Have Patience, Don't Keep Clickin'
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Glossary of the letter "p"
All words also link to dictionary.com definitions for further information.
panning - The act of moving a signal around in the sound field to sound as though it is coming from a specific direction. Whether stereo, surround or any other field format.
parametric equalizer - An equalizer that can boost frequencies, like a typical EQ) and adjacent frequencies with adjustable boost levels and width of frequency ranges (referred to as the Q).
patch bay - Hardware device that routes the ins and outs of your outboard gear and locates them neatly into a single unit. Usually rackmountable and used for racks of gear to prevent having to crawl behind and reroute the cables every time you need to repatch things.
phantom power - A means by which power is supplied to microphones that need it. Many modern mixers support phontom power. If yours does not, a power supply can be purchased seperately.
phase (phasing) - Electrical term refering to the timing difference between two or more signals. Can be productive when used to create a stereo effect, or destructive when two out of phase records of the same "voice" do not line up.
pitch - The primary, root, or center frequency of a sound. Directly effects how well "in tune" a sound is. Blended with harmonics, pitch will develop tone or character.
pod - Amp emulator/effects box from Line 6
polyphony - This is how many notes can be played simultaneously. For instance, a monophonic synth can only play one key at a time.
preamp - A device that boosts a microphone and/or instrument signals to "line level" for input into recording equipment, effect processors and other devices.
premaster - 1. A song ready for inclusion in the mastering process. (see master) 2. The process (art) of processing a mix with consideration of overall volume, sparkel, warmth, etc. Taking a song from ok to WOW!
preset - A saved settings in a hardware synth, sampler or signal processor, or a software program or plugin so you can easily call up the same settings later.
proximity effect - in directional microphones, the boost in the microphone's output for bass frequencies as the mic is moved closer to the sound source
psychoacoustics - The science dealing with the human perception of sound. See also, acoustics.