Fading

In wireless communications, fading is deviation of the attenuation affecting a signal over certain propagation media. The fading may vary with time, geographical position or radio frequency, and is often modeled as a random process. A fading channel is a communication channel that experiences fading. In wireless systems, fading may either be due to multipath propagation, referred to as multipath induced fading, or due to shadowing from obstacles affecting the wave propagation, sometimes referred to as shadow fading.

Key concepts

The presence of reflectors in the environment surrounding a transmitter and receiver create multiple paths that a transmitted signal can traverse. As a result, the receiver sees the superposition of multiple copies of the transmitted signal, each traversing a different path. Each signal copy will experience differences in attenuation, delay and phase shift while travelling from the source to the receiver. This can result in either constructive or destructive interference, amplifying or attenuating the signal power seen at the receiver. Strong destructive interference is frequently referred to as a deep fade and may result in temporary failure of communication due to a severe drop in the channel signal-to-noise ratio.

Fade

Fade or Fading may refer to:

Science and technology

Film, television and theatre

Literature

Music

Performers

Albums

Songs

Fading (song)

"Fading" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud (2010). The song was written by Jamal Jones and Ester Dean, whilst production of the song was completed by Jones under his production name, Polow da Don. Musically, the song samples Irish instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Enya's "One by One", whilst lyrically, the song is about leaving a man in a relationship. After Loud had strong digital download sales in the United Kingdom, "Fading" charted at number 187 on that country's singles chart in November 2010. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised da Don's production, but one critic criticized Rihanna for copying herself and failing to create something different. Some critics also compared it to one of Rihanna's previous singles, "Take A Bow". The song has also been performed on select dates of the Loud Tour (2011).

Background

Recording sessions for Loud began in February 2010, and continued for six months, overlapping with Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and during production of her debut feature film, Battleship. At the beginning of March 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her select her next single, following the release of "S&M". Via Twitter, fans were asked to choose from "Cheers (Drink to That)", "Man Down", "California King Bed" or "Fading". The most popular choice would have its video filmed at the end of March 2011. On March 12, 2011, it was confirmed that fans had selected "California King Bed" as the next single to be released from the album in the United States. In August 2011, a new version of "Fading" was leaked online, without the Enya sample.