Taper

The rate at which the resistance of a potentiometer or fader changes as it is raised or lowered. This can be visually represented on a graph with resistance represented on the Y-axis and pot rotation represented on the X-axis. Some of the names of the tapers relate to how this relationship draws out on the graph. For example, Linear taper is a straight line (linear) at 45 degrees up across graph. So at halfway through its travel, the resistance is 50%. “Log” taper can be by represented a logarithmic graph line. Most volume faders or pots follow a logarithmic taper (also known as audio taper) because it closely approximates human hearing. By following the curve of a logarithm it allows the resistance at 1/10 the rotation or travel to equal half the total resistance.