Term
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
ASCAP for short |
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Definition
A membership-based performing rights organization that protects the copy-rights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for the performance of their copyrighted works.
See also: BMI or SESAC |
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Term
Broadcast Music, Incorporated
BMI for short |
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Definition
A membership-based performing rights organization that protects the copyrights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for the performances of their copy-righted works.
See also: ASCAP or SESAC |
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Term
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Definition
Research conducted by a radio station or a research firm to ask listeners questions about how they perceive the station's music format.
Often used to keep a station's music format on track from week to week. |
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Term
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Definition
The number of commercials that a radio station has to offer for sale.
It can be broken down into weekly, daily, and hourly inventory. |
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Term
| commercial inventory load |
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Definition
| How many commercials are actually scheduled to run in a given time period, such as an hour, half hour, or quarter hour. |
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Term
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Definition
| A market or segment of the population that is identified by statistical data such as age, average income, marital status, and geographic area. |
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Term
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Definition
| Any medium or tool outside the radio station (such as billboards, newspaper ads, and television commercials) used to promote the radio station. |
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Term
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Definition
The short live and recorded elements that are used between segments of a station's programming that tie everything together, creating a station's signature sound.
For example, "Asheville's home for classic rock, Rock 107.9." |
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Term
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Definition
| Any promotion tool used on a radio station to attract more listeners, such as contests, T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. |
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Term
Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3
MP3 for short |
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Definition
| A means of compressing, or shrinking, CD-quality audio files by a factor of 12 or more, maintaining the original perceived CD-quality sound so that audio files can be transferred via the World Wide Web. |
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Term
national representative
national rep for short |
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Definition
| A person or a company that represents a radio station to large national advertising agencies handling regional or national products. |
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Term
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Definition
Research centered on a person or group's lifestyle choices.
For example, a radio station targets 18- to 34- year old single males living in Jackson County who rent an apartment, make monthly car payments on a 2011 or newer vehicle, eat out three times a week, drink domestic beer, and go to the movies twice a month. |
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Term
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Definition
| Research centered on numerical or statistical data; most commonly used is audience ratings research to determine the number of listeners a radio station has. |
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Term
Society of European State Authors and Composers
SESAC for short |
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Definition
A membership based performing rights organization that protects the copyrights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for their performance.
See also: ASCAP or BMI |
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Term
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Definition
| The nonprofit performance rights organization recognized by the Copyright Royalty Board that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio, Internet radio, cable TV music channels, and similar platforms for digitally streaming sound recordings. |
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Term
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Definition
| Fees charged by the FCC to broadcasters for the use of the public airwaves. |
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Term
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Definition
| A difference in time between two or more sine waves, measured in degrees. |
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Term
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Definition
The strength, or loudness, of a sound or audio signal without regard for its frequency.
The height of the sine wave can be measured either in decibels (for sound) or voltage (for audio signals). |
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Term
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Definition
A measure of the weight of the atmosphere, or air, pressing down on the earth.
It averages approximately 29092 inches of mercury at mean sea level, which is the equivalent of 14.7 pounds per square inch.
It varies with altitude, getting lighter as the altitude increases. |
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Term
| constructive interference |
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Definition
Occurs when two sine waves are just slightly out of phase with one another but are still together in their cycles of compression and rarefaction.
It tends to increase amplitude, reinforcing the sound waves. |
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Term
decibels
(1/10th of a bel)
(Developed by Alexander Graham Bell) |
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Definition
A unit of measurement to measure the loss of signal over one mile of telephone line.
It can be expressed as a volume of acoustic sound-pressure level or, for audio signals, as a voltage reading. |
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Term
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Definition
Occurs when two sine waves are out of phase with one another and their cycles of compression and rarefaction occur at different times.
It tends to decrease amplitude and weaken the sound waves. |
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Term
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Definition
The difference between the softest and loudest part of a sound, measured in decibels (dB).
For example, 95 dB indicates that the loudest sound is 95 dB louder than the softest sound. |
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Term
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Definition
| The number of complete cycles that occur in one second of time; expressed as cycles per second or hertz (Hz). |
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Term
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Definition
A sound created by multiplying the fundamental frequency.
First = one times. Second = two times. Etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| The man that proved electricity could be transmitted in electromagnetic waves, which travel at the speed of light. |
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Term
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Definition
| The name for the international metric term used for radio and electrical frequencies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sounds or audio signals that fall below the average person's hearing range, typically 20 Hz or lower. |
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Term
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Definition
| A sound or audio signal that occurs in between the harmonics or multiples of a fundamental frequency. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of assigning a binary number to each of the samples or voltage readings taken during the analog-to-digital audio conversion. |
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Term
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Definition
| A speaker designed to handle those sounds from 16 Hz to about 100 Hz. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sounds or audio signals occurring above the average person's hearing range, typically about 20 kHz. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sound that has been converted into electrical energy. |
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Term
| balanced microphone cable |
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Definition
| A line in which there is a positive wire, a negative wire, and a shield or earth ground surrounding the positive and negative wires. |
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Term
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Definition
| Another term for proximity effect. |
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Term
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Definition
| A microphone pattern that has maximum sensitivity at 0 and 180 degrees and maximum rejection at 90 and 270 degrees. |
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Term
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Definition
| A wireless transmitter designed for plugging into the base of a microphone. |
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Term
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Definition
| A heart shaped microphone pattern with maximum sensitivity at 0 degrees and maximum rejection at 180 degrees. |
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Term
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Definition
| An imaginary line extending straight out from the face of a microphone, or on a 0-degree axis. |
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Term
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Definition
Stereo microphone placement in which the two microphones are placed side by side facing the sound source.
