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Off Axis - 1) Away from the front or axis of the mic, measured in degrees. 2) 180 degrees from the front.
Omni-Directional - 1) In microphones, picking up evenly from all directions. 2) In speakers, sending out evenly in all directions.
On Axis - The position of directly in front of the diaphragm of a microphone, in line with its movement.
Out Of Phase - 1) Being similar to another signal in amplitude, frequency and wave shape but being offset in time by part of a cycle. 2) 180 degrees out of phase or having opposite polarity.
Out Port - A jack which puts out digital data in a computer or digital device.
Outboard Equipment - Equipment that is used with, but is not a part of, a console.
Output - 1) The jack or physical location of where a device sends out a signal. 2) The signal put out by a device.
Overdubbing - 1) Adding additional musical parts on a track of a multitrack tape. 2) Sending a previously recorded signal through a console and mixing it with the audio from a new sound source, recording onto another tape.
Overload - To put too much signal level into thereby causing distortion
Overload Indicator - An LED on a channel of a console that shows that the input or other part of the circuit is receiving an overload.
Oversampling - A process where the analog audio (or the digital audio for playback) is sampled many times more than the minimum sampling rate.
Overtones - The harmonics of an instrument's sound minus the fundamental frequency.