perchannel

Perchannel, often written as per-channel or per channel, is a term used in engineering and signal processing to describe approaches that treat each channel in a multi-channel system independently. In such designs the processing path, parameters, and measurements are defined per channel rather than aggregated across all channels. This contrasts with shared or global processing where a single set of parameters applies to every channel.

Perchannel concepts appear in several domains. In audio and music technology, per-channel processing enables independent level control, equalization, compression, or effects for each loudspeaker or microphone channel. In video and imaging, per-channel handling can refer to maintaining independent color or luminance channels in a multi-sensor setup. In communications and data transmission, per-channel multiplexing and modulation schemes allow separate data streams to be encoded and decoded on each channel.

Advantages of perchannel approaches include greater flexibility, the ability to tailor processing to channel-specific conditions, and improved fault isolation. Potential drawbacks are increased design and resource complexity, as well as the need for precise synchronization and calibration to prevent channel imbalance or drift over time.

Implementation considerations include the number of channels, sampling rates, metadata to identify channel identity, and interfaces for channel-specific controls. Systems may require calibration routines to align gains, delays, and analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converter characteristics across channels.

See also: multichannel, per-channel, channel isolation, digital signal processing, multiplexing.