Many electronic musicians and audio engineers rely on mixing boards to act as an intermediary between their instruments or digital devices and their speaker system. Speakers can be connected to most mixers using common stereo cables. The volume level of these devices can be controlled using the mixer's designated volume knobs.
Several media-playback devices, such as DVD players and stereos, require the use of a receiver to transfer signals from the output device into the speakers. In similar fashion to mixing board speaker connections, speakers will most likely connect to the receiver using stereo cables. The receiver will feature a volume control knob that allows you to raise and lower the volume of sound produced by the speakers.
Many traveling musicians rely on PA systems to produce audio playback. Large PA speakers can be attached to digital audio interfaces using common instrument cables. After making the connection, audio received by the interface, such as vocal tracks from connected microphones or electronic audio from computer synthesizers, will travel directly into the PA speaker. The output volume of the speaker can be controlled by adjusting the volume on your audio interface device. If you are using a software-based workstation with your PA, adjusting the volume of individual tracks within your software will also adjust the volume of the track in your PA speaker.