Reviews Music Software Books Events Hardware Games Features Interviews Print Showcase Scene Start it Up People Recordings Manufacturers Newsgroups Mailing Lists Glossary Site Contact 1995-2002 electronicmusic.com
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Normalize: A digital processing function that increases the amplitude of a sound file until the peak amplitude of its loudest sample reaches 100% of full scale.
Overload: Distortion which is caused by exceeding the dynamic range of a circuit.
P
Pan: Refers to moving an audio signal left or right in the stereo spectrum. Also called the balance control. All stereo audio mixers have panning, and most software sequencers allow you to set and change panning.
Parallel Interface: A computer interface in which data is passed simultaneously over many wires. A Parallel Interface is usually much faster than a serial interface. The SCSI Interface on the Emulator III is an example of a Parallel Interface.
Paste: To put a copy of the contents of the clipboard (whatever was last copied or cut) in at the specified insertion point.
Patch: A synthesizer sound which is stored in it's computer memory. Usually refers to a sound which can be altered, i.e. it's stored in RAM memory. Sometimes also called preset, program, or sound. Comes from the use of patch cords on the original modular synthesizers.
Patch editor: A software-based package used to provide direct control over a compatible MIDI device, while clearly displaying each parameter setting on the monitor screen of a personal computer.
Patch librarian: A software package capable of recieving, transmitting, and often organizing patch data between one or more devices and a personal computer system.
Percussion Controller: Same as a drum controller, except that there are many percussion controllers which are configured like mallet instruments and thus are very adept at playing pitched parts.
Pitch Bend: A continuous controller which can be applied to synthesized note(s), usually from a joystick to the left of the lowest keyboard note. The sound is a raising or lowering of the pitch and changes as you move the joystick left and right.
Plug-in: A software based application that is accessed via a recording and editing application such as Cubase or Pro Tools.
Polyphonic: A musical instrument that is able to play more than one note at the same time. Music with more than one voice part.
Preset: A preprogrammed sound and control setup on a sampler or synthesizer. Presets can be made up in advance of a performance, stored in memory, then recalled instantly when desired.
Pressure Sensitivity: The ability of an instrument to respond to pressure applied to the keyboard after the initial depression of a key. Sometimes called aftertouch.
Proximity Effect: When cartioid microphones are placed very close to the sound source, a boosting of the bass frequencies occurs which is known as the proximity effect.
Punch-in: When recording, punching in over-writes a previously recorded track starting at the punch in point.
Punch-out: When recording, punching out stops the recording process started by a punch in, thus preserving the previously recorded track starting at the punch out point.
Q
Q Dial: Rotary knob used to scroll through data or select parameters.
Used on Kawai sequencers to select, among other things, a particular bar in
a song.
See alsoData wheel
Quantization: A timing function of a sequencer or sequencing software used to correct human-performance timing errors within a composition.
RAM: Acronym for Random Access Memory. The memory in a computer in a computer that stores data temporarily while you are working on it. Data stored in RAM is lost forever when power is interupted to the machine if it has not been saved to another medium, such as floppy or hard disk.
RS 422: A high-speed serial communication port which allows data to be transferred to and from an external computer at a very high rate (500K baud).
ROM: Acronym for Read Only Memory. This is computer memory which can't be changed or erased. It is 'burned' into the computer or device. Most synthesizers have some sounds which are in ROM memory and can't be altered. A sign of a more expensive synthesizer is having sounds in RAM memory, implying that you can alter the sounds and save variations as your own.
Realtime Controls: Occurring in actual time or live.
Resonance: A frequency at which a material object will vibrate. In a filter with resonance, a signal will be accentuated at the cutoff frequency. See Q.
Sampler: Also called a digital sampler. A type of synthesizer which derives it's sounds from recording actual sounds (instruments or non musical sounds) and then storing them in computer memory, either floppy discs, hard drive, or recorded onto CD-ROM. They are used extensively for generating sound effects.
Sample Rate: When digitally sampling a signal, the rate at which level measurements of the signal are taken.
Sampling: The process of recording a sound into digital memory.
SCSI: Small Computer System Interface, an standard interface developed as SASI, then renamed SCSI by what is now Seagate. It is a group of high speed parallel interfaces that can be daisy chained to multiple devices, but it is not a serial interface.
SCSI Port: The port on the back of the instrument to which SCSI devices are connected.
Sequencer: A device which steps through a series of events. A digital sequencer may record keyboard data, program changes, or realtime modulation data to be played back later much like a tape recorder or player piano. Digital sequencers use memory on the basis of events (key on, key off, etc.) while a tape recorder uses memory (tape) on the basis of time.
Serial Interface: A computer interface in which data is passed over a single line, one bit at a time. The MIDI interface is an example of a serial interface.
Software Sequencer: A sequencing software package designed to be loaded into a computer. Software sequencers usually have more features and have the advantage of showing you a lot more information at once because of it's computer screen.
Sound Module: See tone module.
