Music Technology Terms

Question 1

Balance

Answer 1

The volume of instruments or parts relative to each other.

Question 2

Clipping

Answer 2

Exceeding the maximum volume specification of a given device. Digital clipping produces a particularly unpleasant sound, but clipping in an analogue device is sometimes acceptable.

Question 3

Cutoff Frequency

Answer 3

The nominal value at which a filter has an audible effect on the frequency range of a sound. Normally applied to Low Pass Filters, where the cutoff frequency describes the highest audible frequency.

Question 4

Chorus

Answer 4

A form of modulation combining a slightly delayed and detuned version of a sound with the original to produce a thickening effect.

Question 5

Compression

Answer 5

A method of ‘squeezing’ the dynamic range of a signal by reducing the signal level above a user-defined threshold by a user-defined ratio. The resultant signal is normally boosted so that the whole signal is perceived to be louder than before compression.

Question 6

Cross-rhythm

Answer 6

Different rhythmic patterns performed simultaneously.

Question 7

Delay

Answer 7

A time-domain effect in which the original signal is repeated one or more times. There is normally a decrease in volume and high-frequency content with each repeat.

Question 8

Dry/Wet

Answer 8

A dry signal is an original, unprocessed signal; a wet signal has been affected in some way.

Question 9

EQ (Equalization)

Answer 9

Originally a method of compensating for deficiencies in the frequency response of recording and playback equipment, EQ is now used to cut or boost specific frequencies within a sound without affecting the rest.

Question 10

Expander

Answer 10

The opposite of a compressor, raising any signal below a user-defined threshold by a user-defined ratio.

Question 11

Flanger/Phaser

Answer 11

Forms of modulation, similar to chorus, but the original and delayed signals are combined differently to create distinct audible effects.

Question 12

FX

Answer 12

Short for ‘effects’: Processes applied to a signal to alter its sound quality in some way, or the devices used to do so.

Question 13

Gain

Answer 13

The stage of a pre-amplifier that boosts the level of a signal at the beginning of the signal path. Commonly refers to any volume boost in the signal path.

Question 14

Gating

Answer 14

An extreme form of expansion in which signals below a user-defined threshold are cut.

Question 15

General MIDI

Answer 15

An agreed standard to ensure compatibility between MIDI equipment manufacturers. Often used to refer to the agreed list of 128 voices in the GM soundset or the agreed standard for a set of drum/percussion sounds.

Question 16

Harmony

Answer 16

The combination of chords used in a piece of music, focusing on the vertical aspects of music (chords and how they change).

Question 17

Key

Answer 17

Describes both the tonality of the music and the tonic note (the most important note in the tonal hierarchy).

Question 18

Limiter

Answer 18

A compressor with an extremely high ratio setting.

Question 19

Lo-fi

Answer 19

Low fidelity sound. A recording that is deliberately noisy.

Question 20

Loop

Answer 20

A repeated passage. Often refers to samples that are imported into a sequence and repeated.

Question 21

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

Answer 21

An 8-bit computer language developed to allow electronic musical instruments to communicate with each other and the hardware necessary for this communication.

Question 22

Mixing

Answer 22

The process of combining sounds. A master mix is the final combination of all component signals after processing.

Question 23

Mono (Monophonic)

Answer 23

A signal carried on one channel. In stereo systems, the same signal is heard on each channel.

Question 24

Normalising

Answer 24

The process of boosting an audio signal so that the loudest point registers as 0 dB.

Question 25

Overdub

Answer 25

The process of adding additional tracks to previously recorded material.

Question 26

Pan

Answer 26

The placing of a sound in the stereo field.

Question 27

Plugin

Answer 27

A computer program written to either produce or manipulate audio within an existing audio sequencing package.

Question 28

Resonance

Answer 28

The accentuation of a specific frequency, often in the context of the cutoff frequency in filters.

Question 29

Reverb (Reverberation)

Answer 29

The natural reflection of sounds from surfaces, giving the impression of space. Reverb units emulate natural reverb through mechanical or electronic means.

Question 30

Sample/Sampler

Answer 30

A sample is a short pre-recorded sound used in music. A sampler is a device used to capture, edit, manipulate, store, and playback samples.

Question 31

Sequence/Sequencer

Answer 31

A sequence is a piece of music input via a MIDI-capable device into a computer package for editing. A sequencer is the computer package used for this purpose, often combining MIDI data and audio.

Question 32

Skeleton Score

Answer 32

A musical score stripped down to several essential parts.

Question 33

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

Answer 33

The level of the wanted signal compared to unwanted noise. A good signal-to-noise ratio minimizes noise and maximizes the wanted signal.

Question 34

Sound Module

Answer 34

A standalone box that connects to a keyboard or computer via MIDI, USB, or other cables, requiring external audio output to hear the sounds.

Question 35

Stereo (Stereophonic)

Answer 35

A signal carried on two channels, left and right, to represent a sound image as it might be heard by two ears.

Question 36

Syncopation

Answer 36

Placing strong beats where weak beats are expected and vice versa. Can occur on or off the beat, such as in reggae music.

Question 37

Synthesizer

Answer 37

An instrument capable of producing sounds by combining different waveforms or pre-recorded, sampled voices. Synthesizers often have a piano-style keyboard or need to connect to an external keyboard.

Question 38

Tempo

Answer 38

The speed of the music, indicated at the start by a word (e.g., 'fast') or a metronome marking.

Question 39

Texture

Answer 39

The sound quality of a piece, dependent on the number of parts, the tone quality of instruments/voices, and the spacing between parts.

Question 40

Timbre

Answer 40

The precise tone quality of a particular instrument, part, or noise in music, including its attack, decay, and subjective tone quality.

Question 41

Tonality

Answer 41

The use of major and minor keys in music and how these keys relate. Music can also be modal, atonal, or based on non-Western scales.

Question 42

Velocity

Answer 42

A MIDI note's second data byte (range 0-127), determining note loudness and potentially other timbre characteristics.