Emax II operation manual
11
EMAX II BASICS
HOW EMAX II ORGANIZES SOUND
READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY OR THE REST OF THE MANUAL WILL NOT
MAKE SENSE!!
Throughout this manual we will use the terms and concepts described and defined
below. Read through this section carefully, even if you don’t retain it all, and refer to this
section periodically as you read the manual until you know the meaning of all the
following definitions.
SAMPLING BASICS
The Emax II is conceptually like a tape recorder in that it records sound. However, the
recording process is very different since Emax II records into its computer memory.
Computers can accept information only in the form of numbers, so first Emax II converts
audio signals into numbers. It does this by examining (sampling) the incoming signal
level at a maximum rate of 39,000 times a second, and sequentially records these different
levels in computer memory. The diagram below shows a one-second percussive sound
being sampled. The magnified view shows how the samples define the instantaneous
level of the signal. Once stored in Emax II’s memory bank, these samples may be played
back (in the proper sequence, of course) to reconstruct the original signal. If a two-second
sound was being sampled, it would require 2 X 39,000 or 78,000 samples at the highest
sampling rate. Shorter sounds require fewer samples. Note: The sampling rate can be
altered for reasons which we will get into later.
Percussive Voice
1 second
Each vertical line
represents a sample.
Each sample takes
a "snapshot" of the
instantaneous signal level.
Sampling Basics
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