Terminology and standards in audio and music

A digital audio workstation (DAW) is application software used for recording, editing, and producing audio and MIDI files. Modern DAWs like

Cubase have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece. [Wikipedia]. See also [this post] with an overview of different DAWs.

When we record audio in a digital format, like an MP3 the original signal is sampled, digitized and stored as binary code. When a computer reads this code, it recreates the original audio signal. Some formats (e.g.., mp3) use data compression to reduce the size of the file. There are several common audio formats including wav, flac, mp3, etc. For more information: [here]

MIDI Machine Control, or MMC, a subset of the MIDI specification, provides specific commands for controlling recording equipment such as multi-track recorders. MMC messages can be sent along a standard MIDI cable for remote control of such functions as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop, Pause, and Record. These are “System Exclusive” (SysEx) messages, specifically Real Time Universal SysEx messages. See also [Wikipedia] and [Midi.org].

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitation.

With Cubase 12 Pro you can now create Dolby Atmos music in Cubase 12 Pro. Cubase 12 Pro shares the Dolby Atmos Renderer implementation with Nuendo and the two are very similar. Cubase 12 Pro has native Rendering to 2.0, 5.1, 7.1 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 speaker layouts and adds rendering to binaural audio for headphones.

Differences from the Nuendo Atmos implementation include ADM BWF export only (not import), the use of a single bed, and native rendering only (cannot be used with the Dolby Atmos Production or Mastering Suite).

See also:
Dolby.com
Wikipedia

Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error in audio (but also images). Dither is routinely used in processing of digital audio and is one of the last stages of mastering audio (to a CD.)

AV systems have traditionally required point-to-point physical connections between devices, resulting in cumbersome amounts of specialized, single-purpose cables that define where audio and video signals can go. Changes are labor-intensive and expensive, and noise and signal degradation are constant companions as distances grow. The result is systems that are difficult to deploy and even more difficult to adapt as demands shift.

Dante replaces all of those connections with a computer network, effortlessly sending video or hundreds of channels of audio over slender Ethernet cables with perfect digital fidelity. All connections are now managed with software, making routes fast, readable and reliable. Because all devices share the same network, signals can be sent between any devices no matter where they are located on a site, with no change to the wiring at all. Dante systems are easily expanded, exactly as one might add a printer to a network. Just connect additional devices to any available network jack and start using it.

See also What is Dante? and Wikipedia

A multitrack is a type of audio recording that involves capturing multiple individual audio tracks separately. These are combined during mixing. Each track can represent a different sound source, such as vocals, instruments, or effects, recorded in isolation. This method allows for full control during the mixing process because each track can be edited, balanced, and processed independently before they are combined into a final mix (stereo audio file).

Multitracks are commonly used in music production, film, and broadcasting. For example, in music production for a song, separate tracks might be used for vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and other instruments. Each of these tracks can be recorded separately and then mixed together to create the final version of the song.

This is an often asked question. What is the difference between an active and passive DI-Box? What is the difference with a (microphone) splitter? How does re-amping fits into this picture? An excellent overview is provided by the SOS article ‘Meet the problem solvers‘.

Digital filters are for the most part identical to their analogue counterparts on which they are based. However one of the way in which they can differ is when they are carried over to the digital domain by means of the ‘bilinear transform“‘. As long as the sampling rate exceeds the frequencies of interest by a comfortable margin, the bilinear transform provides a very accurate way to design a digital filter.

The problem with the bilinear transform only presents itself with certain filter types and only when the filter is applied at the top end where some of the cut or boost would pass beyond half the sampling frequency – the Nyquist frequency which represents the highest frequency which can be reproduced by the system at that sampling rate.

A consequence of using the bilinear transform is that the amplitude must be at unity at the Nyquist frequency. Because of this the symmetrical shape of bell filters applied at the high end will be distorted, squashing the slope of the bell above the centre frequency more and more as the centre frequency is raised.

