Plain-English definitions of the terms working AV, broadcast, and production crews actually use, with links to the deeper guides.
An interoperability standard for audio-over-IP that lets gear from different ecosystems exchange audio on a network. Dante, Ravenna, and others can speak AES67, which matters when you mix vendors on one show network.
See also: AV networking
The documentation that reflects what was actually installed, after the field realities changed the plan. The as-built is the drawing you hand the client and the one the next crew trusts. Distinct from the proposed drawing you bid from.
See also: AV documentation
The preproduction process of gathering everything you need about a venue and show before load-in: power, rigging, network, load-in path, and schedule. A good advance is why load-in is assembly instead of discovery.
See also: AV preproduction checklist
The individual LED panel unit that tiles together to build a wall. Cabinets carry a fixed pixel count and physical size, and those two numbers drive every power, data, and resolution calculation for the wall.
See also: LED wall planning
A document with one row per cable: ID, both endpoints down to the port, signal, type, length, and route. It is the pull list for the shop and the trace map for the field, and it should derive from the signal-flow diagram.
See also: How to build a cable schedule · Cable labels and schedules
A device that changes signal from one format to another, such as HDMI to SDI or analog audio to Dante. Converters are the glue gear most often forgotten in planning, which is why port-to-port diagramming surfaces them early.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
The device at a door that reads a card, fob, PIN, or biometric and passes it to the access controller. In documentation, it is one row on the door schedule with a controller port and a power source. Hardware selection and code compliance are the AHJ's call.
See also: Access control documentation
A device that takes one signal and drives multiple copies of it, common for video and audio feeds. On a diagram it turns one output into many, and each of those outputs is its own cable-schedule row.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
A widely used audio-over-IP protocol that carries many channels of low-latency digital audio over standard Ethernet. Dante has specific network expectations (clocking, QoS, switch behavior); treat the vendor's documentation as authoritative for exact settings.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems · AV networking
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol hands out IP addresses automatically. On AV networks it is convenient for roaming gear but risky for fixed devices; reservations (a fixed address tied to a MAC) give you DHCP's convenience with a static device's predictability.
See also: How to create an IP schedule
A device that extracts embedded audio out of a video signal (for example, pulling audio out of an SDI feed) so it can be handled separately. The paired opposite of an embedder, and a classic spot for cross-trade mistakes.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
The panel that manages an access-controlled door: it reads credentials, drives the lock, and monitors door state. In documentation it is the hub each opening wires back to. Fail-safe versus fail-secure and egress behavior are code-governed decisions for a qualified professional.
See also: Access control documentation
A sensor that reports whether a door is open or closed, letting the access system detect forced or held-open doors. On the door schedule it is a documented input on the controller, nothing more; monitoring logic and code requirements sit with the system designer and AHJ.
See also: Access control documentation
A rack-unit-accurate drawing of what sits where in a rack, front and rear. It is the working document for building and servicing the rack, showing device placement, depth, and the connectors on the back.
See also: How to design an AV rack elevation · Rack builder
A device that inserts audio into a video signal, such as embedding audio channels into an SDI stream so one cable carries both. Pairs with a de-embedder downstream.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
The point where a multicore cable splits into its individual connectors, and the tails that result. Fanout length planning (how long those tails need to be at each end) is a core part of loom and snake design.
See also: Cabling and looms
The mix position out in the audience where the main audio console and often video control live. On a diagram, FOH is usually a lane of destinations and control gear fed from the stage.
See also: Broadcast and live production
A device or function that aligns an incoming video signal to the system's timing reference so it can be switched cleanly. Related to genlock; without correct timing, sources glitch on transitions.
See also: Broadcast and live production
A method of locking multiple video devices to a common timing reference so they can be switched and combined without glitches. A system-level decision made once, not a per-device afterthought.
