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Testing1212 - terms for sound engineers Category: Electronics and Engineering > Audio Date & country: 05/11/2007, UK Words: 1151

Speed of Sound
The wave velocity (the time it takes for one point of the waveform to travel a certain distance) of a sound pressure wave, 1130 feet per second at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spin Control
A British term for Feedback Control (a control that determines the amount of delayed signal sent back to the input of a delay line, used in repeat echo effects).

SPL
An abbreviation of Sound Pressure Level, referring to a pressure of .0002 microbar, considered to be the Threshold of Hearing (lowest level where people begin hearing sound).

SPL (Sound Pressure Level)
A measurement of the loudness of a sound.

Splice
1) To assemble previously cut pieces of recording tape with special tape on the back side.
2) An edit so done.

Splicing Block
A device that holds tape to cut it to make splices.

Split Keyboard
A set up where some of the keys of a synthesizer (or keyboard controller) will play one sound and others will play a second sound.

Spot Erase
The action or function of erasing a very small segment of one track (or several tracks) of a multitrack recording by disengaging the normal tape drive system while the machine is in record; the engineer moves the tape by hand or by using a shuttle control.

Spring Reverb
A device that simulates reverberation by driving a spring (driving it like a loudspeaker cone) and picking up the spring's vibrations with a contact microphone (device that changes physical vibrations into audio signals).

Square Wave
A wave shape where the voltage rises instantly to one level, stays at that level, instantly falls to another level and stays at that level, and finally instantly rises to its original level to form each cycle.

ST
An abbreviation used by an engineer for noting a Safety Take, indicating a take done after a take of acceptable quality had been recorded.

Stage
1) In Reverberation Effects Devices, an echo added before the reverberation to simulate echoes that would come from a concert stage.
2) In amplifiers, one section of components that has a particular function.
3) The partially enclosed or raised area where live musicians perform.

Stage Monitor
The speaker, on stage, for the performers to hear themselves and to hear what the other musicians are playing on stage - the equivalent of a cue system for performers.

Standard Operating Level
An Operating Level (the maximum average level that should not be exceeded in normal operation) which is widely used or widely referred to.

Standing Wave
An acoustic signal between two reflective surfaces with a distance that is an even multiple of one-half of the wavelength of the signal's frequency.

Stator
The fixed part forming the reference for the moving diaphragm in a planar speaker.

Step Program (Step Mode-Step Time)
To program a sequencer one note (or event) at a time with the rhythm that the time value of one step is set to.

Stereo
A recording or reproduction of at least two channels where positioning of instrument sounds left to right can be perceived.

Stereo Image
The perception of the different sound sources being far left, far right or any place in between.

Stereo Micing
Placement of two (or more) mics so that their outputs give a stereo image.

Stretched String Instruments
Instruments that use stretched strings to generate the tones such as guitars, violins and pianos.

Strike
To put away equipment and clean-up after a session.

Stylus
The needle part of the phonograph cartridge that is in contact with the grooves of the disc.

Sub-bass
That part of a speaker system designed to extend the low frequency range of the system.

Subcode
Control information bits that are recorded along with digital audio and can be used for control of the playback deck (functions as program number, start ID's, skip ID's etc.).

Subframe
A unit smaller than one frame in SMPTE time code.

Submaster (Sub-Master)
The fader which controls the level of sound from several channels (but not usually all channels) during mix down or recording.

Submix
1) A mix of audio signals that is treated as one channel or two channels (for a stereo image) in a mix.
2) Used on larger mixing boards when selected channels are assigned to specific sub-channels before their signals reach the main slider. For Example, you could assign all the drum channels to one submix (all on one slider) so that you could turn them all up or down at the same time.

Subtractive Synthesis
The generation of harmonically rich waveforms by various methods and then filtering those waveforms to remove unwanted harmonics to create the sound.

Sum
A signal that is the mix of the two stereo channels at equal level and in phase.

Sum and Difference Signals
When the two stereo channels are mixed at equal levels and in phase, the sum signal is created.

