Glossary of Terms

Additive synthesis: A synthesis method combining multiple sine waves of different frequencies, amplitudes and phases to create complex timbres.
See also: Subtractive, FM, Wavetable

ADSR: Stands for attack, decay, sustain, release – the four main parameters of a common envelope type that provides a one-off movement when a note is received
See also: Envelope

Ambisonics: A full-sphere surround sound format that captures audio in all directions, allowing for immersive 3D audio reproduction and complete 360° sound field playback across various speaker configurations.
See also: Binaural Sound

Audio artifacts: Unintended sonic anomalies resulting from digital processing, such as aliasing, quantisation errors or compression artifacts.
See also: Glitch

Audio Interface: Hardware that captures audio from instruments and microphones into a DAW, converting between analogue and digital audio signals to also provide monitoring capabilities.

Auto-tune: A pitch correction processor that adjusts vocal or instrumental intonation to match specified notes or scales, either transparently or as a creative effect.
See also: Pitch Shifting

Automation: The recording and playback of parameter changes over time within a DAW, allowing for complex dynamic control of instruments, effects, the mixer and other settings.

Binaural sound: Recording or panning technique that recreates natural 3D sound perception, typically using specialised microphone arrangements or processing.
See also: Ambisonics

Bit depth: Determines the resolution of dynamic range of digital audio, with higher bit depths (like 24-bit) providing greater dynamic range and lower noise floor than lower bit depths (like 16-bit).

Circuit bending: The creative customisation of toys and electronic devices by intentionally creating short circuits to produce unexpected sounds and behaviours.
See also: Glitch

Compression: Processing technique that reduces the dynamic range of a signal by attenuating louder parts while maintaining or boosting quieter sections, depending on compression type.
See also: Dynamic range, Gain staging

Control surface: Hardware that provides physical controls (faders, dials, buttons) to manipulate specific pre-determined parameters in a DAW.

Critical Listening: Focused, analytical listening that evaluates specific technical and aesthetic aspects of sound rather than casual or passive enjoyment.
See also: Deep listening, Soundwalk

Crossfade: A smooth transitions between two audio clips by gradually decreasing the volume of one while increasing the volume of the other.

CV: Control Voltage, an analogue method of controlling synthesiser parameters where voltage levels determine characteristics like pitch, timbre and amplitude. Primarily used in modular synthesis.
See also: MIDI, OSC

DAW: Digital Audio Workstation – software for recording, editing, mixing and producing audio (and MIDI), the main tool for most modern music production.

Deep listening: A practice developed by Pauline Oliveros involving full attention to all sounds in an environment, blending meditative awareness with heightened sonic perception.
See also: Critical listening, Soundwalk

Delay: An effect that creates repetitions of a sound after a specified time interval, ranging from tight slapback echoes to rhythmic patterns or ambient textures.
See also: Reverb, Feedback

Digital sampler: An instrument that plays back, shapes and manipulates audio samples, triggering them via MIDI.
See also: Sampling

Distortion: The alteration of an audio signal’s waveform, typically through overdriving an amplifier or processor, creating harmonic content that ranges from subtle warmth to aggressive clipping.
See also: Saturation

Drones: Sustained tones or textures that continue with minimal variation, providing tonal foundation or atmospheric background in a composition.

Dub Mixing: A creative mixing approach originating from remixes of reggae that treats the mixing desk as an instrument whilst emphasising the rhythm section and creative use of effects.

Dynamic EQ: A responsive equaliser that automatically adjusts frequency balance based on the band’s signal level.
See also: Filters, Multiband Processing

Dynamic range: The difference between the quietest and loudest parts of an audio signal.

Ear Candy: Small sound effects, transitions and textural elements added to enhance a production, create interest and reduce repetition without being essential to the core composition.

Envelope: A control signal that shapes how a parameter changes over time, commonly applied to amplitude, filter cutoff, pitch or other synthesis parameters.
See also: ADSR.

Envelope follower: A control signal is generated by tracking the amplitude contour of an audio input, allowing one sound to shape another.
See also: Sidechaining

Ergonomics: The design and arrangement of production equipment and software to maximise efficiency and minimise physical strain during creative work.
See also: Workflow

Euclidean sequencer: A rhythm generator based on the mathematical Euclidean algorithm, distributing a specified number of events as evenly as possible across a defined number of steps.
See also: Sequencer, Generative music

Feedback: The routing of an output signal back to its input, creating a loop that can generate sustaining tones, evolving textures or unruly noise.
See also: No-input mixing, Feedback loop

FFT: Fast Fourier Transform, an algorithm that converts time-domain audio signals into the frequency-domain, enabling spectral analysis and processing.
See also: IFFT, Spectral Processing

Field recording: The practice of capturing environmental sounds outside of a studio setting using portable recording equipment.
See also: Found sound, Soundscape

Filters: Audio processors that attenuate specific frequency ranges, commonly divided into low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch types. The resonance setting provides some emphasis at the cutoff point.
See also: Subtractive, Formant Filter

FM synthesis: Frequency Modulation synthesis, where one oscillator (modulator) modulates the frequency of another oscillator (carrier) at audio rates, creating complex timbres with metallic, bell-like or inharmonic qualities.