See also: Broadcast and live production
A consumer and prosumer video/audio connector ubiquitous on laptops, cameras, and displays. HDMI is a short-run format; past a few meters you use active cables, extenders, or convert to SDI. Check the specific cable and device spec for real distance limits.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
A one-way audio feed to on-air talent or crew that a director can interrupt to give instructions. Part of the comms plan, and a signal path that belongs on the documentation like any other.
See also: Broadcast and live production
A switch feature that limits multicast traffic to the ports that asked for it, instead of flooding every port. It is important for protocols like Dante and NDI that use multicast; exact configuration varies by switch, so follow the vendor's guidance.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems
The master list of every networked device's address, subnet, VLAN, MAC, and switch port. It is the single source of truth that prevents duplicate-IP outages and makes a network anyone can troubleshoot.
See also: How to create an IP schedule · Prevent duplicate IPs
An isolated recording of an individual source (often a single camera) separate from the switched program. ISOs give the edit flexibility later and a safety net if the program record fails.
See also: Multicamera livestream signal flow
A horizontal bar in a rack used to tie and support cables so weight does not hang on connectors. A small piece of hardware that separates a rack that survives touring from one that fails at the plug.
See also: Rack design
A method of bonding multiple physical network links into one logical link for more bandwidth or redundancy. Used on uplinks between switches on larger AV networks; both ends must be configured to match.
See also: AV networking
A bundle of cables that travel together, dressed and labeled as a unit, so a group of runs pulls and packs as one. Loom planning turns a long cable pull into a fast one and is core to touring documentation.
See also: Cabling and looms
A device that routes any of its inputs to any of its outputs, common for video and audio. On a diagram it is a hub with many ports; documenting its IO list is what keeps a large system traceable.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
A bank on a video switcher that composites and transitions sources, with its own program and preview buses. Larger productions use multiple M/E banks to build looks before they hit air.
See also: Broadcast and live production
An audio feed sent to a remote participant or presenter that contains everything except their own voice, preventing echo. A common source of confusion and a path worth drawing explicitly.
See also: Broadcast and live production
The smaller LED sub-assembly that makes up a cabinet, and typically the field-replaceable unit when pixels fail. Spare modules and receiving cards are part of a serious LED spares kit.
See also: LED wall planning
A split of one signal to multiple destinations, or the cable that carries several signals together. In audio, a mult box or mult snake distributes shared sources like a stage feed to several consoles.
See also: Cabling and looms
Network traffic sent once to many receivers that subscribe to it, used by AV protocols like Dante and NDI to distribute streams efficiently. Multicast needs switch features like IGMP snooping to stay contained, or it floods the network.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems
A device that displays many video sources on one screen, letting an operator monitor program, preview, cameras, and returns at a glance. The stream return should be one of the tiles, not an afterthought.
See also: Multicamera livestream signal flow
A unit of brightness (candela per square meter). LED walls are often rated in nits; the number you can actually run depends on content, power headroom, and viewing conditions, so treat datasheet peak brightness as a ceiling, not a setting.
See also: LED wall planning
The device that distributes power to gear in a rack. PDU placement, capacity, and how power and signal cables are kept separate are all part of rack design; circuit sizing is an electrician's decision.
See also: Rack design
A panel of connectors that provides a fixed, labeled interface to cabling behind it, so patching happens at the front instead of at the gear. Documenting the patch field is what keeps a rack serviceable.
See also: Rack design
The mapping of a content canvas onto the physical pixels of an LED wall, telling the processor which part of the image goes to which cabinet. Getting the pixel map right is what makes content land correctly across the wall.
See also: LED wall planning · Pixel maps and zones
The distance in millimeters between the centers of adjacent LED pixels. Smaller pitch means finer resolution and closer comfortable viewing, but also more pixels per panel, which eats data-port capacity and raises cost.
See also: How many panels can be daisy-chained · Pixel pitch and resolution
Delivering power to a device over its network cable. Power capability is commonly grouped into IEEE classes associated with roughly up to 15 W, 30 W, and 60 to 90 W ranges depending on the standard; verify the exact figure per device and switch datasheet.