(https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/what-is-eq-cramping-and-should-you-care)

Haas Effect, also called the precedence effect, describes the human psychoacoustic phenomena of correctly identifying the direction of a sound source heard in both ears but arriving at different times. Due to the head’s geometry (two ears spaced apart, separated by a barrier) the direct sound from any source first enters the ear closest to the source, then the ear farthest away. The Haas Effect tells us that humans localize a sound source based upon the first arriving sound, if the subsequent arrivals are within 25-35 milliseconds. If the later arrivals are longer than this, then two distinct sounds are heard. The Haas Effect is true even when the second arrival is louder than the first (even by as much as 10 dB.). In essence we do not “hear” the delayed sound.

This is the hearing example of human sensory inhibition that applies to all our senses. Sensory inhibition describes the phenomena where the response to a first stimulus causes the response to a second stimulus to be inhibited, i.e., sound first entering one ear cause us to “not hear” the delayed sound entering into the other ear (within the 35 milliseconds time window).

Sound arriving at both ears simultaneously is heard as coming from straight ahead, or behind, or within the head. The Haas Effect describes how full stereophonic reproduction from only two loudspeakers is possible. (After Helmut Haas’s doctorate dissertation presented to the University of Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany as “Über den Einfluss eines Einfachechos auf die Hörsamkeit von Sprache;” translated into English by Dr. Ing. K.P.R. Ehrenberg, Building Research Station, Watford, Herts., England Library Communication no. 363, December, 1949; reproduced in the United States as “The Influence of a Single Echo on the Audibility of Speech,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 20 (Mar. 1972), pp. 145-159.).

Copied from: https://www.aes.org/par/h/#Haas_Effect

See also Reverb, delay, and the Haas effect

A digital audio workstation (DAW) is application software used for recording, editing, and producing audio and MIDI files. Modern DAWs like

Cubase have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece. [Wikipedia]. See also [this post] with an overview of different DAWs.

When we record audio in a digital format, like an MP3 the original signal is sampled, digitized and stored as binary code. When a computer reads this code, it recreates the original audio signal. Some formats (e.g.., mp3) use data compression to reduce the size of the file. There are several common audio formats including wav, flac, mp3, etc. For more information: [here]

MIDI Machine Control, or MMC, a subset of the MIDI specification, provides specific commands for controlling recording equipment such as multi-track recorders. MMC messages can be sent along a standard MIDI cable for remote control of such functions as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop, Pause, and Record. These are “System Exclusive” (SysEx) messages, specifically Real Time Universal SysEx messages. See also [Wikipedia] and [Midi.org].

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitation.

With Cubase 12 Pro you can now create Dolby Atmos music in Cubase 12 Pro. Cubase 12 Pro shares the Dolby Atmos Renderer implementation with Nuendo and the two are very similar. Cubase 12 Pro has native Rendering to 2.0, 5.1, 7.1 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 speaker layouts and adds rendering to binaural audio for headphones.

Differences from the Nuendo Atmos implementation include ADM BWF export only (not import), the use of a single bed, and native rendering only (cannot be used with the Dolby Atmos Production or Mastering Suite).

See also:
Dolby.com
Wikipedia

Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error in audio (but also images). Dither is routinely used in processing of digital audio and is one of the last stages of mastering audio (to a CD.)

AV systems have traditionally required point-to-point physical connections between devices, resulting in cumbersome amounts of specialized, single-purpose cables that define where audio and video signals can go. Changes are labor-intensive and expensive, and noise and signal degradation are constant companions as distances grow. The result is systems that are difficult to deploy and even more difficult to adapt as demands shift.

Dante replaces all of those connections with a computer network, effortlessly sending video or hundreds of channels of audio over slender Ethernet cables with perfect digital fidelity. All connections are now managed with software, making routes fast, readable and reliable. Because all devices share the same network, signals can be sent between any devices no matter where they are located on a site, with no change to the wiring at all. Dante systems are easily expanded, exactly as one might add a printer to a network. Just connect additional devices to any available network jack and start using it.

See also What is Dante? and Wikipedia

A multitrack is a type of audio recording that involves capturing multiple individual audio tracks separately. These are combined during mixing. Each track can represent a different sound source, such as vocals, instruments, or effects, recorded in isolation. This method allows for full control during the mixing process because each track can be edited, balanced, and processed independently before they are combined into a final mix (stereo audio file).

Multitracks are commonly used in music production, film, and broadcasting. For example, in music production for a song, separate tracks might be used for vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and other instruments. Each of these tracks can be recorded separately and then mixed together to create the final version of the song.

