- C -
Cancellation - A shortening of the term Phase Cancellation (the energy of one waveform significantly decreasing the energy of another waveform because of phase relationships at or close to 180 degrees).
Capsule - 1) The variable capacitor section of a condenser microphone. 2) In other types of microphones, the part of the microphone that includes the diaphragm and the active element.
Cardioid Pattern - A microphone pick up pattern, which has maximum pick up from the front, less pick up from the sides, and least pick up from the back of the diaphragm.
Center Frequency - The frequency of the audio signal that is boosted or attenuated most by an equalizer with a peak equalization curve.
Channel - 1) In multitrack tape machines, this term means the same thing as the term Track (one audio recording made on a portion of the width of a multitrack tape). 2) A single path that an audio signal travels or can travel through a device from an input to an output.
Chorus - 1) The part of The song that is repeated and has the same music and lyrics each time; the chorus will usually give the point of the song. 2) A musical singing group that has many singers. 3) A delay effect that simulates a vocal chorus by adding several delays with a mild amount of feedback and a medium amount of depth. 4) A similar effect created in some synthesizers by detuning (reducing the pitch of, slightly) and mixing it with the signal that has regular tuning and with a slight delay.
Chorusing - 1) A term meaning the same thing as Chorus (Definition 3 or 4). 2) In some delay effects devices, a term used to mean the term Depth (the amount of change in the controlled signal by the control signal).
Clip - The action of deforming a waveform during overload.
Clock Signal - The signal put out by a circuit that generates steady even pulses or steady codes used for synchronization.
Close Micing - A technique of placing a microphone close to the sound source (within one foot) in order to pick up mainly the direct sound and to avoid picking up leakage or ambience.
Coax - Two-conductor cable consisting of one conductor surrounded by a shield.
Coincident Microphones (Coincident Pair) - Two microphones whose heads are placed as lose as possible to each other so that the path length from any sound source to either microphone is for all practical purposes, the same.
Comb Filter - 1) The frequency response achieved by mixing a direct signal with a delayed signal of equal strength especially at short delays. Diagram 2) Loosely used to also describe effects that can be achieved with comb filtering as part of the processing.
Compander - 1) A two section device that is used in noise reduction systems. The first section compresses the audio signal, before it is recorded, and the second section, expands the signal after recording. 2) In Yamaha brand digital consoles, a signal processing function that applies both compression and expansion to the same signal.
Cancellation - A shortening of the term Phase Cancellation (the energy of one waveform significantly decreasing the energy of another waveform because of phase relationships at or close to 180 degrees).
Capsule - 1) The variable capacitor section of a condenser microphone. 2) In other types of microphones, the part of the microphone that includes the diaphragm and the active element.
Cardioid Pattern - A microphone pick up pattern, which has maximum pick up from the front, less pick up from the sides, and least pick up from the back of the diaphragm.
Center Frequency - The frequency of the audio signal that is boosted or attenuated most by an equalizer with a peak equalization curve.
Channel - 1) In multitrack tape machines, this term means the same thing as the term Track (one audio recording made on a portion of the width of a multitrack tape). 2) A single path that an audio signal travels or can travel through a device from an input to an output.
Chorus - 1) The part of The song that is repeated and has the same music and lyrics each time; the chorus will usually give the point of the song. 2) A musical singing group that has many singers. 3) A delay effect that simulates a vocal chorus by adding several delays with a mild amount of feedback and a medium amount of depth. 4) A similar effect created in some synthesizers by detuning (reducing the pitch of, slightly) and mixing it with the signal that has regular tuning and with a slight delay.
Chorusing - 1) A term meaning the same thing as Chorus (Definition 3 or 4). 2) In some delay effects devices, a term used to mean the term Depth (the amount of change in the controlled signal by the control signal).
Clip - The action of deforming a waveform during overload.
Clock Signal - The signal put out by a circuit that generates steady even pulses or steady codes used for synchronization.
Close Micing - A technique of placing a microphone close to the sound source (within one foot) in order to pick up mainly the direct sound and to avoid picking up leakage or ambience.
Coax - Two-conductor cable consisting of one conductor surrounded by a shield.
Coincident Microphones (Coincident Pair) - Two microphones whose heads are placed as lose as possible to each other so that the path length from any sound source to either microphone is for all practical purposes, the same.
Comb Filter - 1) The frequency response achieved by mixing a direct signal with a delayed signal of equal strength especially at short delays. Diagram 2) Loosely used to also describe effects that can be achieved with comb filtering as part of the processing.
