Build the complete signal chain for recording and playing back audio. Click components from the bank to add them to your signal path in the correct order. Click a placed component to remove it.
Components Bank (click to add)
All components placed.
Your Signal Path (click to remove)
Click components above to build your signal chain.
Key Definitions
Transducer
A device that converts energy from one form to another. A microphone converts acoustic energy to electrical energy. A speaker does the reverse.
ADC (Analogue-to-Digital Converter)
Converts the analogue electrical signal into digital binary data by sampling at regular intervals. Found in audio interfaces.
DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter)
Converts digital binary data back into a continuously varying analogue electrical signal for playback. Produces a stepped output that needs filtering.
Signal Chain
The complete path audio travels: Acoustic sound > Microphone > ADC > Digital processing > DAC > Amplifier & Speakers > Acoustic sound.
Why This Matters for the Exam
Signal chain ordering questions appear regularly in Edexcel papers. You need to know the seven-stage sequence and understand that both filters are analogue and sit immediately either side of their respective converter. Remember: a digital signal must always be converted back to analogue before you can hear it.