Super Cardioid Pattern
A microphone pattern with maximum sensitivity on axis and least sensitivity approximately 150 degrees off axis.

Surround Sound
A technique of recording and playback of sound used in film where the sound has a front to back quality as well as side to side perspective.

Sustain
1) A holding out of the sounding of a pitch by an instrument.
2) The level that a sound will continue to play at when a synthesizer key is held down.

Sweetening
Musical parts that are overdubbed to complete the music of the recording, especially the melodic instruments such as strings and/or horns.

Switch
A device that makes and/or breaks electrical connections.

Switch Matrix
A series of switches, usually arranged in push button rows and columns, which allow any input module to be connected to any output buss.

Switchable Pattern
Microphone A microphone which will have more than one directional pattern depending upon the position of the pattern switch.

Sync
1) The circuits in a multitrack tape recorder which allow the record head to be used as a playback head for those tracks already recorded.
2) The running of two devices (such as two tape decks) in time with one another.

Sync Box
A slang name for Sync Conversion Unit.

Sync Conversion Unit
A device which takes several different kinds of sync signals and puts out several kinds of sync signals, allowing a device (like a sequencer) to be driven by a sync signal it doesn't recognize.

Sync Level (Sync Gain)
A control on a multitrack tape recorder to adjust the reproduce level when the machine is in the sync playback mode (using the record head as a reproduce head for tracks already recorded).

Sync Pulse
A pulse (a rise and then fall in amplitude) that is used for synchronizing two tapes or film and audio tape, especially those recorded by the sync head of a Nagra tape recorder.

Sync Word Bits
A series of bits in the SMPTE time code to identify the end of a frame.

Synchronization
The running of two devices (such as two tape decks) in time with one another.

Synthesizer
A musical instrument that artificially (using oscillators) generates signals to simulate the sounds of real instruments or to create other sounds not possible with real instruments.

System Exclusive
A number of bits in a MIDI transmission allowing data to be transmitted that will only be recognized by a unit of a particular manufacturer.

System Exclusive Bulk Dump
A System Exclusive Bulk Dump is the transmission of internal synthesizer settings as a manufacturer specified system exclusive file from a synth to a sequencer or from a sequencer to a synth.

Tablature
Sheet music for stringed instruments that uses numbers to designate where on the neck of the guitar the fingers are placed.

Tach
Abbreviation of the term Tachometer (a device that puts out pulses as the tape moves in a tape deck).

Tach Roller
An idler (rotating tape guide) that drives the Tach mechanism.

Tach Signal
The pulses from the tach, caused by the tape moving on the tape deck.

Tachometer
A device that puts out pulses as the tape moves in a tape deck.

Tails Out
A way of winding tape so that the end of the last recorded selection is at the outside of the reel.

Take
The recording that is done between one start and the following stop of a tape recorder.

Take Notation
Writing down the takes of the tune being recorded on a take sheet or on the track log with comments.

Take Sheet
A sheet used to note how many takes were made on each tune with comments.

Take-Up Motor
A motor, which drives the take-up turntable fast during the fast modes and slowly during the play mode, to take-up, the tape driven by the capstan.

Take-Up Reel
The reel that the tape is wound onto in the play mode.

Take-Up Tension
The force applied by the take-up reel motor of a tape machine during the play mode so that the tape is evenly wound on to the take-up reel.

Take-Up Turntable
The round disc platter which holds the take-up reel and reel lock and which is driven by the take up motor.

Talk Box
A guitar effects unit that allows a voice to modulate (control) a guitar signal by a vocalist talking with a tube in his/her mouth.

Talkback
The system which allows the engineer to talk into a microphone in the control room and have his voice come over the studio monitors and/or headphones so he can talk to the musicians.

Tangency
The centering of the gap in the angle formed by the tape as it bends around the head.

Tap
A connection in a coil of a transformer.

Tape
Short for the term Magnetic Tape (recording tape consisting of a plastic strip to which magnetic materials, usually iron oxide particles, are adhered so that the magnetic impulses put out by the record head are stored).

Tape Cartridge
A loop of recording tape wound onto a hub and enclosed in a plastic shell often used in broadcasting to record short segments of audio (like commercials).

