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The final process of fine-tuning and “sweetening” the mix on a song or collection of songs, from which the master will be created.
The grouping of a number of beats in music. (See also “Bar.”)
A slang abbreviation based on the prefix “Mega-, meaning 1,000,000. Often used as shorthand for megahertz (1,000,000 Hertz, Mhz) or megabytes (1,000,000 bytes, MB).
1) A device that measures and displays the signal level in audio or digital equipment. Meters usually measure peak values or RMS values. (See also “Peak Value,””RMS Value.”)
2) The rhythmic structure of music, typically describing the number of beats in a measure.
Abbreviations for “microphone.”
The selector switch on the input of a console channel that determines which input jack will feed the console; also the selector switch on an audio interface or other device that sets the input level to receive either a microphone level or line level signal.
A transducer which converts sound pressure waves into electrical signals.
The input of a console or other device designated for a microphone signal.
The very low audio voltage level emitted by a studio microphone. The signal must go through a preamplifier to be increased to line level before entering the console. (See also “Line Level,” “Preamplifier.”)
A setting on a microphone or preamp, or a separate adapter/connector, that reduces the level of the microphone signal before it enters the preamplifier to prevent overload.
(Abbreviated M/S) A stereo coincident microphone placement technique in which one cardioid pattern microphone is aimed directly at the sound source, and a bi-directional microphone placed sideways and as close as possible to the first mic.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a digital data protocol that communicates performance information between musical instruments, sequencers and/or computer programs, conveying data on up to sixteen channels at once over a single connection.
A clock signal conveyed by MIDI that is used by the connected sequencers and musical devices to stay in sync with one another. Not to be confused with MIDI time code (MTC), MIDI clock is tied to the Beats-Per-Minute (BPM) tempo, advancing 24 steps per quarter note.
Can refer to two different elements of MIDI, depending on the context. 1) A device or software that sends MIDI data to connected devices, either through pre-programmed sequencing or through live performance by a musician. 2) Any of a number of smaller controls on a MIDI device that is assigned to control specific parameters of the sound or performance.
A device that converts a MIDI signal into the digital format of a computer so it can store and use the MIDI signal.
