- W -
Wah Wah (Wah) - A changing filter giving more and less filtering of harmonics of an instrument's sound.
Watt - Unit of electrical power.
Wave - A continuous fluctuation in the amplitude of a quantity with respect to time.
Wave flank - A term with the same meaning as Bank (a collection of sound patches in memory).
Wave Velocity - The time it takes for one point of the waveform to travel a certain distance.
Waveform - The shape made by the fluctuations of a quantity over time.
Waveshape - The shape made by the fluctuations of a quantity over time.
Wavelength - The length of one cycle (in feet, inches, etc.)
Weber - A unit that describes a number of magnetic lines of force and is used in the measurement or statement of magnetic flux density (the strength of magnetism).
Weighting - An equalization curve used in audio tests that compensates for the Fletcher Munson Effect at various levels.
Wet - Having reverberation or ambience.
White Noise - A random energy where there is an energy distribution so that the amount of energy is the same for each cycle, causing the noise level to increase with frequency.
Wide Band Noise - Noise that has energy over a wide range of frequencies.
Width - Another term for Depth (the amount of change in the controlled signal by the control signal).
Wild Sound - Sound recordings that are done completely separate from the master recording (or picture recording) and therefore can not be synched to the master recording.
Window - A portion of a file shown on a screen, usually appearing as a menu on top of the current page of data.
Windscreen - A device that reduces or eliminates wind noise from the microphone being moved or from wind blowing into the microphone on remote location recordings.
Wireless Microphone - A microphone with an FM radio transmitter inside of its case that transmits a signal to an FM receiver off of the stage area.
Woodwind Controller - A device that plays like a woodwind instrument that puts out a control voltage or MIDI command to control a sound module.
Woofer - A speaker that is designed 10 reproduce bass frequencies only.
Word - A shortening of the term Digital Word (a number of information bits that w communicate one value).
Workstation - A device that controls a variety of functions, designed to be operated by one person.
Wow - A low pitch change that happens because the recorder or playback machine fluctuating in speed slowly.
Wrap - The angle formed by the tape as it bends around the head.
Write - To record digital data onto a digital recording or into computer memory.
Write Head - The device in a digital audio tape recorder that records the bits of digital information onto the storage medium.
Write Mode - A mode of operation of an automated console where the engineer is in control of channel gain and the computer is storing changes in gain caused by the engineer over time.
Write Protect - A tab on a floppy disc or a function in a unit which protects recorded or stored data from being damaged or erased by writing over it.
- X -- Y -- Z -
XLR Connector – 1) A common 3 pin connector used in balanced audio connections. 2) A microphone Cable.
XY Micing - A method of placing two cardioid microphones for stereo pickup, with the two microphone heads as close as possible without touching, pointing 90 degrees to each other and also pointing 45 degrees to the center of the sound source.
Y-Cord - A cable with three connectors so that one output may be sent to two inputs.
Zenith - The tilt of the tape head in the direction perpendicular to the tape travel.