Mixing terminology 2

Question 1

Clipping / peaking / digital distortion

Answer 1

When a channel on a DAW has too much gain being sent into it

Question 2

Latency

Answer 2

The delay that occurs between the sound entering the microphone and finally coming back out of your headphones

Question 3

Buffer size

Answer 3

The amount of incoming data your DAW or audio interface can handle

Question 4

Ideal buffer size

Answer 4

Low buffer (32 or 64) when recording, high buffer (1024) when mixing

Question 5

Sample rate

Answer 5

Setting that determines how accurate the audio that’s being recorded is when it’s transformed from a live sound to a computer file (44.1kHz or 48kHz)

Question 6

Crossfade

Answer 6

A specific type of fade where one sound fades in as another sound fades out.

Question 7

Electric guitar bandwidth

Answer 7

80Hz-5kHz

Question 8

High pass filter

Answer 8

Cuts out the high end of the frequency spectrum

Question 9

Mids

Answer 9

600Hz - 3kHz

Question 10

Lows

Answer 10

60 - 200Hz

Question 11

Highs / treble / air

Answer 11

above 8kHz

Question 12

Q

Answer 12

Width of 1 band in EQ

Question 13

Attack

Answer 13

1) the very beginning of a sound
2) the amount of time it takes after a sound begins for a sound processor to begin working.
Measured in milliseconds

Question 14

Compression

Answer 14

Reducing a signal’s output volume in relation to its input volume to reduce its dynamic range. Basically, when a sound gets louder than a certain level, a compressor turns the sound down somewhat. This controls the dynamics of that sound to make it more consistent.

Question 15

Knee

Answer 15

A control on a compressor that changes how variable the severity of compression is once the threshold has been passed. A “soft” knee makes the compression less obvious

Question 16

Limiter

Answer 16

When a sound reaches the threshold of a limiter, it doesn’t get any louder - it stays the exact same volume

Question 17

Noise gate

Answer 17

A sound processor that cuts off the volume of a sound once it passes below a certain volume threshold

Question 18

Ratio

Answer 18

How hard the compressor clamps down on the volume of the audio. If a ratio is set to 2:1, then for every 2dB’s of audio that goes above the threshold, 1dB comes out.

Question 19

Release

Answer 19

How long it takes a sound processor to cease processing the sound. Measured in milliseconds

Question 20

Transient

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Distortion

Answer 21

The result of a sound source overloading an amplifier or sound processor. Basically, new frequencies are added where there were none before. This can be pleasing or very harsh. The nature of the distortion depends on the equipment that is being distorted.

Question 22

Fuzz

Answer 22

A specific type of distortion that cuts the tops off of waveforms to produce a particular sound

Question 23

Overdrive / drive

Answer 23

Usually refers to the distortion that occurs when an amplifier is overloaded. Commonly used to describe guitar amp distortion. Considered to be “creamier” than the harshness of digital distortion.

Question 24

Ambience

Answer 24

Background noise added to a musical recording to give the impression that it was recorded live. Often done using short room reverbs

Question 25

Reverb

Answer 25

The sound of a room after a sound has been produced inside it.

Question 26

Predelay

Answer 26

A short delay between a sound and when an effect begins

Question 27

Chorus

Answer 27

A sound processor that makes a sound seem doubled by creating several delayed copies of the original sound and slightly varying the pitch of each copy. Used to “thicken” a sound.

Question 28

Flanger

Answer 28

Uses the same process as a chorus, but with dramatically short delays. Rather than “thickening” a sound, usually less subtle.

Question 29

Phaser

Answer 29

A sound processor that removes certain random frequencies by creating a copy of the soundwave and moving it back and forth

Question 30

Tremolo

Answer 30

A sound processor that either quickly turns the volume of a sound up and down, or quickly pans it left to right.