Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

Larry writes:
I think (someone correct me if I am wrong) that buffer is
generically used as a term to describe a unity gain amp.

This is one way to put - as it took me a long time to
understand 'buffering', (way back in the dark ages) I offer my 1
cent: its probably good to also look at it as a way to impedance
match. "Impedance" just being "resistance" of AC signals - as
buffering is everywhere in synth design - its just a way to get a
signal out of one circuit and into another, with minimal signal loss
or having the I/O impedance of one circuit, affect the other...

This is why op-amps are so great for audio - very hi input impedance
and very low output impedance (in most cases). This is how you
couple circuits together without signal loss or s/n issues.

This is a quick and dirty explanation. Personally, I feel that
anyone doing synth design, or even the occasional mod, should really
get to know how opamps work, its not hard, and will provide you with
a lifetime of knowhow, to design all your own stuff!

Rog
(can ya tell I got some spare time this morning?)