Translation glossary: Acoustics, Sound, Audio Engineering Glossary

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Kartik Isaac

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Proximity Effect

Also known as ‘Bass tip-up’. The proximity effect dramatically increases a microphone’s sensitivity to low frequencies when placed very close to a sound source. It only affects directional microphones

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Similar to a square wave but non-symmetrical. Pulse waves sound brighter and thinner than square waves, making them useful in the synthesis of reed instruments. The timbre changes according to the mark/space ratio of the waveform.

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Pulse-width Modulation

A means of modulating the duty cycle (mark/space ratio) of a pulse wave. This changes the timbre of the basic tone; LFO modulation of pulse width can be used to produce a pseudo-chorus effect.

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The action of placing an already recorded track into record at the correct time during playback, so that the existing material may be extended or replaced.

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The action of switching a tape machine (or other recording device), out of record after executing a punch-in. With most multitrack machines, both punching in and punching out can be accomplished without stopping the tape.

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PWM Compression

A form of audio compressor which uses Pulse Width Modulation to detedmine the energy in the aduio signal over time. In essence, the audio signal is chopped up at a very high rate and the width of the resulting pulses is adjusted to control the average energy over time, and thus provide signal attenuation. When done well, this is the fastest form of compressor with the lowest distortion artefacts.

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PZM (Pressure Zone Microphone)

A type of boundary layer microphone.

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The ‘quality-factor’ of a filter which defines its bandwidth and indicates a filter’s resonant properties. The higher the Q, the more resonant the filter and the narrower the range of frequencies that are allowed to pass.

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Part of the process of digitising an analogue signal. Quantisation is the process of describing or measuring the amplitude of the analogue signal captured in each sample, and is defined by the wordlength used to describe the audio signal

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A means of moving notes recorded in a MIDI sequencer so that they line up with user defined subdivisions of a musical bar, for example, 16s. The facility may be used to correct timing errors, but over-quantization can remove the human feel from a performance.

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A digital tape machine using a rotating head system and a tape cassette.

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A standard equipment sizing format allowing products to be mounted between vertical rails in standardised equipment bays.

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An abbreviation for Random Access Memory. This is a type of memory used by computers for the temporary storage of programs and data, and all data is lost when the power is turned off. For that reason, work needs to be saved to disk if it is not to be lost.

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An audio process that can be carried out as the signal is being recorded or played back. The opposite is off-line, where the signal is processed in non-real time.

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A term used to imply a standard audio CD. The name comes from the fact that the original specifications documents for the audio CD created by Sony and Philips had a red cover! Recordable CD-Rs are described as \'orange book\' for similar reasons.

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The way in which sound waves bounce off surfaces.

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The time taken for a signal level or processor gain to return to normal. Often used to describe the rate at which a synthesized sound reduces in level after a key has been released. Also used to describe the time taken for a compressor top restore unity gain after a signal has fallen below the threshold. Also known as ‘recovery time .‘

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Opposition to the flow of electrical current. Measured in Ohms.

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The characteristic of a filter that allows it to selectively pass a narrow range of frequencies. See Q.

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Short for Reverberation. The dense collection of echoes which bounce off acoustically reflective surfaces in response to direct sound arriving from a signal source. Reverberation can also be created artificially using various analogue or, more commonly, digital techniques. Reverberation occurs a short while after the source signal because of the finite time taken for the sound to reach a reflective surface and return

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Reverberation Time

The time taken for sound waves reflecting within a space to lose energy and become inaudible. A standard measurement is ‘RT60’ which is the time taken for the sound reflections to decay by 60dB.

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An abbreviation for Radio Frequency.

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RF Capacitor Microphone

An alternative form of capacitor microphone which uses the capacitive capsule as the tuning element of a radio-frequency oscillator. Sound waves arriving at the capsule change its capacitance, which varies the frequency of the RF oscillator to produce an FM signal. This is immediately demodulated by the microphone\'s internal circuitry to produce the audio output. The advantage of this approach is that the capsule works in a very low-impedance en

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RF Capacitor Microphone

An alternative form of capacitor microphone which uses the capacitive capsule as the tuning element of a radio-frequency oscillator. Sound waves arriving at the capsule change its capacitance, which varies the frequency of the RF oscillator to produce an FM signal. This is immediately demodulated by the microphone\'s internal circuitry to produce the audio output. The advantage of this approach is that the capsule works in a very low-impedance en

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RF Interference

Unwanted interference into an audio system from external RF signals.

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Ribbon Microphone

A dynamic microphone where the sound capturing element is a thin metal ribbon diaphragm suspended within a magnetic field. When sound causes the ribbon to vibrate, a small electrical current is generated within the ribbon.

