TABLE OF CONTENTS by Pat Brown
This chapter is devoted to the explanation and establishment of the proper gain structure of the sound reinforcement system. It has been the author's experience that sound systems are rarely producing the optimum performance that would be indicated by the specification sheets of the individual components. Tangible improvements in performance can often be achieved by recalibration of system components.
Most technical subjects can be best explained using ideal relationships, and this one is no exception. The real world always falls short of the ideal case, but the ideal can present a model and goal for our efforts. It is the responsibility of the sound practitioner to form an understanding of the trade-offs and apparent contradictions through experience and endless hours in the field. What follows is only an introduction that will benefit those who supplement it with lab and field work.
An interface exists when two components are to be interconnected for the purpose of transferring a signal. One component will be the source (sending) device and the other the load (receiving) device for the electrical signal. At least three major topologies exist for interconnecting devices, the major difference being which electrical parameter of the signal that the interface optimizes the passage of, i.e., voltage, current, or power. This is primarily a function of the ratio between the source impedance and load impedance. At this point we will make our first simplification by assuming that the impedance of these devices is purely...
