AB Research is the – well, research arm of Audio Ballistics. Launching with this very article. All previous “samplenerd.com” posts will be migrated to the Audio Ballistics.com website.
Writing two articles a month for nearly three years has meant quite a lot of research and learning. I didn’t want to just let all that go with the cessation of one project to the launch of the other!
So this is not only a beginning but also a continuation…
We start, or continue – however you might think of it, with the simple but nonetheless key difference between Volume, Amplitude and gain.
If you already know this: great! If not, read on…
- Volume refers to the perceived loudness of an audio signal, which is a subjective measure. It’s what you hear and adjust on your device or audio player.
- Amplitude, on the other hand, is the actual physical magnitude of the audio signal. It’s a measure of the signal’s voltage or intensity, which is what affects the speaker or headphone’s ability to reproduce the sound.
- Gain is the ratio of the output signal amplitude to the input signal amplitude. In other words, it’s a measure of how much the signal is amplified or attenuated. Gain can be adjusted to increase or decrease the amplitude of the signal.
Here’s a simple analogy to help you remember the difference:
- Volume is like the perceived brightness of a light bulb.
- Amplitude is like the actual electrical current flowing through the bulb.
- Gain is like the switch that controls the current flowing through the bulb.
Keep in mind that volume and amplitude are related but distinct concepts. Volume is a subjective measure, while amplitude is an objective measure of the signal’s physical properties.
[Brave A.I Leo]
PS. I will try to keep up the same publishing schedule of two articles monthly, but with added flexibility for not necessarily doing so!