Glossary
The music production terms this guide uses, explained in a few lines.
A
A/B comparison
Switching between two versions to decide which works better.
It only works at matched volume: otherwise the louder one always wins. More in the related guide.
Amp sim
A plugin that imitates an amp and its cabinet from a DI signal.
It lets you decide the tone during the mix. Ampire is the one included with Studio One. More in the related guide.
Attack
How long a compressor takes to act once the signal exceeds the threshold.
A slow attack lets the initial hit through. A fast one flattens it. More in the related guide.
Automation
Programming changes to a parameter over the course of a track, such as volume.
It’s often what brings a mix to life at the end, and solves what a compressor can’t. More in the related guide.
B
Bit depth
How much resolution each audio measurement has, and therefore how much dynamic range fits.
Record and export at 24 bits: it gives plenty of room to leave headroom without losing quality. More in the related guide.
Buffer
The block of audio the computer processes at once, measured in samples.
A small buffer gives less latency for recording. A large one gives the computer more room for mixing with many plugins. More in the related guide.
Bus
A track that receives several tracks, to process and control them together.
Grouping drums, guitars and vocals keeps the mix organized and simplifies balancing. More in the related guide.
C
C2PA(Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity)
A standard that indicates a file's origin through Content Credentials.
It informs about origin, but it isn’t an order not to train AI models. More in the related guide.
Ceiling
The maximum level a limiter lets through.
This guide uses −1 dBTP as a starting point. More in the related guide.
Click track
The session's metronome, marking the tempo during recording.
Recording to a click makes it easier to edit, program drums and add layers later. More in the related guide.
Clip gain
Raising or lowering the level of a piece of audio before it reaches the plugins.
It fixes notes that jump out without overworking the compressor. More in the related guide.
Clipping
The distortion that appears when a signal exceeds the most the system can represent.
When recording it’s irreparable: the lost information doesn’t come back. That’s why levels are set while playing the loudest passage. More in the related guide.
Comping
Building a final take by joining the best parts of several takes.
Setting a limit on takes avoids spending days choosing between nearly identical versions. More in the related guide.
Compressor
A process that automatically lowers what exceeds a level, reducing dynamics.
It helps a track stay in place. Not every track needs one: use it when you hear a problem. More in the related guide.
Content ID
YouTube's system that detects your music in other people's videos.
The rights holder chooses to monetize, track stats or block. Don’t use it with material that isn’t exclusively yours. More in the related guide.
D
dBFS(decibels relative to full scale)
Decibels relative to digital full scale: 0 dBFS is the most you can record without clipping.
It’s the unit on digital meters. Anything reaching 0 dBFS clips and distorts beyond repair, which is why all working values are negative. More in the related guide.
De-esser
A process that lowers S sounds and other sibilance in a vocal.
Studio One 4 doesn’t include one: you build it with Multiband Dynamics over the sibilance area. More in the related guide.
Delay
One or several repeats of a sound, separated in time.
On vocals and solos it adds space with less haze than a long reverb. More in the related guide.
DI(direct input)
The instrument's clean signal, recorded directly without an amp.
Keeping the DI lets you change the tone later without playing again. It’s the true original of the guitar or bass. More in the related guide.
Distributor
The service that delivers your music to platforms, collects what it earns and pays you.
It isn’t a label: it shouldn’t keep your rights. More in the related guide.
Dither
Very low noise added when reducing bit depth to mask rounding error.
You only need it when exporting to fewer bits, such as 16. If you deliver at 24 bits, you normally don’t. More in the related guide.
Double-tracking
Recording the same part twice, in two real takes.
It’s what makes a guitar wall wide. Copying the same take doesn’t give that effect. More in the related guide.
Dynamic range
The difference between the softest and loudest parts of a signal.
It’s what compressors and limiters reduce. Reducing it too much takes the punch out of a track. More in the related guide.
E
Equalization(EQ)
Raising or lowering the level of certain frequencies in a signal.
It’s used to clean up and to make room for each instrument. Correct first, then enhance. More in the related guide.
G
Gain reduction(GR)
How many dB a compressor is lowering at each moment.
It’s the meter to watch while adjusting. On the drum bus, this guide aims for 2–4 dB, and on the guitar bus 1–3 dB. More in the related guide.
Gain staging
Setting the level at each point in the chain so none overloads or sits too low.