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A set of requests/demands that an artist or band (or their management) ask of the hosting venue as criteria for performing. A Technical Rider would typically specify the size and layout of staging, required equipment for lighting (truss weight limits, power requirements, numer of follow-spots, lighting plots or designs, etc) and sound (input channel counts, PA power, number of monitors, effects, DI boxes, backline amps and instruments, quality of

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A set of requests/demands that an artist or band (or their management) ask of the hosting venue as criteria for performing. A Technical Rider would typically specify the size and layout of staging, required equipment for lighting (truss weight limits, power requirements, numer of follow-spots, lighting plots or designs, etc) and sound (input channel counts, PA power, number of monitors, effects, DI boxes, backline amps and instruments, quality of

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A device that accepts and processes two input signals in a particular way. The output signal does not contain any element of the original input signals but instead comprises new frequencies based on the sum and difference of the input signals\' frequency components. The best known application of Ring Modulation is the creation of Dr Who’s Dalek voices, but it may also be used to create dramatic instrumental textures. Depending on the relationsh

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A device that accepts and processes two input signals in a particular way. The output signal does not contain any element of the original input signals but instead comprises new frequencies based on the sum and difference of the input signals\' frequency components. The best known application of Ring Modulation is the creation of Dr Who’s Dalek voices, but it may also be used to create dramatic instrumental textures. Depending on the relationsh

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Root Mean Square. A statistical measure of the magnitude of a varying quantity. Its name comes from its definition as the square root of the mean of the squares of the values of the signal.

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The rate at which a filter or equaliser attenuates a signal once it has passed the turnover frequency.

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An abbreviation for Read Only Memory. This is a permanent or non-volatile type of memory containing data that can\'t be changed once programmed. Operating systems are often stored on ROM as the memory remains intact when the power is removed.

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Acoustic resonances within an enclosed space or room. These occur at specific frequencies where the source sound is reflected from the room\'s boundaries to reinforce and/or cancel with itself to create standing waves. This results in some areas in the room with very boomy or exaggerated pitches, and others where the pitch may be almost completely absent. The resonant frequencies involved relate directly to the sound wavelength and room dimension

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Acoustic resonances within an enclosed space or room. These occur at specific frequencies where the source sound is reflected from the room\'s boundaries to reinforce and/or cancel with itself to create standing waves. This results in some areas in the room with very boomy or exaggerated pitches, and others where the pitch may be almost completely absent. The resonant frequencies involved relate directly to the sound wavelength and room dimension

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Sample Multiplexing (see ADAT ).

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Sony/Philips Digital Interface. Pronounced either ‘S-peedif’ or ‘Spudif’. A stereo or dual-channel self-clocking digital interfacing standard employed by Sony and Philips in consumer digital hi-fi products. The S/PDIF signal is essentially identical in data format to the professional AES3 interface, and is available as either an unbalanced electrical interface (using phono connectors and 75ohm coaxial cable), or as an optical interface ca

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Sony/Philips Digital Interface. Pronounced either ‘S-peedif’ or ‘Spudif’. A stereo or dual-channel self-clocking digital interfacing standard employed by Sony and Philips in consumer digital hi-fi products. The S/PDIF signal is essentially identical in data format to the professional AES3 interface, and is available as either an unbalanced electrical interface (using phono connectors and 75ohm coaxial cable), or as an optical interface ca

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A copy or clone of an original tape for use in case of loss or damage to the original.

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Either a defined short piece of audio which can be replayed under MIDI control; or a single discrete time element forming part of a digital audio signal.

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Sample and Hold (S&H)

Usually refers to a feature whereby random amplitude values are generated at regular intervals and then used to control another function such as pitch or filter frequency. Sample and hold circuits were also used in old analogue synthesizers to \'remember\' the note being played after a key had been released.

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The number of times an A/D converter samples the incoming waveform each second.

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The acronym stands for \'Serial Advanced Technology Attachment\' and is a computer interface employed for connecting standard ATA hard drives to a computer motherboard. The SATA interface supersedes the PATA (parallel ATA) interface which has been used since the 1980s. A variant of the SATA interface, called eSATA (with the \'e\' standing for \'external\'), permits the connection of external hard drives. it uses a slightly different connector but

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The acronym stands for \'Serial Advanced Technology Attachment\' and is a computer interface employed for connecting standard ATA hard drives to a computer motherboard. The SATA interface supersedes the PATA (parallel ATA) interface which has been used since the 1980s. A variant of the SATA interface, called eSATA (with the \'e\' standing for \'external\'), permits the connection of external hard drives. it uses a slightly different connector but

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So called because it resembles the teeth of a saw, this waveform contains both odd and even harmonics.

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As analogue recording tape moves across the heads or other non-moving parts in the tape path it can vibrate at a high frquency (typically above 100Hz) due to a rapid stick-slip action, and this causes a form of intermodulation distortion. Often mechanical dampers and rollers are placed in the tape path to prevent scrape flutter.

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Pronounced SKUZZY, an abbreviation for Small Computer Systems Interface. An obsolete interfacing system for using hard drives, scanners, CD-ROM drives and similar peripherals with a computer. Each SCSI device has its own ID number and no two SCSI devices in the same chain must be set to the same number. The last SCSI device in the chain should be terminated, either via an internal terminator or via a plug-in terminator fitted to a free SCSI socke

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Pronounced SKUZZY, an abbreviation for Small Computer Systems Interface. An obsolete interfacing system for using hard drives, scanners, CD-ROM drives and similar peripherals with a computer. Each SCSI device has its own ID number and no two SCSI devices in the same chain must be set to the same number. The last SCSI device in the chain should be terminated, either via an internal terminator or via a plug-in terminator fitted to a free SCSI socke

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A device for recording and replaying MIDI data, usually in a multitrack format, allowing complex compositions to be built up a part at a time.

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The original tape recording made during a recording session.

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