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A variable voltage signal typically used to control the pitch of an oscillator or filter frequency in an analogue synthesizer. Most analogue synthesizers follow a one volt per octave convention, though there are exceptions. To use a pre-MIDI analogue synthesizer under MIDI control, a MIDI to CV converter is required.

A computationally demanding, but very accurate method, of creating artificial reverberation derived from real acoustic spaces with all their natural complexity. In essence, a reverberant space is measured to obtain its unique impulse response. That impulse response is then convolved with a 'dry' (reverberant-free) source signal to create an output signal which contains the original (dry) source signal with the desired room's reverberation characteristics imposed upon it. The convolution process is performed in the digital domain and involves multiplying each individual sample of the source signal with the impulse response of the convolving signal. The same technique can be employed to impose the characteristics of any other audio signal processing or signal-shaping device onto a source signal, such as the characteristics of legacy equalisers, compressors, tape recorders and so forth.

Central Processing Unit - the number-crunching heart of a computer or other data processor.

A set of audio filters designed to restrict and control the range of input signal frequencies which are passed to each loudspeaker drive unit. A typical two-way speaker will employ three filters: a high-pass filter allowing only the higher frequencies to feed the tweeter, a low pass filter that allows only the lower frequencies to feed the woofer, and a second high-pass filter that prevents subsonic signals from damaging the woofer.

The ability to copy or move sections of a recording to new locations.

One complete vibration (from maximum peak, through the negative peak, and back to the maximum again) of a sound source or its electrical equivalent. One cycle per second is expressed as 1 Hertz (Hz).

An arrangement of sharing a common data signal between multiple devices. A ‘daisy chain’ is created by connecting the appropriate output (or through) port of one device to the input of the next. This configuration is often used for connecting multiple MIDI instruments together: the MIDI Out of the master device is connected to the MIDI In of the first slave, then the MIDI Thru of the first slave is connected to the MIDI In of the second slave, and so on... A similar arrangement is often used to share a master word clock sample synchronising signal between digital devices.

An abbreviation of Digital Audio Tape, but often used to refer to DAT recorders (more correctly known as R-DAT because they use a rotating head similar to a video recorder). Digital recorders using fixed or stationary heads (such as DCC) are known as S-DAT machines.

A means of measuring the slope or steepness of a filter. The gentlest audio filter is typically 6dB/Octave (also called a first-order slope). Higher values indicate sharper filter slopes. 24dB/octave (fourth order) is the steepest normally found in analogue audio applications.