817Chapter 25
Consoles and Computers
by Steve Dove
25.1 Introduction............................................................................ 825
25.1.1 Console Development................................................................. 825
25.2 Auxiliary Paths......................................................................... 826
25.2.1 Monitoring.......................................................................... 826
25.2.2 Prefade Listen and Audition............................................................ 827
25.2.3 Overdubbing and Foldback (Cue)........................................................ 828
25.2.4 Echo, Reverberation, and Effects Send.................................................... 828
25.2.5 Communications (Talkback)............................................................ 829
25.2.6 Combined Auxiliaries................................................................. 829
25.3 Stereo Consoles......................................................................... 829
25.3.1 Panning............................................................................ 829
25.3.2 Auxiliaries for Stereo................................................................. 829
25.3.3 Multiple Effect Feeds................................................................. 830
25.4 Dawning of Multitrack................................................................... 830
25.5 Grouping and the Monitoring Section........................................................ 831
25.5.1 Subgrouping and Output Matrices....................................................... 833
25.6 Console Design Developments............................................................. 833
25.6.1 Transistors.......................................................................... 834
25.6.2 Level Specifications.................................................................. 834
25.7 Operational Amplifiers in Consoles......................................................... 835
25.7.1 Slew-Rate Limitations................................................................. 836
25.7.2 Bipolar Field Effect Transistors (BiFETs)................................................. 837
25.7.3 Discrete Operational Amplifiers......................................................... 838
25.7.4 Instability........................................................................... 838
25.7.5 Phase Margin........................................................................ 838
25.7.6 Time-Domain Effects................................................................. 839
25.7.7 Transient Intermodulation Distortion (TID)................................................ 840
25.7.8 Output Impedance.................................................................... 840
25.7.9 Compensating Op-Amps............................................................... 841
25.7.10 Input Saturation..................................................................... 842
25.7.11 Front-End Instability................................................................. 842
25.7.12 Band Limiting...................................................................... 843
25.7.13 Slew-Rate Effects................................................................... 844
25.7.14 Device Idiosyncrasies and the Future.................................................... 844
25.8 Grounding............................................................................. 844
25.8.1 Wire............................................................................... 845
25.8.2 Earth Ground........................................................................ 846
25.8.3 Why Ground Anything to Earth?........................................................ 846
25.8.4 Console Internal Grounding............................................................ 847