound & Stage/Stagecraft Intro to PA’s - Small PA.

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