Can anyone scientifically explain the 'Intensity' knob on an amplifier?

[rbuist]

Originally Posted by slyjoe

Yea bill - it's even more confusing since it is unclear whether the professor is using P for power or pressure. I would bet power.

It's mentioned in the first part of that paragraph, P is for Power- in W/m².

Bummer that it's not actually a scientific increase as I was hoping for- I have never really played around with an intensity knob on an amplifier- I just know they exist and was curious if they actually had some thing to do with all of the concepts we're going over with sound now.

Money makes the world go round I suppose, but damn, if my amp had an intensity knob, I would have it cranked to 11 always.

[chadds]

Scientifically?

Here: It makes things "Intense".

[rbuist]

Posted a big edit in the original post.

[dincz]

Originally Posted by slyjoe

The rule around here is 10dB power increase equals 3dB in volume (double volume).

Whoa! Let's try that again. 10dB power increase equals a perceived doubling of volume. 3dB equals a doubling of power.

[gdavis]

Originally Posted by slyjoe

It isn't a scientific term in this context - it's a marketing term used by amp manufacturers.

There's a lot of truth in this short little sentence. It's something I really started to notice after I graduated (computer engineering). Not even just amp companies, but almost any company making a product that involves any "technology" as a selling point will literally just make stuff up. And every company will make up something different. Even if two companies are building something based on the same technology, they will make up two different names for it. "Our super awesome mega 2000-ABABCD uses high performance ultra density 250 megaGB tallywacker enhancer blah blah blah".

The fun part is when all your friends expect you to be able to explain exactly what it means because "it's scientific"

[Rodger Bryan]

" 250 megaGB tallywacker enhancer"
I'm going to look into a stomp box version of this.

[will33]

Originally Posted by gdavis

There's a lot of truth in this short little sentence. It's something I really started to notice after I graduated (computer engineering). Not even just amp companies, but almost any company making a product that involves any "technology" as a selling point will literally just make stuff up. And every company will make up something different. Even if two companies are building something based on the same technology, they will make up two different names for it. "Our super awesome mega 2000-ABABCD uses high performance ultra density 250 megaGB tallywacker enhancer blah blah blah".

The fun part is when all your friends expect you to be able to explain exactly what it means because "it's scientific"

Good observation.

I think the pinnacle of this type of marketing just might be the "Sonic Maximizer". One could call virtually anything that claims to make either more, or better sound a "sonic maximizer". One would never label anything a sonic minimizer, even if minimizing some offensive part of your sound is just what's needed to achieve maximum sonic quality, nobody would buy one of those.

[slyjoe]

Originally Posted by dincz

Whoa! Let's try that again. 10dB power increase equals a perceived doubling of volume. 3dB equals a doubling of power.

dBs are a ratio - power, volume, carrots. So, doubling the volume equals a 3dB volume increase.

[Bassmec]

What an incredibly obscure question, intensity is nothing more than the depth control of an old school tremolo unit.
Are you trying to come up with some alternative equations of power levels within a music sample.
This might help:
http://mastering-media.blogspot.co.u...age-level.html

[Downunderwonder]

Originally Posted by slyjoe

dBs are a ratio - power, volume, carrots. So, doubling the volume equals a 3dB volume increase.

SPL is denoted in dB as "it's all relative".

"Twice as loud" was defined as 10dB on the scale by Bell Labs.

But SPL is commonly referred to as volume or how loud it is. If you got a problem with that you're whistling in the wind.

If you bump a channel by 3dB on the mixer you will get a fairly small increase in it's volume, nothing like double. Take a wild guess how much of an increase on the meter would have you thinking "that's now twice as loud".

[ThisBass]

Originally Posted by slyjoe

dBs are a ratio - power, volume, carrots. So, doubling the volume equals a 3dB volume increase.

Probably you mismatch dB calculation for power and signal level.

Power:

A[dB] = 10 * log (P1/P2)

Signal:

A[dB] = 20 * log (U1/U2)

[fdeck]

I think the take-home from this thread is that a "scientific explanation" of a knob on an amp should start with what the knob does, not what it's called.

[rbuist]

Originally Posted by fdeck

I think the take-home from this thread is that a "scientific explanation" of a knob on an amp should start with what the knob does, not what it's called.

I get what you're saying here, it's just when I see an amp's 'bass' knob I'm 100% sure it will boost the low-end of the sound. I guess it was just wishful thinking that the intensity knobs I saw on some amps actually had to do with, well, intensity.

[JHAz]

If they're the intensity for the tremelo effect they DO have to do with intensity. Just not the intensity of what you wanted them to relate to.