This is an often asked question. What is the difference between an active and passive DI-Box? What is the difference with a (microphone) splitter? How does re-amping fits into this picture? An excellent overview is provided by the SOS article ‘Meet the problem solvers‘.

Digital filters are for the most part identical to their analogue counterparts on which they are based. However one of the way in which they can differ is when they are carried over to the digital domain by means of the ‘bilinear transform“‘. As long as the sampling rate exceeds the frequencies of interest by a comfortable margin, the bilinear transform provides a very accurate way to design a digital filter.

The problem with the bilinear transform only presents itself with certain filter types and only when the filter is applied at the top end where some of the cut or boost would pass beyond half the sampling frequency – the Nyquist frequency which represents the highest frequency which can be reproduced by the system at that sampling rate.

A consequence of using the bilinear transform is that the amplitude must be at unity at the Nyquist frequency. Because of this the symmetrical shape of bell filters applied at the high end will be distorted, squashing the slope of the bell above the centre frequency more and more as the centre frequency is raised.

(https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/what-is-eq-cramping-and-should-you-care)

Haas Effect, also called the precedence effect, describes the human psychoacoustic phenomena of correctly identifying the direction of a sound source heard in both ears but arriving at different times. Due to the head’s geometry (two ears spaced apart, separated by a barrier) the direct sound from any source first enters the ear closest to the source, then the ear farthest away. The Haas Effect tells us that humans localize a sound source based upon the first arriving sound, if the subsequent arrivals are within 25-35 milliseconds. If the later arrivals are longer than this, then two distinct sounds are heard. The Haas Effect is true even when the second arrival is louder than the first (even by as much as 10 dB.). In essence we do not “hear” the delayed sound.

This is the hearing example of human sensory inhibition that applies to all our senses. Sensory inhibition describes the phenomena where the response to a first stimulus causes the response to a second stimulus to be inhibited, i.e., sound first entering one ear cause us to “not hear” the delayed sound entering into the other ear (within the 35 milliseconds time window).

Sound arriving at both ears simultaneously is heard as coming from straight ahead, or behind, or within the head. The Haas Effect describes how full stereophonic reproduction from only two loudspeakers is possible. (After Helmut Haas’s doctorate dissertation presented to the University of Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany as “Über den Einfluss eines Einfachechos auf die Hörsamkeit von Sprache;” translated into English by Dr. Ing. K.P.R. Ehrenberg, Building Research Station, Watford, Herts., England Library Communication no. 363, December, 1949; reproduced in the United States as “The Influence of a Single Echo on the Audibility of Speech,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 20 (Mar. 1972), pp. 145-159.).

Copied from: https://www.aes.org/par/h/#Haas_Effect

See also Reverb, delay, and the Haas effect

A digital audio workstation (DAW) is application software used for recording, editing, and producing audio and MIDI files. Modern DAWs like

Cubase have a central interface that allows the user to alter and mix multiple recordings and tracks into a final produced piece. [Wikipedia]. See also [this post] with an overview of different DAWs.

When we record audio in a digital format, like an MP3 the original signal is sampled, digitized and stored as binary code. When a computer reads this code, it recreates the original audio signal. Some formats (e.g.., mp3) use data compression to reduce the size of the file. There are several common audio formats including wav, flac, mp3, etc. For more information: [here]

MIDI Machine Control, or MMC, a subset of the MIDI specification, provides specific commands for controlling recording equipment such as multi-track recorders. MMC messages can be sent along a standard MIDI cable for remote control of such functions as Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Stop, Pause, and Record. These are “System Exclusive” (SysEx) messages, specifically Real Time Universal SysEx messages. See also [Wikipedia] and [Midi.org].

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitation.

With Cubase 12 Pro you can now create Dolby Atmos music in Cubase 12 Pro. Cubase 12 Pro shares the Dolby Atmos Renderer implementation with Nuendo and the two are very similar. Cubase 12 Pro has native Rendering to 2.0, 5.1, 7.1 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 speaker layouts and adds rendering to binaural audio for headphones.

Differences from the Nuendo Atmos implementation include ADM BWF export only (not import), the use of a single bed, and native rendering only (cannot be used with the Dolby Atmos Production or Mastering Suite).