Foley: The recording of sound effects for use in media production, usually to diegetic (on-screen) action, named after sound effects pioneer Jack Foley.
See also: Found sound

Formant Filter: A filter designed to mimic or manipulate the resonant frequency peaks characteristic of vocal sounds, creating vowel-like qualities in other sounds.
See also: Formant shifting

Formant shifting: Altering the vocal tract resonances of a voice independently from its pitch, affecting gender characteristics or creating unnatural vocal qualities.
See also: Pitch shifting

Fourier series: A mathematical concept representing complex waveforms as combinations of simple sine waves, forming the foundation for spectral audio processing.
See also: FFT, IFFT

Found sound: Audio recordings of non-musical sources like household objects, nature, or machinery, repurposed as musical elements or sound design materials.
See also: Field recording, Musique Concrète

Gain staging: The process of managing signal levels throughout a signal chain to ensure optimal headroom and signal-to-noise ratio at each processing stage.
See also: Signal path

Generative music: Music created through systems or algorithms that have some degree of autonomy in determining compositional elements, resulting in ever-changing, non-repeating pieces.
See also: Euclidean sequencer

Glitch: Deliberate use of digital artifacts, errors and malfunctions as creative elements, characterised by stutters, repetitions and unpredictable sonic artifacts.
See also: Audio artifacts

Granular synthesis: A method that operates on tiny grains of sound (usually 1-100ms), allowing for radical transformations of audio material.
See also: Sampling, Spectral processing

Graphic Score: A visual representation of music using symbols, images, or abstract notation rather than traditional staff notation. It provides performers with creative interpretation guidelines rather than strict instructions.

Harmoniser: An effect that creates harmonies or chord-like textures from a single source.
See also: Pitch shifting

Hysteresis: In audio gates, the fluctuation between on and off states when a signal hovers near the threshold, often creating a chattering effect.

IFFT: Inverse Fast Fourier Transform, the process of converting spectral data back into a time-domain audio signal after frequency-domain modifications.
See also: FFT, Spectral processing

LFO: Low Frequency Oscillator, a repeating control signal used for modulation, often used for vibrato, tremolo or filter sweeps.
See also: Modulation

Liveset: A performance of electronic music combining pre-prepared elements and improvisation. Often features a software-hardware hybrid geared around real-time manipulation.

Macro control: A single parameter that simultaneously adjusts multiple parameters beneath it, allowing complex sound changes with a single dial.

Mastering: The final technical stage that prepares a mix for publishing – focusing on overall balance, loudness and consistency across different playback systems.
See also: Mixdown

Microtonal music: Music that uses intervals smaller than the standard semitones of Western equal temperament, allowing for exploration of alternative tuning systems and expanded harmonic possibilities.

MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a standardised protocol for connecting electronic instruments and computers. Used to send note, timing and controller information.
See also: MPE, OSC

Mixdown: The process of balancing and processing multiple audio tracks into a single stereo or multichannel file, enhancing the sonic qualities inherent in the composition.
See also: Mastering

Modulation: The process of using one signal to control another, creating dynamic changes in sound parameters rather than static settings.
See also: LFO, Envelope, ADSR

MPE: MIDI Polyphonic Expression, an extension of MIDI that enables multidimensional control over individual notes, allowing for more nuanced performances with pitch bends, pressure and gestures per note.
See also: MIDI

Multiband processing: Dividing the frequency spectrum into separate bands that can be processed independently, allowing targeted treatment of different frequency ranges.
See also: Dynamic EQ

Musique Concrète: A composition technique that uses recorded sounds as raw material.
See also: Sampling, Found sound

No-input mixing: A technique where a mixing console’s outputs are connected to its inputs without external sound sources, creating feedback tones that can be shaped through EQ and effects.
See also: Feedback

Noise: Unwanted sound in a signal or deliberately used sound without clear pitch or harmonic structure.
See also: Noise profile

Noise Profile: A spectral fingerprint of unwanted sound that can be analysed by noise reduction software to selectively remove similar frequencies from an audio recording.
See also: Noise

OSC (Open Sound Control): A network-based protocol for sending control messages, offering greater precision and flexibility than MIDI.
See also: MIDI, CV

Overdubbing: The process of recording additional layers of audio on top of previously recorded material, allowing musicians to build complex arrangements by performing one part at a time.

