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Gg
Gain - The amount of increase in audio
signal strength commonly expressed in dB.
Gain Control - A control that increases
or reduces the output level of an amplifier or audio circuit.
Gain Reduction - To limit or reduce signal
gain during high-level passages of music as with the use of
a limiter or compressor.
Gain Structure - How signal gain is handled
in each different stage or component of a sound system.
Garage - House music born out of 70s disco
clubs with the remix style of DJ Larry Levan from the famous
Paradise Garage club in NY.
Gate - A transient processing device that
turns a channel off or down whenever the program signal falls
below a preset level.
Generation - The number of times that an
original recording has been copied.
Graphic Equalizer - An audio device with
multiple frequency band boost and cut controls used to adjust
the tonality of a audio signal.
Groove - With reference to records, the
small microscopic indentations etched into a vinyl record
that contain audio source information for playback.
Ground - An electrical term used to describe
a terminal or connection where electric current drains to
earth.
Ground Lift - A switch that disconnects
the ground connection in one circuit with one in another circuit.
Often used to help eliminate ground loops and "hum".
Ground Lifter - A wall outlet adapter that
allows a three prong power cord to be plugged into a two prong
outlet. Must be used with caution as this adapter breaks the
ground connection and could be very hazardous under certain
circumstances.
Ground Loop - A double grounding of a line
or electronic device at two different "ground" points
with different voltages.
Group - A collection of channels or faders
on a mixing console whose output level can be controlled by
a single master slider.
Hh
Half Step - A pitch difference which is
the equivalent of that produced by two adjacent keys on a
piano.
Hall Program - A digital delay/reverb effects
setting that approximates concert hall ambience by the use
of a delay up to 25 milliseconds.
Hamster Switch - A feature offered on DJ
mixer that reverses the direction of the crossfader. Used
by DJs to perform a variety of complex mix effects.
Hard Disk Recording - A recording process
that stores digital audio data on the same rigid magnetic
recording media used in computers.
Harmonic Distortion - The occurrence of
harmonics in the output signal of a playback device or amplifier
which were not present in the original input signal. Harmonics
- A tone along with whole-number multiples of the fundamental
tone that distinguish the pitch of a particular instrument
or sound.
Head - The small magnetic assembly used
to record or read magnetic pulses on a recording tape or other
magnetic storage media such as a hard disk.
Head Amp - British term for Preamplifier.
A low-noise audio amplifier which takes a low-level signal,
such as the output of a phono cartridge, and steps it up to
normal line level.
Headphones - Small head worn speakers that
fit over or into the ears for personal sound monitoring or
listening.
Headroom - 1) The difference (expressed
in dB) between the normal operating level and clipping level
of an amplifier or audio device. 2) In recording, the difference
between a normal tape operating level and the level where
the distortion reaches 3%.
Headshell - The plug-in assembly located
at the front end of the tonearm used to mount the phono cartridge
for disc playback.
Hertz (Hz.) - A unit of frequency measurement
used to express the number of complete cycles occurring in
a one-second interval. Abbreviated as Hz.
High Frequencies - The audio frequencies
from 6000 Hz and above.
High Impedance (Hi-Z) - An audio device
with an electrical impedance of 5,000 ohms or more.
High-Impedance Mic - A microphone designed
to be used with a preamp circuit with an input impedance greater
than 20k ohms.
High-Pass Filter - A filter circuit that
rejects signals below and passes signals above a certain cut-off
frequency.
Highs - Short for High Frequencies. Audio
frequencies from 6,000 Hz and above.
Hip Hop - Often referred to as a style
of music, it is a musical sub-culture that involves four elements:
DJing, Grafitti, MCing and B-Boying.
House - Dance music with R&B influence
and 4/4/ beat that grew out of Chicago's famous Warehouse
Club.
Hum - Unwanted audible noise components
which occur when 60 Hz AC power line current is accidentally
introduced into the audio signal.