See also:
Dolby.com
Wikipedia

Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error in audio (but also images). Dither is routinely used in processing of digital audio and is one of the last stages of mastering audio (to a CD.)

AV systems have traditionally required point-to-point physical connections between devices, resulting in cumbersome amounts of specialized, single-purpose cables that define where audio and video signals can go. Changes are labor-intensive and expensive, and noise and signal degradation are constant companions as distances grow. The result is systems that are difficult to deploy and even more difficult to adapt as demands shift.

Dante replaces all of those connections with a computer network, effortlessly sending video or hundreds of channels of audio over slender Ethernet cables with perfect digital fidelity. All connections are now managed with software, making routes fast, readable and reliable. Because all devices share the same network, signals can be sent between any devices no matter where they are located on a site, with no change to the wiring at all. Dante systems are easily expanded, exactly as one might add a printer to a network. Just connect additional devices to any available network jack and start using it.

See also What is Dante? and Wikipedia

A multitrack is a type of audio recording that involves capturing multiple individual audio tracks separately. These are combined during mixing. Each track can represent a different sound source, such as vocals, instruments, or effects, recorded in isolation. This method allows for full control during the mixing process because each track can be edited, balanced, and processed independently before they are combined into a final mix (stereo audio file).

Multitracks are commonly used in music production, film, and broadcasting. For example, in music production for a song, separate tracks might be used for vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and other instruments. Each of these tracks can be recorded separately and then mixed together to create the final version of the song.

This is an often asked question. What is the difference between an active and passive DI-Box? What is the difference with a (microphone) splitter? How does re-amping fits into this picture? An excellent overview is provided by the SOS article ‘Meet the problem solvers‘.

Digital filters are for the most part identical to their analogue counterparts on which they are based. However one of the way in which they can differ is when they are carried over to the digital domain by means of the ‘bilinear transform“‘. As long as the sampling rate exceeds the frequencies of interest by a comfortable margin, the bilinear transform provides a very accurate way to design a digital filter.

The problem with the bilinear transform only presents itself with certain filter types and only when the filter is applied at the top end where some of the cut or boost would pass beyond half the sampling frequency – the Nyquist frequency which represents the highest frequency which can be reproduced by the system at that sampling rate.

A consequence of using the bilinear transform is that the amplitude must be at unity at the Nyquist frequency. Because of this the symmetrical shape of bell filters applied at the high end will be distorted, squashing the slope of the bell above the centre frequency more and more as the centre frequency is raised.

(https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/production-expert-1/what-is-eq-cramping-and-should-you-care)

Haas Effect, also called the precedence effect, describes the human psychoacoustic phenomena of correctly identifying the direction of a sound source heard in both ears but arriving at different times. Due to the head’s geometry (two ears spaced apart, separated by a barrier) the direct sound from any source first enters the ear closest to the source, then the ear farthest away. The Haas Effect tells us that humans localize a sound source based upon the first arriving sound, if the subsequent arrivals are within 25-35 milliseconds. If the later arrivals are longer than this, then two distinct sounds are heard. The Haas Effect is true even when the second arrival is louder than the first (even by as much as 10 dB.). In essence we do not “hear” the delayed sound.

This is the hearing example of human sensory inhibition that applies to all our senses. Sensory inhibition describes the phenomena where the response to a first stimulus causes the response to a second stimulus to be inhibited, i.e., sound first entering one ear cause us to “not hear” the delayed sound entering into the other ear (within the 35 milliseconds time window).

Sound arriving at both ears simultaneously is heard as coming from straight ahead, or behind, or within the head. The Haas Effect describes how full stereophonic reproduction from only two loudspeakers is possible. (After Helmut Haas’s doctorate dissertation presented to the University of Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany as “Über den Einfluss eines Einfachechos auf die Hörsamkeit von Sprache;” translated into English by Dr. Ing. K.P.R. Ehrenberg, Building Research Station, Watford, Herts., England Library Communication no. 363, December, 1949; reproduced in the United States as “The Influence of a Single Echo on the Audibility of Speech,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 20 (Mar. 1972), pp. 145-159.).

Copied from: https://www.aes.org/par/h/#Haas_Effect

See also Reverb, delay, and the Haas effect