For recording, this guide aims for −12 to −6 dBFS peaks, and for mixing, tracks at −12 to −10 dBFS. More in the related guide.
Gate
A process that cuts the signal when it falls below a level.
It clears noise between phrases. If it cuts note endings, it’s closing too much. More in the related guide.
H
Harmonics
The higher frequencies that accompany a note and define its timbre.
A small speaker can’t reproduce a bass’s low end but can reproduce its harmonics, and the ear fills in the rest. More in the related guide.
Headroom
The margin between the highest peak and 0 dBFS.
Leaving headroom when recording and mixing prevents clipping and gives the master room. This guide’s mix output aims for −6 dBFS peaks. More in the related guide.
Hi-Z input(high impedance)
The interface's instrument input, suited to electric guitar and bass.
Plugging an instrument into a line input usually leaves it short of level and brightness. More in the related guide.
High-pass filter(HPF)
A filter that cuts below a frequency and lets through what's above.
It clears out unneeded lows. Guitars: 80–120 Hz, and 100–120 Hz in metal. Bass: 30–40 Hz. More in the related guide.
I
Impulse response(IR)
A file capturing how a space or cabinet sounds, so it can be applied to another signal.
On guitar, changing the cabinet IR often changes the tone more than changing the amp.
ISRC(International Standard Recording Code)
The code that identifies a recording.
Each recording has its own. If you change distributors, use the same one so you don’t lose streams. More in the related guide.
K
Knee
How gradually a compressor engages around the threshold.
A soft knee is less noticeable. It’s rarely the first thing to adjust.
L
Latency
The delay between playing and hearing yourself through the computer.
Too much latency makes it hard to play in time. Reduce it by lowering the buffer or monitoring directly from the interface. More in the related guide.
Limiter
An extreme compressor that stops a signal from exceeding a ceiling.
It’s used at the end of the master, not on the mix bus. It’s what allows the loudness to rise. More in the related guide.
Low-pass filter(LPF)
A filter that cuts above a frequency and lets through what's below.
It removes guitar fizz and helps push a sound further back in the mix. More in the related guide.
LUFS(loudness units relative to full scale)
The unit used to measure a track's perceived loudness, not its peaks.
Platforms normalize based on this value. For rock and metal, this guide’s starting point is −10 to −8 LUFS on the master. More in the related guide.
M
Make-up gain
The gain that restores the volume a compressor lowered.
Match the volume before comparing. Otherwise, the louder one always seems better. More in the related guide.
Masking
When one sound covers another because they occupy the same frequencies.
It’s the main reason a mix sounds confused. It’s solved by sharing out frequencies, not by turning everything up. More in the related guide.
Mechanical rights
What's paid for reproducing a work, such as in downloads or streaming.
They belong to the work, not the recording. Who manages them depends on the country. More in the related guide.
Metadata
The data that travels with a song: title, artist, credits and codes.
A mistake can send the track to someone else’s profile or hold up a payment. More in the related guide.
MIDI(musical instrument digital interface)
Data telling which note to play, when and how hard. It contains no sound.
Superior Drummer 3 is programmed with MIDI, which is why you can change the kit without reprogramming. More in the related guide.
Mono check
Listening to the mix summed to one channel to reveal cancellations.
If an instrument loses weight or disappears in mono, there’s a phase problem. More in the related guide.
Multiband compression
Compressing different frequency ranges separately.
It controls one area without touching the rest. In Studio One 4 it’s done with Multiband Dynamics. More in the related guide.
N
Neighboring rights
The rights of performers and producers when a recording is played in public.
They’re collected through entities such as AADI and CAPIF in Argentina, not through your distributor. More in the related guide.
Normalization
The automatic volume adjustment platforms apply so tracks play at similar levels.
If your master is louder than the target, the platform turns it down. That’s why crushing it doesn’t get you more volume. More in the related guide.
P
Panning
Placing a sound between left and right.
Kick, bass, snare and vocal usually go center. Doubled guitars go to the sides. More in the related guide.
Parallel compression
Blending a heavily compressed copy with the original signal.
It adds body without losing the original signal’s hit. It’s widely used on drums. More in the related guide.
Phantom power(48 V)
The 48 volts an interface sends over the XLR cable to power condenser microphones.
