Author: Michael Lawrence

Conceptual Explanation of FIR Filters

Conceptual Explanation of FIR Filters

As technology marches on, FIR (Finite Impulse Response) loudspeaker presets are becoming increasingly common, and with good reason – they’re not just a marketing buzzword. FIR filters offer some real benefits in pro audio applications – and, like other tool – they come with their own drawbacks and considerations. I am often asked how FIR …

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How the Signal to Noise Podcast Mentorship Program Works

How the Signal to Noise Podcast Mentorship Program Works

Kyle Chirnside, my co-host on the ProSoundWeb Signal to Noise podcast, started an informal mentorship program on our Facebook group some months ago. Since then, the program has grown tremendously, so much so that Chris put together some snazzy artwork and our friend Sam made us a great Google Form that interested parties can fill out …

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System Processing and Control for Live and Touring: The Way Forward

System Processing and Control for Live and Touring: The Way Forward

I’ll be honest, I’m pretty jaded when it comes to DSPs (a technically-not-super-accurate blanket term that we often use as a catch-all for system processors, matrix mixers, and the like). FOH control racks in the live / touring world continue to be dominated by the venerable Lake with some Meyer Galileo thrown in for good …

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Why I Started the Signal To Noise Podcast

Why I Started the Signal To Noise Podcast

I was recently approached by an individual who runs an audio engineering website, and was offered a cross-promotion arrangement: I share a few of their links to my “audience” a few times a month, and they will share mine. We can both grow our audiences. I said no. Besides the fact that I don’t have …

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Consistency Improvements

Consistency Improvements

When I was in high school, I was a member of the Cross Country team. What I found very appealing about that sport was that it wasn’t just about competition with other runners – it was also about competition with yourself – pushing yourself to always improve upon your best results. I feel some of …

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Understanding SPL metric “dB C Minus A”

Understanding SPL metric “dB C Minus A”

When measuring SPL, indicating the frequency weighting curve used for the measurement is critical. Below we see the A (orange) and C (red) weighting curves, the two choices you are likely to encounter on a typical SPL meter, thanks to IEC 61672. Although these weighting curves owe their creation to a failed attempt at emulating …

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All About SPL: Rational Acoustics Webinar

All About SPL: Rational Acoustics Webinar

As part of the ongoing Smaart Operator Fundamentals Online webinar series, Rational instructor Chris Tsanjoures and I gave a webinar covering an overview of SPL principles and practices as well as the SPL featureset in Smaart v8 and Smaart SPL. Enjoy:  

Audio Analyzer Mythbusting

Audio Analyzer Mythbusting

The wonderful silver lining of our present situation is that the internet is being flooded with all sorts of seminars, online classes, training videos, and the like. I’ve got a bunch of stuff bookmarked to dive into and it feels a bit like trying to drink from a firehouse. However, I’ve stumbled across a few …

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