Acoustic feedback
The ringing or howling loop created when a microphone captures amplified sound and the system repeatedly amplifies it.
See the term in context →Professional terminology
Professional audio and event-lighting glossary.
Thirty practical definitions for planners, venues, performers, and clients—from gain structure and speech intelligibility to DMX512 and uplighting.
1-business-day responseClear next steps, without pressureVenue-specific planningCoverage, power, access, and timingCentral Virginia serviceCharlottesville and surrounding communities
A
AES75
An Audio Engineering Society standard for measuring maximum linear sound levels from powered loudspeaker systems.
See the term in context →B
Beamwidth
The angular span over which a loudspeaker or lighting fixture delivers its intended coverage.
See the term in context →C
Cardioid
A directional pickup or radiation pattern that is strongest toward the front and reduced toward the rear.
See the term in context →Coverage zone
A defined audience or program area served by a planned loudspeaker or lighting arrangement.
See the term in context →Crossover
A filter network that routes different frequency ranges to the loudspeaker components designed to reproduce them.
See the term in context →D
dB SPL
Decibels of sound pressure level, a logarithmic measure used to describe acoustic level at a position.
See the term in context →Delay alignment
Timing adjustment used so sound arriving from multiple loudspeakers reaches listeners in a coordinated way.
See the term in context →DI box
A device that adapts instrument or playback signals for balanced, microphone-level connection to a mixer.
See the term in context →DMX512
A standard digital control protocol commonly used to send values from a lighting controller to fixtures.
See the term in context →Dynamic range
The difference between the quietest useful signal and the loudest undistorted signal a system can handle.
See the term in context →E
Equalization
Frequency-selective adjustment used to shape tonal balance, improve compatibility, or manage room and system behavior.
See the term in context →F
Fader
A mixer control that adjusts the level of a channel, subgroup, or output.
See the term in context →G
Gain before feedback
The usable amplification available before a microphone and loudspeaker system becomes unstable.
See the term in context →Gain structure
The intentional setting of levels through each stage of an audio signal path to preserve headroom and control noise.
See the term in context →H
Headroom
The level margin between normal operating peaks and system clipping or another defined limit.
See the term in context →I
Impedance
The frequency-dependent opposition an electrical circuit presents to current, relevant to loudspeaker and signal connections.
See the term in context →L
Latency
The time between an input entering a system and its corresponding output, often introduced by digital processing or transmission.
See the term in context →Limiter
A dynamics processor designed to prevent signal level from exceeding a selected threshold.
See the term in context →Line array
A vertically arranged loudspeaker system designed to control coverage and combine output over distance.
See the term in context →M
Mic-level signal
A relatively low-level signal produced by a microphone before preamplification.
See the term in context →P
Phantom power
DC voltage supplied through a balanced microphone cable to compatible condenser microphones and active devices.
See the term in context →Polar pattern
A diagram describing how strongly a microphone or loudspeaker responds in different directions.
See the term in context →R
RF coordination
Planning wireless frequencies to reduce conflicts among microphones, intercoms, instruments, and other radio systems.
See the term in context →S
Signal-to-noise ratio
The relationship between useful audio signal level and unwanted background noise in a system.
See the term in context →Speakon
A locking connector family commonly used for professional loudspeaker-level connections.
See the term in context →Speech intelligibility
How accurately listeners can understand spoken content under the combined effects of the talker, system, room, and noise.
See the term in context →Subwoofer
A loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-frequency content and extend the main system below its practical range.
See the term in context →T
Terminator
A component placed at the end of a DMX data line to reduce signal reflections that can disrupt fixture control.
See the term in context →U
Uplighting
Fixtures placed near architectural surfaces to create vertical washes of color or light.
See the term in context →No glossary terms match that search.Try a shorter phrase or browse the Resource Hub.
Scope note: these definitions are concise planning references, not substitutes for a system design, applicable standards, manufacturer documentation, or qualified technical judgment.