Terms from the Recording Studio

We’ve put our own interpretation of some music industry terms here for your benefit and enjoyment. Please feel free to send us a message at info@weststreetonline.com with those terms that we’ve missed so we can add them to our list.

Aux send

A portion of the mixer that allows sending all or a portion of the signal to another location. Typically to an effect like a delay or a reverb. Note: Aux sends might not be available on all mixers.

Bottom

General term for the low end of the audible frequency range, typically between 20 - 200 Hz, also loosely known as bass.

Cans

General term for headphones, typically the type that completely cover both ears. Inexplicably, this term is always associated with the words, "Turn it up!".

Clear the console

Reset every knob and fader on the console, (mixer), back to its "default" position. Its a courtesy if the console will be used by more than one person, and helps to avoid extra work when setting up for a session.

Click track

An audible metronome sound used as a reference to set the specific tempo desired for the completed recording. (Hint: Make this the first thing that you record when beginning to record a song.)

Delay

The effect produced by repeating a signal at a time later than the original. The length of time (measured in milliseconds, ms) between the original signal and the delayed signal can be varied creating different types of effects such as doubling, echo and slap-back.

Direct box

Device used to adapt line-level signals from a ¼ inch phone plug, (like those from a keyboard or a bass), to a mic-level signal with an XLR connector, (like those from a microphone). They come in two basic flavors, active or passive, and can also provide excellent service as a door stop.

Edit/Splice

The action of physically cutting tape with a razor seems to be a lost art now-a-days, replaced by mouse clicks in our digital age.

Fattening

No, not the one that you think of when you’re eyeing that double cheeseburger. This term relates to making a sound “bigger” by any number of engineering methods such as using a very short delay to “double” the sound.

Filter

General term for any number of devices utilized by the recording engineer to modify the sound. For example: Equalizer, Compressor, Harmonizer, etc...

Grind

General term for the amount of distortion on an electric guitar. Not really intended to be definitive, but more about a "feel". "Let me have a little more grind..."

High end

General term for the top end of the audible frequency range, typically between 10k-20k Hz, also loosely known as treble.

Low end

General term for the low end of the audible frequency range, typically between 20-200 Hz, also loosely known as bass.

Mid-range

General term for the middle of the audible frequency range, typically between 200-10k Hz, also loosely known as... well... mid-range.

Mixer

(AKA: mixing console, mixing desk and soundboard) The device used to combine and control audio signals. These can range from very simple with just volume controls, to extremely complex with parametric eq sections, and multiple aux-sends (see above) and sub-mixes. Some have a power amplifier built in, while most of the more sophisticated mixers do not.

Mix-down

This is the step in the recording process where all of the sounds, including all effects etc, are combined together to create the final mix. (Hint: Listen to your mixes at several different volumes, and if possible, on several different sets of monitors. This will help to provide you with a more accurate mix).

Over-dub

Recording on a new track, or tracks while monitoring a previously recorded track or tracks.

Patch point

This is a location, (on the mixer, or in the patch bay), on the signal path where, by use of patch cables, you can "insert" an effect like a delay or a reverb into the signal path for that individual channel.

Peg, pegging

This is a bad thing. The old school guys will remember the analog meters with the needles that would swing from the left to the right, and if it went way to the right, you were hunting a new meter. Now-a-days the digital meters will tolerate a lot more abuse, but when they’re pegging, the purpose is to tell you that the level is too high.

Phase cancellation

See the article on Recording a Grand Piano in the Article Archive.

Punch-in/punch-out

Re-recording a section or a piece of a track by "punching into" record while the track plays, and then "punching out" of record when the desired section has been recorded. (Hint: For best results, practice the punch several times before actually attempting).

PZM

Pressure Zone Microphone.

Ride the fader

Utilized during mix-down or in a sound reinforcement application, this is the action of adjusting the level of a particular sound several times over the course of the song. While this can often be avoided by the proper use of a compressor or a limiter, sometimes it is desirable. For example, during a live performance to remove the effects between songs while the front man is talking to the audience.

Stomp/Squeeze/Crush

A personal favorite. Terms used to describe the varying degrees of the use of a compressor on a sound. Feel free to make up your own....

Sub-Mix

Combining two or more channels of the mixer by assigning them to another channel for ease of controlling your mix. For example, the eight or so channels of drums, (kick, snare, hat, tom, tom, tom, overhead, overhead) down to a stereo pair.

Track

When referred to as the channel, this is the segment of the recording typically assigned to one particular sound or instrument. Several of these together create the "multi-track" recording. This term can also be used to describe the entire recording of a song. "My latest CD has 12 tracks".

Track sheets

Typically a form that allows the session engineer to document specifics of the session(s). These are extremely important so that there is a reference of what is recorded on which track. Other data fields may include Artist Name, Date, Song Title, Engineer etc...

Vocal stack

A second recording of the vocalist, or group, singing exactly the same thing in order to make the track "bigger", or "fatter". Also see "Fattening". (Hint: you can do the same thing with any sound)