MOTM

Hmm, not really. They're definitely related, and there's some overlap in
their use & definitions, but you tend to use the terms for different things.

An attenuator "suggests" (but of course, could be configured any way you
want) that you have an input, a knob, and an output. When you tie two or
more of those outputs together, THEN you have yourself a mixer.

Also, the word attenuator "suggests" that you have a passive circuit, i.e.
just a potentiometer in series with the in & out jacks. But you also see
so-called "reversing attenuators" where full clockwise is the original
signal, mid-way is no signal, and full counter-clockwise is the full signal
180-degrees out of phase (or volts times negative one for DC). This can
realistically only be done with some active circuitry to invert the incoming
signal.

On the other hand, Mixers "tend" to not be passive (but they certainly can
be)... generally you pop an op amp or two in there to actually allow some
gain, not just attenuation.

"Attenuation" suggests diminishing a signal, no amplification. A mixer is
primarily for combining signals, and usually you design one that gives you a
little gain as well.

Did I put enough quotation marks in there? ;-) 


-----Original Message-----
From: moog@... [mailto:moog@...] 
Sent: Wednesday, 05 September, 2001 1:47 PM
To: , MOTM listserv
Subject: [motm] Question

Are a attenuator and mixer essentially the same ?
Jim