Ii
INC. - Short for Integrated Circuit. A
miniature electronic device comprised of many electrical circuits
sealed in a protective housing with contact prongs for connection
into a circuit board.
ID - Index data on a CD or DAT which provides
the start address of recorded music selections.
Intermodulation Distortion (IM Distortion)
- A form of audio distortion caused by the modulation
of a signal harmonic by another harmonic resulting in the
creation of additional harmonics equal to both the sum and
the difference of the original frequencies.
Impedance - The measure of total opposition
to the flow of electric current, especially in an alternating
current circuit.
Impedance Matching - Converting the output
impedance of a device to match the input impedance of the
device it will feed.
Industrial - A term used to classify a
broad range of hard house and alternative house music.
Initialize - The preparation of a digital
storage medium, such as a floppy or hard disk, to accept data.
Input - 1) The physical connection, such
as a jack or terminal, where a device receives a signal. 2)
The incoming signal data received by a device. Input Impedance
- The opposition to the flow of electrical current by the
initial circuits of the receiving device.
Input Monitor - A switch and mode setting
on an audio recording device that permits meter monitoring
of the incoming input signal.
Input Overload - A condition that occurs
when the input signal level is too high and overloads the
first amplifier stage resulting in signal clipping.
Insert - 1) A switch or control on a recording
console or recording equipment. that allows punch in of selected
audio channels for recording. 2) A TRS jack on a mixing console
used to patch in outboard effects or signal processing equipment
into an input channel.
Integrated Circuit - See I/C..
Interface - A device that enables one unit
to communicate, control or interact with another through a
software or direct cable connection.
Intermodulation Distortion - See IM Distortion.
I/O - Short for "Input/Output."
A port or in-line control for channeling the flow of signal
data to and from a device.
Jj
Jack - A panel-mounted or cable-wired connector
designed for use with corresponding plug connectors.
Joystick - A flexible shaft-mounted control
which can move in four planes (up, down, left and right) for
use in performing multiple control operations.
Kk
k - The abbreviation for kilo, the prefix
for 1000.
Keyboard - 1) Any musical instrument operated
by pressing a key. 2) The control unit of a computer that
incorporates typewriter-styled alphanumeric keys.
kHz - The Abbreviation for kilohertz (1,000
Hz).
Kilo - A prefix meaning 1000.
Ll
Layering - Recording (or playing) a musical
part with other several similar sound patches playing simultaneously
to add more body or fullness to the recording.
Lead - The musical instrument that plays
a song's melody, including the vocal.
LED - See light emitting diode.
Level - The average amplitude or audio
peaks that comprise the strength of a signal.
Light Emitting Diode - A small diode device
which passes current in one direction and lights whenever
a voltage above a certain level is fed to it.
Limiter - An active audio device that reduces
signal gain a preset amount when the input signal reaches
a certain threshold.
Line - 1) A popular term for line level
signal. 2) A cable connection.
Line Input - An input device that accepts
a line level signal
Line Level - A signal level referenced
at +4 dBm or more.
Line Out (Line Output) - An output jack
that sends out a line level signal.
Linear - When changes occurring to the
output of a device reflect the same proportional changes occurring
at the input. Lo-Z - Short for the Low Impedance. A signal
impedance of 500 ohms or less.
Load - 1) The resistance to the flow of
an audio signal seen at the input of the receiving device.
2) The lowest ohms value (impedance) a device (such as a speaker)
was designed to deliver during operation.
Long Delay - A delay time of 60 milliseconds
or more.
Loop - A seamless repeat of an audio sample
or musical segment.
Loudness Control - An equalization curve
to compensate for the inability of the ear to hear low and
extreme high frequencies at low levels.
Low End - A popular term for bass frequencies
below 250 Hz.
Low Frequencies - Any audible audio frequencies
below 1,000 Hz.
Low Impedance - Any audio device with an
impedance of 500 ohms or less.
Low-Pass Filter - A device that passes
signals below a given frequency and rejects those above that
frequency.
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