Preamps headroom and all that

[mervaka]

I agree the word "engineer" is everywhere I have been finding and repairing faults down to component level all my life so much so that I can tell you the value of any resistor by sight without having to work it out by colour code. (I suppose some people might think that's sad) I have always believed that a good understanding of what is happening inside the mixer helps you get it right but you can't expect anyone who is not technical to understand that. I would bet that a lot of people who call themselves "engineers" wouldn't know how balanced inputs work and why they are used and that is very basic

No, that's absolutely spot on. There's a massive blurring in the UK between the roles of "technicians" and "engineers". An engineer in my book is able to apply mathematics to solve problems in their respective subject area, be that acoustics, electronics, mechanics, civil etc. to me, twiddling a few knobs to make something subjectively better does not meet that mark, and claiming otherwise dilutes the perceived role and ability of an engineer, and this problem perpetuates itself in a downward spiral.

I don't mean to say a good sound tech can't do a good job, but to start talking as though they know how their black boxes work based upon subjective and speculative foundation is just absurd.

 

Being able to realise a project like this requires a multidisciplined background in sound, electronic and software engineering:

https://vimeo.com/60318450

[fincaman]

I'm enjoying this thread! Though I think I might be a bit young to participate...

I do have a couple of opinions though - I've often thought that sound "engineer" is a very far-fetched title for my job. Like someone's signature on here - basically, I plug things in.

Also, it's interesting to read something by someone who is very experienced and knowledgable about electronics and electrical components and to read those revelations on pre-amps makes me feel like giving you a pat on the back (however inappropriate that would be). A little more learning and I'll be able to sneer all the harder at the boisterous, arrogant, stubborn touring techs when they try to school me whilst simultaneously abusing my equipment.(EDIT: sorry, probably better on a less intellectual thread)

 

Mike, Just keep listening and learning I'm glad you are enjoying my rantings, the problem is that it does so annoy me when people make claims about equipment that can't possibly be true and probably came originally from a marketing man.

I remember once when a PA amplifier company decided to "redefine the watt" and published loads of information on how they were right and everyone else was wrong. It basically meant that their amplifiers became twice as powerful overnight despite having exactly the same power output.