How long it takes a sound processor to cease processing the sound. Usually measured in milliseconds, or ms. For example, if the release of a compressor is set to 100ms, then the compressor will stop processing the sound 100ms after it has been activated.
Reverb is an effect whereby a sound is made to reverberate slightly to emulate a sound bouncing off walls in a room. There are many different reverbs that emulate big and small rooms.
A microphone commonly found in studios with a high frequency range and sensitivity. This microphone “colors” the sound and is less natural sounding in tone.
The tone of the reverb produced in a room. Also refers to how the room “colors” a sound, ie. recording in a bathroom will produce a different room tone than recording in a sound-proof vocal booth.
This refers to a short section of music taken from one recording and repurposed in another, or the smallest unit of measurement in digital sound.
A setting that determines how accurately audio that is being recorded onto a DAW is encoded. The higher the sample rate, the higher the sound quality of the recorded audio. However, it also leads to larger file sizes for the audio files.
Audio saturation is an audio effect that adds subtle harmonic distortion and character to music mixes. Saturation makes music sound more pleasing, combining soft compression and harmonic generation to enhance the warmth and presence of sounds. Often referred to as adding “color” to the mix.
A routing function inside a DAW that allows you to send a copy of an audio file to an auxiliary track without affecting the sound of the original file.
The sound of an “s” in a word. Usually problematic in vocal recording, as microphones pick up the sibilance sounds more than the rest of the frequency spectrum. One of the most common tools used to fix sibilance is a DE-ESSER.
Where a signal travels from the input of a system to the output. For example, the average signal flow of a sound would be the microphone, then the audio interface, then the DAW, then the performer’s headphones.
An action that temporarily mutes all sounds other than the one currently selected. Only the soloed sound is heard.
The process of extracting groups of stems from a single stereo file, ie. Extracting a drum stem, bass stem, music stem, and vocal stem form a stereo master file. This allows more freedom to create a decent atmos mix on a song when stems are not present.
A visual graph that shows what frequencies are being produced in real-time by a sound.
A stack is a term used for a series of vocal doubles or harmonies, usually consisting of one or more left, right, and middle layers.
The individual audio files that, when combined together, create the final bounce that matches the reference bounce.
A 2 channel audio signal that plays out a left channel and a right channel simultaneously.
Stereo Imaging is the manipulation of a signal within a 180-degree stereo field, for the purpose of creating a perception of locality within that field. Basically, making a sound seem wider or thinner within the stereo field.
How long a sound can hold before it begins to fade. Threshold - A parameter of a sound processor that tells the processor to not kick in until the volume of an incoming sound exceeds the set volume limit. For example, a compressor does not start to turn down audio until the instrument gets louder than the threshold set by the user.
This is a pass, or an attempt, to record the desired musical material, ie. “Let me try another take for the hook.”
A microphone in the control room of a studio that allows the engineer or producer to talk to the performers who are recording in the live room or vocal booth of the studio.
The medium that sound was recorded on before the transition to computers in the mid-80’s. While technically less accurate than digital recording, tape is sought after for the warmth and aggression it adds to the sounds recorded on it.
A parameter of a sound processor that tells the processor to not kick in until the volume of an incoming sound exceeds the set volume limit. For example, a compressor does not start to turn down audio until the instrument gets louder than the threshold set by the user.
Another word for tone.
The very beginning section of a sound. Also known as the sound’s attack. It’s the loudest and most percussive part of the sound.
A sound processor that either quickly turns the volume of a sound up and down, or quickly pans it left to right.
