Professional Audio

Professional audio, also 'pro audio', refers to both an activity and a type of audio equipment. Typically it encompasses the production or reproduction of sound for an audience, by individuals who do such work as an occupation like live event support, using sound reinforcement systems designed for the purpose. (By contrast, consumer audio is usually confined to the reproduction of sound in the home.) Professional audio can include but is not limited to broadcast radio, audio mastering in a recording studio, television studio, sound reinforcement such as a concert, DJ performances, Audio sampling, public address, surround sound movie theatres, and in some cases piped music application.

The term 'professional audio' has no precise definition, but its typical features may include:

• Operations carried out by technicians with at least some formal training
• The capturing of sound with one or more microphones
• Balancing sound from multitrack recording devices using a mixing console
• The control of audio levels using standardised types of metering
• Sound signals passing through lengthy signal chains involving processes at different times and places, involving a variety of skills
• Compliance with organisational, national and international practices and standards established by such bodies as the International Telecommunications Union, Audio Engineering Society and European Broadcasting Union.

Compared to consumer audio equipment, professional audio equipment tends to have such characteristics as:

• Much greater mechanical robustness
• Heavy-duty industrial-grade connectors, e.g. XLR and Speakon
• 19-inch rack-mount construction
• Balanced audio interfaces
• Higher analog audio signal levels of 0 dBu or more
• AES/EBU digital audio interfaces

The broadcast quality of professional audio equipment is on a par with that of consumer high-end audio equipment, but is more likely to be designed purely on sound engineering principles and owe little to a consumer oriented audiophile sub-culture.