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GLOSSARY OF MUSIC INDUSTRY TERMS
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Amp (amplifier)
Device used to increase the gain or volume of a signal. In
the case of a guitar (guitar amp) – boosting the relatively
quiet signal from a guitar pick up to ear splitting rock sounds.
Attack
The initial part of a sound during which the sound normally
reaches maximum volume. The attack phase is usually followed
by a decay phase. Attacks can have very short durations such
as that from a drum or very long ones like slow strings. Synthesizers
refer to this as ADSR - Attack Decay Sustain Release.
Bit Rate or Bit Depth
The CD standard is 16 bit
Professional studios now are using the higher quality 24 bit
Each time that digital audio records a signal, it is done with
a binary number - in 0s and 1s. Each 0 or 1 is a bit. The bit
rate lets you know how many 0s and 1s are used to record the
signal. The higher the bit rate - the better the quality.
Bouncing
The process of mixing several audio tracks from a multi-track
recorder together to one or two new tracks – the old tracks
can then be wiped (erased) to free up more tracks for extra
recording.
CD types
- CD – Compact Disc.
- CD-R - Compact Disc Recordable. This is a CD that you
can record onto - once only.
- CD-R discs will work in the most current CD players and
CD-ROMS
- CD-RW – Compact Disc Re-Writeable. This is a CD that
you can write, erase and rewrite over and over again. However,
CD-RWs do not work in many standard CD players.
- DAT – Digital Audio Tape. DAT recorders work like
cassette recorders but offering quality even better than
CDs. The tape stores stereo audio as digital information
and uses track ID numbers just like a CD. You can record
onto DAT tapes and re-record many times.
Compressor- Compress- Compressing (Compressor Pedal)
A device that can act almost like an automatic volume control
- turning up the quiet bits and holding back the level of
the loud bits.
Compressors are used to help you achieve best recording level,
but may also be used as a creative effect. They are often used
on vocal tracks to help maintain the punch of a vocal in the
mix.
DAW – Digital Audio Workstation
A device which has both a mixer and recorder in the same box.
Deaden or dampen
You deaden or dampen your room to remove certain frequencies
or to stop reflection - to prevent standing waves.
DI (direct injection) box
A device which matches the output levels of instruments such
as an electric guitar or keyboard, to the input of a receiving
device like a mixing console.
DI boxes are used to plug instruments directly into the input
channels of a mixer. They can also improve the sound quality
as many include a switch to lift the signal ground to aid in
ground loop noise problems.
Some DI boxes also feature special circuits designed to help
you achieve fantastic results with specific instruments –
see guitar page for the Sans Amp DI boxes for acoustic guitar
& bass.
Digital Inputs
There are several types of digital inputs used:
- Optical – SPDIF and Lightpipe digital formats
both use an optical cable
ADAT Lightpipe and Optical SPDIF are not compatible formats.
- ADAT lightpipe or just lightpipe -The digital communication
format standard developed by Alesis.This is a multi channel
format - normally 8 channels per optical cable.
- SPDIF optical is a 2-channel format. This is the type
often found on minidisks.
- COAXIAL –a coaxial digital port is normally an RCA
/Phono connector using high quality coaxial cable. It carries
the 2 channels in the SPDIF format (short for Sony/Phillips
Digital Interface- they invented it!). Note some devices
allow you to transmit AES/EBU out of the coaxial port.
- AES/EBU – The digital communication format standard
developed by the Audio Engineering Society and European
Broadcast Union. This is the industry professional digital
standard -2 channels of digital audio transmitted through
an XLR connector.
- TASCAM TDIF (Tascam Digital Interface) - Tascam recorders
and mixing consoles use the TDIF format. This uses a 25
pin connector to interface to their equipment.
Distortion
This occurs as a result of excessive signal gain, normally overloading
the input of the receiving device, mixer or recorder. Distortion
can be avoided in recording by carefully and regularly checking
your recording and input levels.
Dropping/punching in
Dropping in and out of record on a specific track or tracks
- on a multitrack recorder. This trick is used to re-record
or repair small mistakes of a previously good take.
Edit
When used in the musical sense it is to manipulate or alter
an audio signal, midi data or song arrangement.
EQ or Equalizer
Just like the “tone” controls on a home stereo.
Most Mixers have EQ’s -these are far more accurate and
cover a wider range; instead of just treble & bass, they
can boost or cut specific frequencies in an audio spectrum.
There are many different types of EQ depending on your mixer.
Most mixers have Boost/Cut. This is the most common type of
EQ, it simply boosts or cuts the frequency response around a
center frequency. The amount of boosts or cut is controlled
by a “Gain” control.
Fader
Name given to the ‘control’ which is normally a ‘slider’
for increasing or decreasing volume, or level of a signal.
Frequency
The number of cycles of a waveform per second.
Frequencies are measured in Hertz (KHZ). For example CDs are
sampled at 44.1KHZ.
FX
Term used to describe “Effects” such as reverb, echo
or any other addition that you add to the sound.
Handling noise
Microphones are very sensitive, designed to pick up the slightest
noise; consequently if you are holding the mic it will pick
up sound from your hand or from the cable moving.
Jack
Term used to refer to one of the most common connecters for
guitars or microphones. Quarter inch diameter jacks are often
used (mini disks often use a mini jack connector).
Level
Another term that describes either the volume or the loudness
of an audio signal.
Microphone Types
We have discussed 2 types of microphones in the Hit Kit:
- Condenser microphones.