A condenser such as the NT2-A needs it. It’s best turned on with the monitor volume down. More in the related guide.
Phase
The time relationship between two similar signals. If misaligned, they partly cancel.
It’s most noticeable in the low end, when two layers of an instrument sound thinner together than alone. More in the related guide.
Phonogram
A specific recording of a song, also called the master.
It’s distinct from the work: another band can record the same work and create another phonogram. More in the related guide.
Pitch
Presenting an unreleased song to a platform's editors.
On Spotify it’s best done at least 7 days before release. It doesn’t guarantee a playlist. More in the related guide.
Polarity
The direction of the wave. Inverting it swaps positive for negative, without moving anything in time.
It’s the first thing to try if two signals cancel. In Studio One it’s done with Mixtool. More in the related guide.
Pre-delay
The time between the original sound and the start of the reverb.
It separates a vocal from its reverb so it stays forward and clear. More in the related guide.
Pre-save
A link that lets someone save your track before it comes out.
It needs the track already uploaded with a date. More in the related guide.
Q
Q
The width of the band an EQ affects. A high Q touches a narrow area.
Wide bands sound more natural. Narrow ones are for removing a specific resonance. More in the related guide.
Quantize
Aligning notes or hits to a rhythmic grid.
Quantizing 100% can sound stiff, especially on programmed drums. More in the related guide.
R
Ratio
How much a compressor reduces what exceeds the threshold.
At 4:1, every 4 dB above the threshold comes out as 1 dB. More in the related guide.
Reamping
Sending a recorded DI back through an amp or an amp sim.
This is why you keep the DI: the tone stays open until the end. More in the related guide.
Reference track
A commercial track you use to compare your mix as you work.
Turn it down to match yours. Compare balance and tone, not loudness. More in the related guide.
Release
How long a compressor takes to stop acting once the signal drops.
It should breathe with the track: too fast sounds nervous, and too slow flattens it. More in the related guide.
Reverb
The sound of a space: the sum of reflections that follow a sound.
It places instruments in depth. In a dense track, keep it short with the lows filtered. More in the related guide.
RMS(root mean square)
A measure of a signal's average level, closer to what we hear than the peak.
It’s useful for comparing level, but for final loudness decisions look at LUFS, which better imitates the ear.
Royalties
What's paid for the use of a work or a recording.
A song generates two types: those of the work and those of the recording, collected by different paths. More in the related guide.
S
Sample rate
How many times per second digital audio is measured, in kHz.
48 kHz or 44.1 kHz is enough. Set it when creating the session and don’t change it midway. More in the related guide.
Saturation
Gentle distortion that adds harmonics and density.
It makes a sound easier to hear without raising it. On bass it helps it come through small speakers. More in the related guide.
Send
A copy of the signal sent to another track, usually one with an effect.
Several tracks can share one reverb, which helps them sound like they’re in the same place. More in the related guide.
Shelf
An EQ band that raises or lowers everything above or below a frequency.
It’s useful for a general change in brightness or body, without singling out one frequency.
Sidechain
Making a process react to another signal, such as ducking the bass each time the kick hits.
It’s a tool for when EQ isn’t enough. Most mixes can solve it earlier. More in the related guide.
Stem
A mix of a group of tracks exported as one file, such as all the drums.
It’s used for mastering with more control or for working with someone else.
T
TDMRep(Text and Data Mining Reservation Protocol)
A protocol for reserving data mining rights in a machine-readable way.
It applies to your website. What’s on platforms depends on their terms. More in the related guide.
Threshold
The level at which a compressor starts acting.
Lowering it makes the compressor act more often. It’s the control that sets how much reduction you get. More in the related guide.
Transient
The very brief initial hit of a sound, such as a snare's attack.
It’s much of what makes drums hit. Too much compression or limiting dulls it. More in the related guide.
True peak(dBTP)
The peak a signal reaches once converted to analog, which can exceed its digital peaks.
It’s measured in dBTP. This guide uses a −1 dBTP ceiling on the master; Spotify suggests −2 if the track is louder than −14 LUFS. More in the related guide.
U
UPC(Universal Product Code)
The code that identifies a release: a single, EP or album.
Your distributor normally assigns it. It’s worth keeping. More in the related guide.
V
Velocity
The MIDI value indicating how hard a note is played.
Varying it is what most helps programmed drums sound played. More in the related guide.