See also: PoE budget planning
On a video switcher, program is what is live on air, preview is what you are lining up next. Keeping the two as clearly separate paths (and monitoring both) is basic switching discipline.
See also: Broadcast and live production
Network settings that prioritize time-sensitive traffic (like audio) over less urgent traffic. AV protocols often specify QoS expectations; use the vendor's recommended markings rather than guessing.
See also: AV networking
The electronics inside an LED cabinet that receive data from the processor and drive the panel's pixels. Paired with the sending card at the processor end; spares belong in the kit.
See also: LED wall planning
A device (button, motion sensor, or bar) that signals the access system someone is leaving so it can release the door without an alarm. On the door schedule it is a documented input; egress design and code compliance belong to a qualified professional and the AHJ.
See also: Access control documentation
A document from an artist or act specifying what they require technically. Distinct from a tech pack: the rider says what is needed, the tech pack says how the system is actually built to deliver it.
See also: How to create an AV tech pack
The standard vertical increment of rack space, equal to 1.75 inches (44.45 mm). Gear is measured in RU (a 2U amplifier, a 1U switch), and RU budgeting is the first step of any rack elevation.
See also: How to design an AV rack elevation · Rack units and equipment
The timed sequence of everything that happens during an event, cue by cue. It is the operational counterpart to the technical documentation, telling the crew not just how the system is wired but when each thing fires.
See also: AV documentation
A professional video connection carried on coax with locking BNC connectors, standard in broadcast for its reliability over long runs. Distance capability varies by SDI rate and cable; check the specific cable spec rather than assuming a fixed number.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
A device that changes a video signal's resolution or frame rate to match a destination. Every format transition in a system is a spot to confirm a scaler or converter is actually in the path.
See also: Signal flow diagrams
The card in an LED processor or sender that outputs data to the wall's receiving cards. Its port capacity is what sets how many panels a single data run can drive.
See also: How many panels can be daisy-chained
Deliberate slack left in a cable so gear can be pulled forward for service without disconnecting or straining connectors. Skipping service loops is how a five-minute fix becomes a rack teardown.
See also: Rack design
A multichannel cable, often audio, that carries many signals between two points such as stage and FOH. Modern digital snakes carry many channels over a single network cable, but the documentation discipline is the same.
See also: Cabling and looms
An interface unit on stage that collects local sources (mics, instruments) and sends them digitally to the console, replacing a bulky analog snake. On the network it is a device with an address like any other.
See also: Broadcast and live production
An address configured directly on a device that never changes. Static addressing gives predictable, always-reachable gear, at the cost of manual tracking, which is exactly what the IP schedule is for.
See also: How to create an IP schedule
A logical division of an IP network defined by an address range and mask. Devices in the same subnet talk directly; crossing subnets needs routing. Subnet planning goes hand in hand with VLAN and IP-schedule design.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems
Ruggedized fiber-optic cable built to be deployed, walked on, and coiled repeatedly on shows. Used for long high-bandwidth runs; its trunks and breakouts get documented like any other cabling.
See also: Cabling and looms
The document set a crew needs to build, run, and strike a system without calling the designer: signal flow, gear list, cable schedule, IP schedule, rack elevations, and more. In AV this is an event technical pack, not the fashion-industry document of the same name.
See also: How to create an AV tech pack
A timing reference (hours:minutes:seconds:frames) used to synchronize devices, recordings, and playback. Like genlock, it is a system-level service that belongs on the documentation, not a per-device setting.
See also: Broadcast and live production
A switch port that carries multiple VLANs at once (tagged), used for links between switches. Its opposite is an access port, which carries a single VLAN to an end device. Getting trunk versus access right is core to VLAN work.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems
A virtual LAN that logically segments one physical network into isolated groups. On AV networks, VLANs separate media, control, and management traffic to contain multicast and shrink the blast radius of a problem.
See also: VLAN planning for AV systems