Sound pressure against the capsule of the microphone, created
by your voice, causes the distance between the two conductive
membranes of a capacitor to alter. The resulting fluctuations
in electrical charge are small as condenser mics require
power to operate, which is supplied via phantom power or
in the case of valve condenser microphones, via dedicated
power supplies. Also, condenser microphones need to be amplified
by a microphone preamp. Most mixing consoles offer a mic
preamp on some or all inputs. It is called phantom because
there is no visible power cable. A +48 voltage -normally
supplied by the mixer or mic pre amplifier, is sent up to
the microphones using the microphone signal cable. Properly
wired balanced microphone cables do not damage the microphone,
however the microphone can be damaged if the cables are
plugged in or unplugged with the power on.
- Dynamic microphones (The Hit Kit microphone
is a dynamic mic)
Sound pressure moves a small diaphragm attached to a moving
coil held within a magnetic field, similar to a loudspeaker.
Dynamic microphones do not require external power (or phantom
power), but they must be amplified by a microphone preamp,
just as a condenser microphone is. Because they are not
as delicate as condenser microphones, they can handle louder
signals hence they are often used on drums.
MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
MIDI sends data that allows one synthesizer or MIDI equipped
piece of gear to control another. No audio is passed through
MIDI.
MIDI sends and receives instructions like “play middle
C at this volume, for this many bars” or “the
sustain pedal was pushed down at bar 3”.
In the case of the mixing consoles messages would be transmitted
that “fader 1 was moved up or down” or “aux
1 on channel 2 was turned up or down”.
Extra Tip
Using a sequencer if your mixer has MIDI control, is a great
way to automate your mixes - as the sequencer can remember all
of your fader moves, made during a mix and play them back over
and over again for you.
Mixer
A device for controlling the various levels of multiple inputs
i.e. 8 tracks of a digital workstation balanced together.
Mute
Turning on & off a signal – normally the mixing desk
has a mute switch to turn of that channel. Sequences also can
Mute MIDI parts.
Overdubbing
A recording made along with, “in sync with” another
or previous recording.
You listen back to the previous recording, normally using headphones
and then add the new performance to a separate track or bounced
together with another track.
Panning or “Pan Pot” (sometimes referred to as
Panorama)
This is a control ,normally a “knob” or “pot”
on your mixer, to determine an instrument’s relative left/right
position in a stereo field: left, center or right or anywhere
in between.
Patch, re patch or patching
To connect one device to another either analog, digital or midi
using a cable designed for that job (patch cable).
Pickup (guitar pickup)
Many acoustic & all electric guitars have pickups, these
are used to “pickup” the “string vibrations”.
This signal then needs to be amplified normally via a guitar
amp.
Pre-amp
A term to describe the microphone pre-amplifier in a mixer or
an external microphone pre-amplifier. This is used to increase
the low level coming from a microphone, up to the line level
required for most mixing consoles or recorders.
Programming
Describing the actual job or task of ‘inputting’ and
editing of midi or audio data in a sequencer or digital workstation.
Reverb
The term refers both to the acoustic phenomenon of sound bouncing
off reflective surfaces and to equipment that simulates this
effect. Digital reverbs usually offer a great deal of control
over the reverb characteristics; common reverb types are hall,
room, and plate.
Ride
Known as “riding the fader” - to move in small increments
the mixers fader during a mix (turning the volume up or down).
Sample Rate
Apart from the Bit rate, the sample rate also has a bearing
on the audio quality - sample rate indicates how many times
per second the amplitude of a sound is recorded. The CD standard
is 44.1khz (44,1000 samples/second) many DAT recorders use this
or the higher resolution, 48 kHz (48,000 samples/second). However
professional studios have started using 96 kHz and even 192
kHz; this results in an even higher quality level.
SCMS
Serial Copy Management System is the copy control system in
digital communication - SCMS only lets you make one digital
copy of a master. SCMS was introduced to stop piracy. SCMS is
found on most consumer minidisks. Professional equipment can
either override or ignore SCMS code.
Spill
Word to describe sound ‘leaking’ from headphones.
Take
Alternative word for a performance.
Track
A track normally records or plays one type of performance (lead
vocals, drums, etc.) For example, a tape deck or a sequencer
may have X number of tracks. The term track should not be confused
with channel (as on a mixer) as a mixer channel could have many
tracks playing back from a sequencer but arriving at one input
channel on your mixer. On a sequencer, any MIDI track can usually
be assigned to any channel.
Volume (control)
This is a “knob” or “pot” or “fader”
on your mixer and this control is used to determine an instrument
or mix’s relative level(s) or “loudness”.
Wah-Wah (pedal)
An effect (normally for guitar) which processes an input signal
with an EQ filter. The filter’s center frequency is swept
with a foot pedal, hence the “chika waka” sound.
Word Clock
This is very important if you have a digital mixer and a digital
recorder.
When using a high quality 75ohm BNC cable (just like the ones
on the back of your video recorder) to digitally connect multiple
devices, they need to synchronize their sample rates. The word
clock makes sure that all the devices are transmitting their
digital information in sync and at the same time with each other.
If you don’t do this you will hear clicks & pops, this
is know as “jitter”.
One device is the master all others are slaves to that master.
Imagine the gear cogs on a bicycle - the chain makes sure that
the front cog moves the back cog “in sync” this is
how a word clock works - think of it as the cycle chain for
digital audio.
Quantize – in the studio world
This has two meanings: firstly in digital recording "quantize"
or "quantizing" can be used to describe the resolution
of a recording, for example a CD is quantized at 16 bits and
sampled at 44.1KHZ.
Seocndly in MIDI sequencers, "quantize" refers to
the process of correcting a MIDI performance by moving the notes
to the nearest beats, for example "quantizing" the
performance to the nearest 16th beat.
Logic Hit Kit supports many types of MIDI quantize -
used carefully this is a very powerful feature as you can “tidy
up” sloppy playing and make it sound really “pro”.
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