Impedance,Balance,andOutputInputConnectionsforDigital.docVIP

CSC 191E Digital Sound for Music and Theatre Spring 2008 Burg Impedance and Output/Input Connections for Digital Audio Recording Impedance (abbreviated Z) is the measure of the total opposition to current flow in an alternating current circuit. Measured in ohms, impedance is the sum of two components, resistance (R) and reactance (X). Ohms is abbreviated (, 1,000 ohms is abbreviated k(, and 1,000,000 ohms is abbreviated M(. The source of an audio signal – like a microphone or electric guitar – is called the source or output. The place where you plug this source into a sound card, external sound interface, or mixer is called the load or input. The significance of impedance is that it affects what types of microphones and instruments should be plugged into what kinds of sound cards and mixers. A microphone?up to about 600 ( is low impedance, between 600 and 10,000 ( is medium impedance, and 10,000 ( or more is high impedance. Most good mics are low Z, particularly those with XLR connectors. An electric guitar generally is a high-impedance source. You can check the impedance of your outputs and inputs by reading the device specifications. A high impedance mic or instrument will generally output a higher amplitude signal, measured in voltage, than a lower impedance one. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that high impedance is necessarily better than low impedance. In the case of microphones, most good mics are low impedance, like the Shure SM58, an excellent and durable dynamic mic for voice recording. Figure 1 Shure SM58 microphone (actual size about 6 ? “ long) So how do you know “what to plug into to what” when you want to hook up a microphone and/or an instrument to a sound card, external sound interface, or mixer in order to make a digital recording? To some extent, it helps to know the impedance of the output and input. To some extent, you can simply be guided by the shapes of the input and output jacks. Should the impeda