The spectrum of active noise control is evidently complex, making the comprehension of the subject difficult- let alone devise solutions. It is in this light, that it becomes pertinent to understand how the domain is addressed before attempting to develop solutions.

In active noise control (ANC) systems parlance, there are four major components of the whole process:

• The plant - the physical system to be controlled; typical examples are a headphone and the air inside it, or air traveling through an air-conditioning duct • Sensors - the microphones, accelerometers, or other devices that sense the disturbance and monitor how well the control system is performing • Actuators - the devices that physically do the work of altering the plant response; usually they are electromechanical devices such as speakers or vibration generators • The controller - a signal processor (usually digital) that tells the actuators what to do