Music Test 2 - Listening Flashcards
Splicing
Editing a track by taking parts out and rearranging it.
Mono
Recorded and/or played back using one channel.
“One sound”
Stereo
Recorded and/or played back through two audio channels.
“Full sound”
Analogue
A continuous signal that represents physical measurements. For example, the human voice is analogue.
Digital Signal
A sequeunce of discreet values - not continous. Usually technological, such as a computer.
Multitrack
The mixing of separately recorded audio tracks to make a song.
Bouncing down
Mixing several tracks into one singular track to make more space to record.
Hard panning
When the stereo puts one or more tracks completely onto either the left or right channel.
Overdubbing
To add a recorded sound or music over the top of a taped musical track to enhance or complete the recording.
Punk music
Emerging in the 70s, punk music moved away from overproduced music and mainstream rock and instead chose to use stripped down instrumentation and avoiding post-production altering as much as possible.
Drum machine
Musical hardware meant to imitate the sound of drums and other percussion instrument
Oscillator
The machine that creates the original soundwave
Low Pass Filter
Allows lower frequencies through and filters out mid to high frequencies
High Pass Filter
Allows high frequencies through and filters out mid to low frequencies.
Cut-off frequency
The point at which the filter comes into effect. Usually controlled by the user
Resonance
A boost of volume at the cut off frequency.
Envelope (A/D/S/R)
The shape of the graph of the volume over time.
Attack: the length of the buildup of the note
Decay: the length of decrease of the note after the increase
Sustain: the amount of frequency to sustain, or keep the same after the decrease
Release: the amount of time it takes the frequency to go back to 0.
LFO (low frequency oscillator)
an oscillator that operates 20Hz. A modulator that controls part of the sound. Can control the volume or the pitch of the synth. It can even control the filters applied to the synth to change the cut off frequency.
Synth Lead
A synth sound intended to be the melody, or to stand out.
Synth Pad
Synth sound intended for chords to play in the background.
Effects - Panning
Distribution of a sound signal in a stereo field. Works by letting through more or less of a sound signal on each side
Auto-pan
Sweep sounds over a stereo field so that the music sounds as if it is moving from one side to the other.
Effects - Equalisation (EQ)
The cutting or boosting of a frequency or range of frequencies on the frequency spectrum. It shapes the existing frequencies of the sound: not adds new ones in. Cutting higher frequencies will make the sound darker, while boosting the higher frequencies will make it sound brighter.
Effects - Telephone EQ and Vocoder
Telephone EQ: uses a bandpass filter or high pass filter to make the sound sound as if it is coming from a telephone.
Vocoder: sends a vocal part through a synth.
Effects: Delay
Delay is an audio effect that records an audio signal for playback a set period of time after the original signal. Plays back the “dry” signal and the delayed signal shortly after. Can also be used to make sounds sound as if they are echoing.
Slapback delay
A delay affect that plays the delayed frequency 70-120ms after the dry signal is played to create a quick doubling effect.
Digital Delay
A delay thats much easier to manipulate in regards to ms, and can even even synchronise the delay with the song’s tempo.
Ping Pong/ Stereo Delay
A delay that pans between the channels.
Effects - Reverb
Reverberation, or a bunch of echoes happening at the same time that makes you hear it all at once. It can also make things sound further away if you tone down the dry signal and push the wet signal.
Reverse Reverb
Reversing a sound, adding reverb then reverting the sound to it’s original state.
Gated Reverb
A large amount of reverb that is quickly cut off by a noise gate.
Effects - Distortion
An overloading of the audio circuit that clips the audio to make it sound different. Valve amplifiers soft clip the sounds and thus sounds smoother and warmer. Transistors hard clip the sound and thus sounds harsher and more dissonant.
Fuzz Distortion
An extremely hard clip that compresses the distortion to make a raw sound.
Overdrive Distortion
A smoother clip than Fuzz and thus makes the distortion sound warmer and smoother.
Effects - Compression
The reduction between the dynamic ranges, or the lowest and the highest of the volumes. They lower the volume of loud peaks and boost lower volumes, allowing someone to increase the gain without adding distortion. Makes a sound punchier and tighter, and adds an average loudness.
Overcompression
This can accentuate unwanted noises, such as breathing or hisses. Reduces the signal to noise ratio.
Sidechain compression
Makes the music sound as if it is pumping.
Effects - Chorus
Where one signal is played alongside copies of itself with slight varaitions in tuning and/or timing (delay). Makes one signal sound like a chorus of signals.
Tremolo and Vibrato
Tremolo: varying the volume that makes the sound sound as if it is trembling.
Vibrato: modulates the pitch, making it sound like that of a singers or when a guitar play vibrates the fret.
Flanging and Phasing
A modulation based effect.
Flanger: a short delay (0.1ms-10ms) and modulates it against the dry frequency, creating a “whooshing” or “jet plane” effect.
Phasing: The same as a flanger, but uses an all-pass filter instead of a delay.
It sounds a lot like swooshing or swirling.
Audio filter
It turns down a set of frequencies after the cut-off frequency.
LPF: everything belowe the cut-off is let through
HPF: everything above is let through
BPF: everything within a certain range is let through.
Wah wah pedal
Makes the guitar sound like it is going “wah”.
