Signal path

Sound reinforcement in a large format system typically involves a signal path that starts with an instrument pickup or a microphone (transducer) which is plugged into a multicore cable (often called a "snake"). 

The snake then routes the signals of all of the inputs on two mixing consoles: Front of the House (FOH) Main mix, and Monitor mix at the side of the stage. Once the signal is at a channel on the console, this signal can be equalized, compressed, or panned before being routed to an output bus.

The signal may also be routed into an external effects processor, which outputs a wet (effected) version of the signal, which is typically mixed in varying amounts with the dry (effect-free) signal.