Parallel processing: A duplication of an audio signal to a processing chain and blending the results. Allows for effects to be applied without losing the original character, can be shared across several signal channels.
See also: Signal path

Phase: The position within a waveform cycle, where sounds with matching phase reinforce each other and opposing phase can cause cancellation.

Phase vocoding: A technique using FFT analysis to manipulate time and frequency independently, enabling time-stretching and pitch-shifting with minimal artifacts.
See also: FFT, Spectral processing

Physical modelling: Synthesis that simulates the acoustic properties of real instruments through mathematical models of their physical characteristics.
See also: Additive, Subtractive

Pickup pattern: Attribute of a microphone that determines the direction of audio capture: cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-of-8 etc.

Pitch shifting: Processing that changes a sound’s pitch without affecting its duration, used for correction, harmonisation or creative transformation.
See also: Auto-tune, Formant shifting

Polymeter: Two or more musical patterns with different length cycles playing simultaneously.
See also: Polyrhythm

Polyrhythm: Two or more different rhythms playing simultaneously within the same time span.
See also: Polymeter

Post-fader send: An routing method where the send level changes proportionally with the channel fader.
See also: Pre-fader send

Pre-Fader send: A routing method where the send level is independent of the channel fader, allowing send effects to be heard even when the source is muted.
See also: Post-fader send

Quantising: The process of automatically adjusting the timing of MIDI or audio events to align with a rhythmic grid, correcting performance inconsistencies.

Remix: A reinterpretation of an existing musical work, typically using the original multitrack elements to create a new version with a different arrangement, tempo or genre.

Resampling: The process of rendering a sound into a new digital audio file for the purposes of further manipulation. Also allows for reduction of CPU load.
See also: Sampling

Reverb: An effect that simulates acoustic space by creating multiple reflections of the source sound. Allows for changing attributes such as room size, surface material and distance.
See also: Delay

Sample rate: The number of samples taken per second to represent audio digitally. Common rates are 44.1kHz or 48kHz for standard production or higher rates for professional work.
See also: Bit depth

Sampling: The practice of capturing and repurposing portions of existing recordings as elements in new compositions, ranging from short drum hits to extended musical phrases.
See also: Digital sampler, resampling

Saturation: A form of mild distortion that emulates the natural compression and tonal characteristics of analogue recording equipment.
See also: Distortion, Tape

Step Sequencer: A specialised rhythm and note programming tool that advances through a fixed number of steps in sequence, allowing for precise control of when notes or events occur.
See also: Euclidean sequencer

Sidechaining: A technique where one audio signal controls a processor affecting another, commonly used with compressors to create pumping effects or clear space in a mix.
See also: Envelope follower

Signal path: The route an audio signal takes from its origin through various processors, effects and mixing stages before reaching its final destination.
See also: Gain staging

Signal-to-noise ratio: The measurement of desired audio signal level compared to background noise, with higher values indicating cleaner recordings.
See also: Noise profile

Soundscape: A composition or recording that captures the sonic environment of a specific place or creates an imagined sonic environment through layering of sounds.
See also: Field recording

Soundwalk: A form of critical listening where one pays careful attention to the sonic environment while moving through a space, often documented as a map or recording.
See also: Deep listening, Field recording

Spectral processing: Audio manipulation techniques that work in the frequency domain rather than the time domain, allowing for the isolation and treatment of specific frequency components.
See also: FFT, IFFT

Spectrogram: A visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies in a sound as they vary with time, used for analysis and editing in spectral processors.
See also: Spectral processing

Stem separation: The process of extracting individual instrument or vocal tracks from a mixed recording using spectral analysis and machine learning techniques.

Subtractive synthesis: A method that begins with harmonically rich waveforms (like sawtooth or square) and uses filters to remove frequency content.
See also: Additive, FM, Wavetable

Talkbox: A device that routes a sound source through a tube into a performer’s mouth, allowing the vocal tract to shape the sound.
See also: Vocoder

Tape: Magnetic recording medium used before digital recording, known for its distinctive compression, saturation and subtle pitch fluctuations.
See also: Saturation

Timbre: The characteristic quality or tone colour of a sound that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and volume, determined by harmonic content.

Transient: The initial attack portion of a sound that contains much of its character and identification information, often targeted in dynamics processing.

Vocoder: A processor that imposes the spectral characteristics of one signal (usually speech or drums) onto another (typically a synthesiser), creating robotic and metallic effects.
See also: Talkbox, Formant Filter

Wavetable synthesis: A synthesis technique using an array of single-cycle waveforms arranged in a table, allowing smooth transitions between different wave shapes for evolving sounds.
See also: Additive, Subtractive, FM

Workflow: The setup, tools and techniques a producer uses to create music efficiently, often personalised to match creative habits and production style.
See also: Ergonomics