Signal Processing: The art of modifying an existing sound through the use of electronic circuitry.
Signal Processor: An electronic device which audio signals can be routed through to affect the sound of that signal. Examples: echo and reverb units, distortion devices, etc. Most electric guitarists run their instruments through 'pedals' which are small floor units that process signals at the press of a foot pedal.
Signal to Noise ratio (S/N): The ratio between what goes in a device designed to alter or record sound, and what comes out the other end. If what you get out the other end is all distorted or hissy the piece of equipment has a low signal to noise ratio. A very expensive DAT machine for example, will have a high S/N ratio because what you get out will sound very close to what you put in. The same goes for a very expensive digital effects processor, if you want a sound to come out with reverb on it and instead it comes out with reverb and a bunch of hiss you would not be very happy.
SMPTE: Acronym for Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers who adopted a standard time code in order to synchronize video and audio. SMPTE information is in the form of Hours, Minutes, Seconds, and Frames. There are two types of SMPTE time code, Longitudinal Time Code which can be recorded on audio tape, and Vertical Interval Time Code which is recorded on video tape.
Software: The programs or sets of instructions describing the tasks to be performed by a computer.
Song Pointer: MIDI information which allows equipment to remain in sync even if the master device has been fast forwarded. MIDI Song Pointer (sometimes called MIDI Song Position Pointer) is an internal register (in the sequencer or autolocator) which holds the number of MIDI beats since the start of the song.
Step Time: A sequencer mode where events are entered one at a time.
Subtractive Synthesis: The process of constructing a sound by starting with a complex sound and then removing harmonics with a filter. A low pass filter is most commonly used. The cutoff frequency of the filter is usually dynamically varied, which changes the harmonics that are removed. Using the low pass filter on the Emulator III to alter the sound is a form of subtractive synthesis.
Supermode: An Emulator III MIDI function designed to enhance the Sequencer/MIDI interface. It maps data occurring on a specific MIDI channel to a specific preset within the bank. Similar to standard MIDI Omni Off/Mono mode, but more flexible. Each channel can contain polyphonic note data.
Synthesizer: A device that creates sounds electronically through the use of voltage controlled amplifiers and filters. The settings for each sound are usually saved as presets. Synthesizers are great, go out and buy one today!
Taper: A digital signal processing function that fades a sound in or out between two points. Tapering permanently modifies a sound.
Terminating Resistors: Also called a terminator. A group of resistors that should be placed on the SCSI cable before the last device on a SCSI chain. Usually the terminating resistor is built inside the SCSI device. There should be no more than two terminators in a SCSI chain: one at the start, built into the EIII, and one at the end.
Timbre: Tone color. The quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds with the same pitch and volume.
Tone Generator: See tone module.
Tone Module: A synthesizer without a piano keyboard. Since Midi allows one keyboard to literally play another, there is little reason to acquire more piano keyboards when wanting to expand your palette of sound choices. Buying tone modules is usually a bit cheaper than the keyboard version, and saves valuable space.
Track: Sequencers borrowed this term from multi-track recording studios, referring to tape tracks. A track is one of a number of locations where a musical part can be recorded and played back. A typical software sequencer has 16-128 tracks.
Tremolo: A cyclic change in amplitude, usually in the range of 7 to 14 Hz. Usually achieved by routing a LFO (low frequency oscillator) to a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier).
Truncation: When manipulating a sample, truncation shortens a sample's length by trimming off parts of the beginning and/or end.
Undo: Cancels the results of the last operation.
VCA: Voltage Controlled Amplifier. A circuit whose gain is determined by a control voltage.
VCF: Voltage Controlled Filter. A filter whose cutoff frequency or resonant frequency is determined by a control voltage.
Velocity Sensitivity: A keyboard which can respond to the speed at which a key is depressed; this corresponds to the dynamics with which the player plays the keyboard. Velocity is an important function as it helps translate the performer's expression to the music. Velocity can be routed to many destinations on the Emulator III and is also translated over the MIDI line.
Vibrato: A cyclic change in pitch, usually in the range of 7 to 14 Hz.
Volatile Memory: Memory which loses its data when power is removed. The RAM memory in the Emulator II is volatile, the data on the hard disk is non-volatile.
Voltage Pedal: A pedal which outputs a control voltage which is dependant on its position.
Wind Controller: A controller 'instrument' which is woodwind-like or brass-like in it's fingering. They are blown into and the air stream triggers sounds from a synthesizer or tone module. Many do not have sounds of their own and must be connected (through Midi) to a synthesizer or tone module. They will play whatever sound is called up on the connected synthesizer.
Write Protect: To protect data (either on a disk or in memory) from being written to, although data can still be read.
No entries at this time
No entries at this time
Zero Crossing: The point where the polarity of an electrical or sampled signal changes from positive to negative (or vice-versa) as it passes through zero. A zero crossing provides a convenient point to splice two sounds because the levels of the two splice points are the same at zero volts.
electronicmusic.com/datafiles/glossary/nthruz.html