Compander - 1) A two section device that is used in noise reduction systems. The first section compresses the audio signal, before it is recorded, and the second section, expands the signal after recording. 2) In Yamaha brand digital consoles, a signal processing function that applies both compression and expansion to the same signal.
Comb Filter - 1) The frequency response achieved by mixing a direct signal with a delayed signal of equal strength especially at short delays. Diagram 2) Loosely used to also describe effects that can be achieved with comb filtering as part of the processing.
Compander - 1) A two section device that is used in noise reduction systems. The first section compresses the audio signal, before it is recorded, and the second section, expands the signal after recording. 2) In Yamaha brand digital consoles, a signal processing function that applies both compression and expansion to the same signal.
Compression Ratio - How many dB the input signal has to rise above the threshold for every one dB more output of a compressor or limiter.
Compressor - A signal processing device that does not allow as much fluctuation in the level of the signal above a certain adjustable or fixed level.
Condenser - An older term meaning the same thing as Capacitor (an electronic device which is composed of two plates separated by an insulator and can store charge) but sill in common use when referring to a microphone's active element.
Condenser Microphone - A microphone which converts sound pressure changes into changes of capacitance. The capacitance changes are then converted into electrical voltage variations (an audio signal).
Crosstalk - Leakage of an audio signal into a channel that iris not intended to be in, from an adjacent or nearby channel.
Cue - 1) The signal fed back to the musicians through headphones. 2) To set the tape or disc so that the intended selection will immediately play when the tape machine or player is started.3) A location point entered into a computer controlling the playback or recording of a track or tape. 4) In MCI brand tape machines, a term meaning the same thing as Sync Playback (where the record head is used as a playback head for those tracks already recorded).
Cut - 1) One selection (one song) on a pre4ecorded music format. 2) A term with the same meaning as Mute (to turn off a channel or a signal). 3) To reduce gain of a particular band of frequencies (with an equalizer). 4) To not pass a particular band of frequencies (said of a filter)
Cut-Off Frequency (Turnover Frequency) - 1) The highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter. 2) The highest or lowest frequency passed by an audio device (the cut-off frequency is usually considered to be the first frequency to be 3 dB lower than a reference frequency in the middle of the bandwidth of the device)
Cut-off Rate (Slope)- The number of dB that a filter reduces the signal for each octave its frequency past the filter's cut-off frequency (outside of the pass band).
Compander - 1) A two section device that is used in noise reduction systems. The first section compresses the audio signal, before it is recorded, and the second section, expands the signal after recording. 2) In Yamaha brand digital consoles, a signal processing function that applies both compression and expansion to the same signal.
Compression Ratio - How many dB the input signal has to rise above the threshold for every one dB more output of a compressor or limiter.
Compressor - A signal processing device that does not allow as much fluctuation in the level of the signal above a certain adjustable or fixed level.
Condenser - An older term meaning the same thing as Capacitor (an electronic device which is composed of two plates separated by an insulator and can store charge) but sill in common use when referring to a microphone's active element.
Condenser Microphone - A microphone which converts sound pressure changes into changes of capacitance. The capacitance changes are then converted into electrical voltage variations (an audio signal).
Crosstalk - Leakage of an audio signal into a channel that iris not intended to be in, from an adjacent or nearby channel.
Cue - 1) The signal fed back to the musicians through headphones. 2) To set the tape or disc so that the intended selection will immediately play when the tape machine or player is started.3) A location point entered into a computer controlling the playback or recording of a track or tape. 4) In MCI brand tape machines, a term meaning the same thing as Sync Playback (where the record head is used as a playback head for those tracks already recorded).
Cut - 1) One selection (one song) on a pre4ecorded music format. 2) A term with the same meaning as Mute (to turn off a channel or a signal). 3) To reduce gain of a particular band of frequencies (with an equalizer). 4) To not pass a particular band of frequencies (said of a filter)
Cut-Off Frequency (Turnover Frequency) - 1) The highest or lowest frequency in the pass band of a filter. 2) The highest or lowest frequency passed by an audio device (the cut-off frequency is usually considered to be the first frequency to be 3 dB lower than a reference frequency in the middle of the bandwidth of the device)
Cut-off Rate (Slope)- The number of dB that a filter reduces the signal for each octave its frequency past the filter's cut-off frequency (outside of the pass band).
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