[linux-audio-user] abusive audio, will it blow up the PA?

Paul Winkler pw_lists at slinkp.com
Fri Jan 12 17:40:22 EST 2007


On Sat, Jan 13, 2007 at 12:23:42AM +0300, Dmitry Baikov wrote:
> On 1/12/07, Paul Winkler <pw_lists at slinkp.com> wrote:
> >range anyway.  (The fundamental of a low E on a bass guitar is about
> >40 Hz, but most of the energy of that note is in the first few
> >overtones.)
> 
> Fieldy/Korn plays on low string tuned to A - 27.5Hz :)

Heh. ok, but the point still stands... you're mostly hearing
overtones. There is not a whole lot of energy coming from that bass at
27.5 Hz.  Most of it is above 50 Hz.

And most bass rigs and PA subwoofers don't have much output down at
27.5 Hz.  Pretty much everything I know of has a steep rolloff well
above 30 Hz.

There are very few instruments that really have much output in the
lowest octave of human hearing (20 - 40 Hz).  IIRC pipe organ is one,
the lowest frequency from a 32-foot pipe is actually below 20 Hz.

Synthesizers of course can do anything :-) But even in heavily
synthetic dance music most of the bass energy is typically up around
80 Hz or so.

-- 

Paul Winkler
http://www.slinkp.com



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