Tape Delay
A delay signal that is obtained by the time difference between the record and reproduce head in a tape machine.

Tape Guide
Any stationary or rotating device, which directs the tape past the heads or from one reel to the other on a tape machine.

Tape Hiss
The noise of recorded tape.

Tape Loop
A length of tape with the ends spliced together so that the recording will continuously play.

Tape Machine
A machine for the recording and/or playback of tape.

Tape Operator
A Second (Assistant) engineer who loads, unloads tape on the machines, operates the tape machines and keeps track of the paperwork showing what is recorded on what reel.

Tape Recorder
A machine for the recording and playback of tape.

Tape Switch
A switch which activates the Playback Mode of a console's monitor section; this connects the monitor inputs to the tape-machine outputs, allowing a quick playback of the multitrack master.

Tapeless Studio
A digital recording system/workstation that includes console-type controls (faders, equalizer controls, signal processing controls) and records onto a digital storage medium such as hard disc or optical disc.

Telephone Filter
A filter used to simulate the sound in telephones by removing signals at frequencies below 300 Hz and above 3500 Hz.

Telephone Jack
The full and more formal name for the term Phone Jack (a jack taking a plug with a diameter of 1/4 inch and a length of 1 1/4 inches; used for interconnecting audio).

Tempo
The rate at which the music moves measured in Beats Per Minute (how many steady even pulses there are in the music per minute).

Tempo Mapping
Programming a sequencer to follow the tempo variations of a recorded performance.

Tension
The force applied by the reel motors of a tape machine during play mode so that the tape is evenly wound on to the take up reel (take up tension) and so that the tape is held against the heads (hold back tension from the supply reel).

Tension Switch
A switch that reduces torque to the reel motors for small reels and allows full torque for larger reels.

Terminal
1) A point of connection between two wires including a device on the end of a wire or cable that allows attachment and the accepting point on a case of the equipment.
2) A computer keyboard and monitor that allows access and entry of information into or from a computer.

Terminate
To have an amplifier feed a resistance (usually a resistor) that matches the output impedance of the amplifier.

Test Lacquer
A term with the same meaning as the term Reference Lacquer (a recording disc that is an aluminium disc coated with a lacquer coating where grooves moving according to the audio waveforms have been cut into it by a disc recording machine and that can be played and inspected before the final lacquer master is cut).

Test Oscillator
A device that generates audio waveforms at various frequencies for testing purposes.

Test Pressing
One of a few initial phonograph record copies pressed from the first stamper made, which is listened to and visually inspected to approve the quality before production copies are made in volume.

Test Tape
1) A less formal name for Alignment Calibration Tape (a test tape with tones of various frequencies all precisely recorded at a specified magnetic recording level used for tape machine alignment).
2) One of a few initial tapes made with high-speed duplication, and is listened to for approving the quality before production copies are made in volume.

Test Tones
A recording of several single-frequency tones at the beginning of a tape reel at the magnetic reference level that will be used to record the program.

THD
An abbreviation for Total Harmonic Distortion.

Thin Sound
A quality of sound of not having all frequencies present especially a deficiency in low frequencies.

Three To One Rule
The rule states that the distance between microphones must be at least three times the distance that either microphone is to its sound source.

Three Track
A multitrack tape machine that had three tracks (usually on half-inch wide tape).

Three Track Stereo
A stereo recording or reproduction where there are three separate tracks (left, centre and right) and designed to be reproduced with three speakers.

Three Way Speaker
A speaker system that has separate speakers to reproduce the bass, mid-range and treble frequencies.

Threshold
The level at which a dynamics processing unit will begin to change gain.

Threshold Control
A control on a dynamics processing device that adjusts the threshold level (the level at which a dynamics processing unit will begin to change gain).

Threshold of Feeling
The sound pressure level at which people feel discomfort 50 percent of the time.

Threshold of Hearing
The sound pressure level at which people can hear only 50 percent of the time.

Threshold of Pain
The sound pressure level at which people feel actual pain 50 percent of the time.