Mackie DL Series Reference Guide

Mackie DL806 and DL1608 Reference Guide
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Glossary Of Terms Continued...
EIN —EquivalentInputNoise.Aspecicationthathelpsmeasurethe“quietness”ofagainstageby 
derivingtheequivalentinputnoisevoltagenecessarytoobtainagivenpreamp’soutputnoise. 
Numerically,it’stheoutputnoiseatagivengainsettingminusthegain.EINisusuallymeasured 
at a maximum gain and typically ranges from -125 to -130 dBu.
EQ — Short for equalization.
EQ Curve —Agraphoftheresponseofanequalizer,withfrequencyonthex(horizontal)axisand 
amplitude (level) on the y (vertical) axis. Equalizer types and eects are often named after the shape
of the graphed response curve, such as peak, dip, bell and shelf.
Equalization — Long for EQ. Equalization refers to purposefully changing the frequency response
of a circuit, sometimes to correct for previous unequal response (hence the term, equalization), and
more often to boost or cut the level at certain frequencies for sound enhancement, to remove extraneous
sounds, or to create completely new and dierent sounds.
Alotofhowwerefertoequalizationhastodowithwhatagraphofthefrequencyresponselookslike.
Aatresponse(noEQ)isastraightline;apeaklookslikeahill,adipisavalley,anotchisareallyskinny
valley, and a shelf looks like a plateau (or shelf). The slope is the grade of the hill on the graph.
Fader —Anothernameforanaudiolevelcontrol.
Filter —Asimpleequalizerdesignedtoremovecertainrangesoffrequencies.Thehigh-passlter 
attenuates frequencies below its cuto frequency.
FOH —FrontOfHouse.Seehouseandmain(house)speakers.NoengineerevergoestotheBOH 
becausethere’sneverenoughtimetodrinkbeer.
Frequency — The number of times an event repeats itself in a given period of time. Generally,
the time period for audio frequencies is one second, and frequency is measured in cycles per second,
abbreviated Hz, honoring Dr. Heinrich Hertz (who did not invent the rental car company). One Hz is
one cycle per second. One kHz (kilohertz) is 1000 cycles per second.
The audio frequency range is generally considered to be 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (or 20 kHz). This covers
the fundamental pitch and most overtones of musical instruments.
Gain — The measure of how much a circuit amplies a signal. Gain may be stated as a ratio of input
to output voltage, current or power, such as a voltage gain of 4, or a power gain of 1.5, or it may be
expressed in decibels, such as a line amplier with a gain of 10 dB.
Gain Stage —Anamplicationpointinasignalpath,eitherwithinasystemorasingledevice. 
Overall system gain is distributed between the various gain stages.
Gate —Adynamicsprocessorthatautomaticallyturnsoaninputsignalwhenitdropsbelowacertain
level. This can reduce the overall noise level of your mix by turning o inputs when they are not in use.
Threshold, attack time, hold, and release time are some of the adjustable gate parameters.
Graphic EQ — The graphic equalizer uses sliders for its boost / cut controls, with its operating frequencies
evenly spaced through the audio spectrum. In a perfect world, a line drawn through the centers of the
control shafts would form a graph of the frequency response curve. Or, the positions of the sliders give
a graphic representation of boost or cut levels across the frequency spectrum.

Mackie DL Series Specifications

General

Brand	Mackie
Model	DL Series
Category	Music Mixer
Language	English