A Presentation Of Useful Technical Audio Notes From Rane Audio

[Old Stagehand]

Rane Audio has some great documents that I will be psoting and sharing. Wether you are a "Old Road Dog" or just a "Newbie" these documents are part of teh Foundation needed to be a Suberb Audio Engineer or Technician
These are just the tip of the "Iceurg" in regards to teh offerings of information that they have on their website Just click on the document you want to read and save it to your desktop, or just read it and close. So lets get started

Rane-Audio Specifications

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Objectively comparing pro audio signal processing products is often impossible. Missing on too many data sheets are the conditions used to obtain the published data. Audio specifications come with conditions. Tests are not performed in a vacuum with random parameters. They are conducted using rigorous procedures and the conditions must be stated along with the test results.

Rane-Constant-Q Graphic Equalizers

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Few would argue the necessity of equalizers for quality sound reinforcement systems. They are an essential tool that every sound person keeps in their bag of tricks for establishing high quality sound. Without equalizers the system is left without nearly enough knobs to turn to try and correct for room difficulties, speaker anomalies, and individual performer preferences.

Rane-Dynamics Processors—Technology & Application Tips

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The dynamic range of an audio passage is the ratio of the loudest signal to the quietest signal. For signal processors the magnitude of the power supply voltages restricts the maximum output signal and the noise floor determines the minimum output signal. Professional-grade signal processing equipment can output maximum levels of +26 dBu, with the best noise floors being down around -94 dBu. This gives a dynamic range of 120 dB — an impressive number coinciding nicely with the 120 dB dynamic range of normal human hearing. The invention of dynamics processors came about because this extraordinary range is too great to work with.

Rane-Exposing Equalizer Mythology

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John Roberts is one of my heroes. John wrote a regular column for the now defunct magazine Recording Engineer/Producer entitled “Exposing Audio Mythology”. “Laying to Rest… or at least exposing the false premises upon which they are based… some of the Pro-Audio Industry’s more obvious ‘Old Wives Tales’ “— such was the opening for John’s first column. Great stuff, you could almost hear the theme music and see the masked rider off in the distance.

He originally intended to do a few columns on the most flagrant abuses, that was in early 1983. He continued until mid-1986. Every issue, without fail, he waged war on the myth-sayers. John is resting now. Myth exposing is too much for one person. I’m arrogant enough, and angry enough, to help out. So I thought I would expose some of the most popular myths regarding equalizers.

Rane-Limiters Unlimited

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Limiters are in the protection business, limiting audio systems to safe levels. These limits protect loudspeakers, protect the audio signal from clipping, protect the neighbors, and protect ears.

A limiter continuously monitors the audio signal, looking for levels exceeding its adjustable threshold. A limiter normally operates at unity gain and has no effect on the signal. If excessive levels are detected, the Voltage Controlled Attenuator (VCA) automatically reduces the gain. If the level never exceeds the threshold, the signal remains unaffected.

Rane-Selecting Mic Preamps

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Selecting a power amplifier for a specific loudspeaker is easy; selecting a preamp for a specific microphone is not. Terminology is the problem. At one end we find power amplifier and loudspeaker manufacturers speaking the same language, or at least using the same vocabulary. Power amps are rated in watts and ohms, while loudspeakers are rated in ohms with a maximum power handling capability stated in watts.

Rane-Setting Sound System Level Controls

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Correctly setting a sound system’s gain structure is one of the most important contributors to creating an excellent sounding system. Conversely, an improperly set gain structure is one of the leading contributors to bad sounding systems. The cost of the system is secondary to proper setup. The most expensive system set wrong never performs up to the level of a correctly set inexpensive system. Setting all the various level controls is not difficult; however, it remains a very misunderstood topic.

Rane-Sound System Interconnection

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This note, originally written in 1985, continues to be one of our most useful references. It’s popularity stems from the continual and perpetual difficulty of hooking up audio equipment without suffering through all sorts of bizarre noises, hums, buzzes, whistles, etc.— not to mention the extreme financial, physical and psychological price. As technology progresses it is inevitable that electronic equipment and its wiring should be subject to constant improvement. Many things have improved in the audio industry since 1985, but unfortunately wiring isn’t one of them. However, finally the Audio Engineering Society (AES) has issued a standards document for interconnection of pro audio equipment.

Rane-Understanding Acoustic Feedback & Suppressors

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Acoustic Feedback (also referred to as the Larsen effect) has been roaming around sound reinforcement systems for a very long time, and everyone seems to have their own way to tame the feedback lion. Digital signal processing opened up the microphone to some creative solutions, each with its own unique compromises. This article takes a closer look into that annoying phenomenon called acoustic feedback and some of the DSP based tools available for your toolbox.

Rane-Unity Gain & Impedance Matching Strange Bedfellows

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This note discusses the pitfalls (often subtle) of our industry’s failure to define and standardize what “unity gain” means, and the conditions necessary to measure it. It further discusses how people improperly use one piece of misinformation (impedance matching) to correct for this lack of standardization. All done, without knowing discrepancies exist between different pieces of equipment, and without knowing impedance matching is unnecessary, signal degrading, and wasteful.

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