- R -

Recording Session - Any period where music is being recorded, especially the first such period where the rhythm instruments are being recorded.

Recording Solo - A switch (or function) where the signal of a channel is routed to the monitor system by itself, yet the signals out of the console to the recorder are not interrupted.

Recordist - A person operating recording equipment as a hobby or non-professionally.

Reference Level - 1) A standard value used to describe how much level is present in dB above or below this reference. 2) A term with the same meaning as the term Operating Level (the maximum average level that should not be exceeded in normal operation).

Reflected Sound - Sound that reaches a microphone or listener after one or more reflections from surrounding surfaces.

Release - The rate that the volume of a synthesizer drops to no-sound once the key is released.

Release Time - The time it takes for a dynamics processing device to change gain when the input signal crosses the threshold level while decreasing.

Remixer - A mixing engineer who specializes in Re-mixing (the mixdown of other versions of a song, often adding additional parts and/or samples).

Re-Mixing - 1) A seldom-used alternate term meaning the same thing as the term Mixdown (combining the signals from the tracks of a multitrack tape onto a two track master tape). 2) The mixdown of other versions of a song, often adding additional parts and/or samples.

Resonance - The prolonging of the sound at a certain frequency and the tendency of something to vibrate at a particular frequency after the source of energy is removed.

Resonant - 1) Tending to pass signals of a certain frequency or narrow range of frequencies more than signals of other frequencies. 2) Physical properties that tend to reinforce the energy at certain frequencies of vibration.

Resonant Frequency - The frequency at which a physical item tends to vibrate after the source of energy (causing the vibration) is removed.

Resonate - 1) To vibrate at the resonant frequency. 2) To linger on, as in reverberation, said of sound in a room or used to describe a room/area that has reverberation with a long reverb time.

Returns - Short for the term Echo Return or Auxiliary Return (the input of the console which brings back the effects signal from the echo chamber or other reverberation effects device).

Reverb - A shortening of the term Reverberation (the persistence of a sound after the source stops emitting it).

Reverb Time - The time it takes for the reverberation or echoes of a sound source to decrease 60 dB, after the direct sound from the source stops.

Reverb Time Contour - A graph of reverberation time for signals of different audio frequencies.

Reverberant Field - The area, away from a sound source, where reverberation is louder than the direct sound from the sound source.

Reverberation - The persistence of a sound after the source stops emitting it, caused by many discrete echoes arriving at the ear so closely spaced in time that the ear cannot separate them.

Reverberation Chamber - A device built to simulate room reflections.

Reverberation Envelope - Literally the attack, decay, sustain and release of the reverberation volume; in other words, how fast the reverberation reaches peak level and its rate of decay.

Reverberation Time - The amount of time it takes for reverberation to die down.

Rewind - Movement of the tape quickly from the take up reel to the supply reel (the direction opposite of play).

RF - Abbreviation for the term Radio Frequencies (frequencies higher than 20,000 Hz - usually above 100 kHz).

RF Interference - The induction (generation of current by magnetic lines of force cutting a conductor) of RF signals (usually broadcast by television and radio stations) into audio lines causing noise, buzz and static. Also see the term TV Interference.

Rhythm Section - The musical instruments, especially the first instruments recorded in a tune that play rhythmic parts rather than melody parts.

Rhythm Track (Rhythm Tracks) - The recording of the rhythm instruments in a music production.

Ribbon Microphone - A microphone with a thin conductive ribbon as both the diaphragm (device that moves because of the sound pressure wave) and the generating element (the device that generates the electricity).

Riding Faders - Adjusting up the faders for low passages so the signal will be recorded well above the noise and taking the faders back down during loud passages to prevent distortion.

Riff - A short melody repeatedly played in a tune (sometimes with variation) often between vocal lines.

"Ring Out A Room" - A testing, often done at the set-up of a sound system for performances, where pink noise is sent through the speakers and the microphones are turned up until feedback occurs.

Ringing - An undesirable resonance at the cut off frequency of a filter that has a high rate of cut-off.

Rise Time - How fast an audio waveform makes a sudden increase to a higher level.

Roll-Off - The reduction of signal level as the frequency of the signal moves away from the cut-off frequency, especially when the cut-off rate is mild.

ROM - Abbreviation for Read Only Memory.

Room Equalization - An equalizer inserted in the monitor system that attempts to compensate for frequency response changes caused by the acoustics of the room.

Room Sound - The ambience of a room including the reverberation and background noise.

Room Tone - The background noise in a room without people speaking or music playing.

Root Mean Square - The effective average value of an AC waveform, abbreviated: RMS.

Rotary Control - A level or other control in a device that has a circular movement rather than moving in a straight line.

Rotating Head - A circular head with two (or more) gaps that rotates against the direction of tape motion at a slight angle to the tape travel.

Round Sound - A pleasingly balanced sound (having a pleasing mixture of high frequency to low-frequency content).

RMS - The effective average value of an AC waveform.

RMS detecting - A control circuit that recognizes and responds to the effective average, the RMS level (see preceding entry) rather than to the peak level.

RT - An abbreviation of Reverb Time (the time it takes for the reverberation or echoes of a sound source to decrease 60 dB, after the direct sound from the source stops).

Ruggedness - Ability to withstand a lot of use, rough use or abuse.

Rumble - A low-frequency noise, especially that caused by earth/floor vibration or by uneven surfaces in the drive mechanism of a recorder or playback unit.

Run - To perform a function or command (said of a computer).

"Run Down" - Musicians playing the tune before recording so that the engineer can get levels and check the sound quality.

Run Off - A quick reference mix recorded on cassette (or other format) after a multitrack recording or overdubbing session, so the client can listen to what was recorded.