SOUND ON SOUND
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A mechanical means of supporting a microphone above a sound source. Many microphone stands are supplied with a ‘boom arm’ affixed to the top of the stand’s main vertical mast. The term may also be applied to larger, remotely controlled microphone supports used in film and TV studios, or even to the handheld ‘fishpoles’ used by film and TV sound recordists.
A single gain control to adjust the level of a range of frequencies passing through a filter or equaliser to be amplified or attenuated. The centre position is usually the 'flat' or 'no effect' position. This kind of control is found on shelf, parametric and graphic qualisers (high- and low-pass do not have cut/boost controls).
The process of mixing two or more recorded tracks together and re-recording the result onto another track.
A physical obstruction to sound waves, such as a wall, or a large solid object. When sound waves reach a boundary they create a high pressure area at the surface which is typically perceived as a build up in the level of low frequencies.
A specialised microphone where the diaphragm is placed very close to a boundary (eg. wall, floor or ceiling). In this position the direct and reflected sound adds constructively, giving a 6dB increase in sensitivity. It also avoids the comb-filtering that can occur when a conventionally placed microphone captures the direct sound along with strong first reflections from nearby boundaries. Also known as PZM or Pressure Zone Microphone.
A device that converts breath pressure into MIDI controller data, allowing woodwind players to control synthesizers.
A buffer is essentially a short term data storage facility used to accommodate variable data read or write periods, temporarily storing data in sequence until it can be processed by, or transferred to, some other part of the system.
A term most commonly used in reference to a software fault or equipment design problem. In the context of sound recording a bug may also refer to a contact microphone.
A recordable type of Compact Disc that can only be recorded once and it can't be erased or reused. The CD-R’s technical characteristics are defined in the ‘Orange Book’
A device capable of recording data onto blank CD-R discs.
A path carrying audio or data. In the context of a mixing console a channel is a single strip of controls relating to one input. In the context of MIDI, Channel refers to one of 16 possible data channels over which MIDI data may be sent. The organisation of data by channels means that up to 16 different MIDI instruments or parts may be addressed using a single cable.
A term describing the process whereby a follower device attempts to synchronise itself with a master device. In the context of a MIDI sequence, Chase may also involve chasing events - looking back to earlier positions in the song to see if there are any program change or other events that need to be acted upon.
A series of deep filter notches created when a signal is combined with a delayed version of itself. The delay time (typically less than 10ms) determines the lowest frequency at which the filter notches start.
A device (analogue or digital) which is designed to reduce the overall dynamic range of an audio signal either by attenuating the signal if it exceeds a set threshold level according, or by increasing the level of quiet signals below a threshold. The amount of attenuation is defined by a set ratio, while the speed of response (attack) and recovery (release) can usually also be controlled.
A mathematical process whereby the characteristics of one function (or signal) are imposed upon a second function (signal) , to produce a third function which combines both of their characteristics. (See Convolution Reverb). This process is performed in the digital domain by multiplying each individual sample value of a source signal with the impulse response of the wanted effect signal, so that the characteristics of the latter are imposed on the former.
A manufacturer of audio processing equipment, most notably compressors and tape noise reduction systems. The DBX NR systems were commercial encode/decode analogue noise-reduction processors intended for consumer and semi-pro tape recording. Different models varied in complexity, but essentially DBX compressed the audio signals during recording and expanded them by an identical amount on playback.
The time between a sound or control signal being generated and it auditioned or taking effect, measured in seconds. Often referred to as latency in the context of computer audio interfaces.