music production terms

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation (like Ableton, LogicPro)

Bouncing

to export a track usually to mp3 or wav.

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation (like Ableton, LogicPro)

Bouncing

to export a track usually to mp3 or wav.

EQ

equalisation; uses an audio filter to isolate specific frequencies to either boost them or lower them

mixing

combinig all the tracks and making them feel balanced

master mix

a final mix

mastering

making sure that the final track sounds consistent across various formats and platforms

panning

placing the sound either in the left or right speaker

reverb

reflection of the sound from the surfaces

compression

reducing the dynamic range of a signal, the difference between the loudest and quietest parts

feedback

when a loop of sound is caused by a signal passing through an amplifier to a microphone and back again and you hear the high pitched screech

FX

short for 'effects'

gain

how loud a signal is before it goes through an amplifier. Can be another word for volume, and another word for guitar distortion

gating

stopping unwanted noise coming through in a recording by cutting signals below a specified threshold

latency

delay between input and output of a signal, often in a performer's headphones

tracking polls

recording songs, on computer, recorder or tape

velocity

a force at which the note is played

Wet/Dry

dry signal - pure unprocessed sound

wet signal - sound with effects on it

XLR

a microphone cable with three prongs

attack

the beginning of a sound

decay

a fading sound

release

the fade to silence

sustain

how long the sound can hold

ADSR

Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release; the elements form the 'envelope' that describes the shape of a sound

audio bus

path through which you can pass one or more audio signals and transport them to a certain destination