PICTURE OF LIVE AUDIO SIGNAL PATH CODE

Matching - or in many cases surpassing - the audio quality of analogue systems at that time, the 02R was the trigger for both the recording and the live audio market to start a massive migration from analogue to digital. In 1995, the Yamaha 02R digital mixing console introduced 20-bit A/D and D/A conversion, supporting 105 dB dynamic range(*5H). But where 16 bits are (only just) enough for CD quality playback, the 90dB typical dynamic range it can reproduce is insufficient for large scale live mixing systems.

The first mass produced Yamaha digital mixing system was the DMP7, launched in 1987 - introducing 16-bit A/D and D/A conversion and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) architecture to small scale music recording and line mixing applications(*5G). In 1982, the first album on Compact Disc, developed by Philips and Sony, was released (Billy Joel’s 52nd street) - introducing 16-bit 44.1 kHz PCM digital audio to a broad public(*5F).

PICTURE OF LIVE AUDIO SIGNAL PATH CODE

In 1938, Alec Reeves from ITT patented Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)(*5E), marking the start of the development of digital systems to process and transport audio signals - with the goal to make systems less susceptible for noise and distortion. In the years to follow, large scale live audio systems became available built around mixing consoles from Midas, Soundcraft, Yamaha and others. This era saw the introduction of the electrical Gramophone in 1925 (Victor Orthophonic Victrola*5B), the reel to reel tape recorder in 1935 (AEG’s Magnetophon*5C) and the compact cassette in 1962 (Philips*5D).

This was the beginning of the ‘analogue’ era - using electrical circuits to mix, amplify, modify, store and transport audio signals. In 1872 everything changed when, independently from each other, Emil Berliner and Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone(*5A), introducing the possibility of transforming acoustic waves to electronic signals. Until the late 19th century, audio systems for live and recording applications were designed using acoustical and mechanical tools - such as the walls of a concert hall (amplification, colouring), copper tubes in shipping (short distance transport), grooves on a wax roll picked up by a needle and amplified by a big horn (long distance transport).

Picture of live audio signal path