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Basic Sound Design Terminology
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Compression
The process of lessening the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest parts of an audio signal.
Noise Gate
An electronic device or software that is used to control the volume of an audio signal by cutting off the sound when its level falls below a set threshold.
Sound Envelope
The characteristic volume and timbral changes of a sound over time, including attack, decay, sustain, and release phases.
Reverb
The persistence of sound after the original sound is produced; a collection of reflected sounds from the surfaces in the environment.
Foley
The reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality.
Decibel (dB)
A unit of measurement used to express the amplitude of a sound wave, indicating the volume level or intensity.
Amplitude
The measure of the strength or level of a sound wave, which determines its loudness.
Pan
The distribution of a sound signal (either mono or stereo) into a new stereo or multichannel sound field determined by the pan control settings.
Threshold
In dynamics processing, the level at which a processor like a compressor or noise gate begins to affect the signal.
Bit Depth
The number of bits of information in each sample, determining the resolution in digital audio recordings.
Waveform
The shape of the graph that represents the variation of pressure with respect to time of a sound signal.
Equalization (EQ)
The process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an audio signal.
Mixer
An electronic device that combines, routes, and changes the level, tone, and/or dynamics of audio signals.
Gain
The input level of the audio signal coming into a channel on a mixer, pre-amplification.
Patch
In sound synthesis, a set of parameters defining a particular sound on a synthesizer.
Feedback
The high-pitched screeching sound when a microphone picks up sound from a speaker connected to it, creating a looped signal.
Phase
The relationship in time between two or more sound waves at a given point in their cycles.
Sample Rate
The number of times per second that a digital audio system takes snapshots of the analog signal.
Subtractive Synthesis
A sound synthesis method that creates a new sound by filtering and shaping a rich harmonic sound source.
ADSR Envelope
An acronym that stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release, representing the stages of a sound's intensity over time.
Delay
An audio effect that records an audio signal for playback a set period of time after the original signal.
Dynamic Range
The range between the quietest and the loudest sounds a system can produce or a piece of audio contains.
Direct Input (DI)
A device used to connect a high impedance, line level signal to a low impedance microphone level input on a mixer.
Frequency
The number of times a sound wave cycles per second, determining the pitch of the sound.
Monitor
Speakers or headphones used in the recording studio or at live events to listen to the mix or certain sources.
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