PA

A public address system, the amplification and speakers used to project voices and instruments to an audience.

For a guitarist it usually means the destination for a modelled or direct signal, either through a stage monitor or straight to the front of house, which makes the fidelity of the speaker system part of the guitar's tone. Because a PA is designed to be neutral and wide-ranging rather than to colour a guitar, a direct signal often needs cabinet simulation or careful equalisation before it sounds right through one. The same term covers the whole chain of mixer, amplifiers and speakers.

Example: a player running an amp modeler straight into the PA needs a cabinet impulse response, or the sound will be harsh and thin.

PA

See also