I actually had to look the word up to be sure, but it makes so much sense Brian http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?transducer Main Entry: trans·duc·er Pronunciation: -'dü-s&r, -'dyü- Function: noun Date: 1924 : a device that is actuated by power from one system and supplies power usually in another form to a second system <a loudspeaker is a transducer that transforms electrical signals into sound energy> > > > > While reading all this interesting discussion this morning I suddenly > > realized that I've not noticed the use of an important word. > > > > It's TRANSDUCER!! > > > > A soundboard doing its job is transducing (any of various devices that > > transmit energy from one system to another). > > Yes, it uses vibration as the means to do this and any random resonance in > > the board makes it more efficient at the frequency of resonance. The "Q" > of > > the resonance determines the efficiency at that point. > ---------------------------------------------- > > It's actually been used quite a bit. Just not recently. > > It's taken a long time to get folks away from the concept of the soundboard > as amplifier and toward the concept of the soundboard as transducer. The > amplifier analogy is a warmer, fuzzier concept--not to mention, a familiar > one. Marketing people, especially, seem to be in love with the word (still). > And it does seem so logical; there isn't much 'sound' coming from the > strings and there's so much sound coming from the soundboard--ergo, the > soundboard must be amplifying the sound. > > It wasn't all that long ago that the mention of the word 'transducer' would > draw a variety of puzzled--or blank--looks: It's a what? > > But, progress is being made! Fifteen or twenty years ago when I would ask a > class to define the piano soundboard, a majority would respond, "it's an > amplifier." Today if I ask the same question, the majority will respond, > "it's a transducer." And, they'll even know what the word means. > > Regards, > > Del >
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