With the midpoint of the mic bodies serving as the rotation point, the heads of the two microphones are aimed inward nearly touching.
One is aimed at the right side of the sound source, the other at the left side. |
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Term
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Definition
| A microphone that uses an electrostatic field to covert sound into audio and requires a polarizing voltage and a preamplifier. |
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Term
critical distance
abbreviated Dc |
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Definition
| The distance from the sound source at which the ratio of direct-to-reverberant sound is equal, or 1. |
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Term
| digital condenser microphone |
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Definition
| A condenser microphone with a built-in preamplifier that includes an analog-to-digital converter and digital output only. |
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Term
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Definition
| A wireless microphone receiver using two tuners and two antennas to eliminate noise and dropouts. |
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Term
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Definition
| A moving-coil microphone. |
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Term
| electret-condenser microphone |
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Definition
| A condenser microphone that, although it does not require a polarizing voltage, does require a battery to run the preamplifier. |
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Term
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Definition
| A plotted chart that shows how a microphone responds to various frequencies; called flat if the microphone treats all frequencies equally. |
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Term
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Definition
| Tape that has the strength of duct tape without the sticky mess afterward. |
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Term
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Definition
| Matching a microphone's maximum output voltage to the preamplifier's maximum input voltage to prevent overload. |
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Term
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Definition
| A piece of flexible metal conduit used to support a microphone. |
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Term
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Definition
| An elongated, heart shaped cardioid pattern used primarily in shotgun microphones to allow the microphones to be moved farther from the sound source without increasing the apparent room reverberation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A southern delicacy, wonderfully light donuts slathered in mouth-watering sugar frosting, often used to entice the crew to show up in the morning; a sugar delivery device. |
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Term
lavalier
Also called: lav
"Lavaliere" French for pendant |
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Definition
| A microphone worn on the body. |
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Term
| maximum sound-pressure level |
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Definition
| The maximum dB-SPL that a microphone can reproduce before going into distortion and then failure. |
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Term
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Definition
| Industry abbreviation for microphone |
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Term
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Definition
| An outdated term still in common usage that has since been replaced with the term micrometer. |
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Term
micrometer
See also: micron |
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Definition
| One millionth of a meter, or about 1/25,000th of an inch. |
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Term
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Definition
A stereo microphone incorporating a cardioid element facing forward and a bidirectional element facing out the sides of the microphone.
The combination of the middle element and the separate halves of the bidirectional element create the left and right channels. |
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Term
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Definition
Stereo microphone placement in which two microphones are placed side by side facing the sound source.
With the midpoint of the mic bodies serving as the rotation point, one is aimed at the right side of the sound source, the other at the left side. |
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Term
noise
Also: Electrical noise |
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Definition
Appears as hiss in an audio signal, measured in negative dB.
The larger the negative figure, the lower the noise level. |
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Term
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Definition
| Outside of the centerline of a microphone's directional pattern, usually measured in degrees. |
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Term
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Definition
| The change in the frequency response and sensitivity of a microphone as it is turned away from a sound source and aimed in a different direction. |
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Term
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Definition
| A microphone pattern that allows the microphone to pick up sound from all directions equally. |
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Term
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Definition
| The point at which a microphone stops functioning under extremely high sound-pressure levels. |
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Term
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Definition
| The term used to describe the directional characteristics of a microphone. |
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Term
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Definition
| Power supplied to a condenser microphone from a source such as a control board, portable mixing board, or other outside source through the microphone cable. |
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Term
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Definition
| The frequency-response curve of a microphone measured at various points in the microphone pater. |
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Term
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Definition
| An acoustic foam filter within a microphone used to prevent popping sounds from reaching the microphone element. |
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Term
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Definition
| A voltage multiplier used to boost the weak signal of a microphone to a usable audio level. |
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Term
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Definition
Equipment that offers many professional features but is not built to rigid professional standards.
It is generally priced in between consumer and professional-level equipment. |
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Term
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Definition
The closer you move to a directional microphone, the more bass your voice appears to have.
See also: bass boost |
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Term
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Definition
| A member of the dynamic class of microphones that uses thin metal as the sound pickup element. |
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Term
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Definition
| A flexible radio antenna made from silicone-based rubber products that can be bent and flexed without damage to the antenna coil contained within. |
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Term
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Definition
| An electrical measurement in either dBV (decibel volts) or millivolts that tells what the audio output of the microphone will be at a given sound-pressure input level. |
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Term
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Definition
| A device designed to hold a microphone body and isolate it from vibrations that might enter the microphone body and cause undesirable sounds. |
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Term
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Definition
| A microphone designed with a long tube in front of the microphone element to focus the sound and to increase the microphone's direct-to-reverberant sound ration. |
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Term
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Definition
| Acoustic energy traveling through a medium such as air or water. |
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Term
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Definition
| Stereo microphone placement in which two microphones are spaced a distance apart following the three-to-one rule: three feet of separation for each foot of distance from the sound source. |
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Term
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Definition
A fine mesh screen placed a few inches off the face of a microphone to prevent popping plosive sounds and spit from reaching the microphone element.
See: popper stopper. |
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Term
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Definition
A heart-shaped microphone pattern with maximum sensitivity at 0 degrees and maximum rejection at 180 degrees.
They are even less sensitive to the sides than a cardioid microphone. |
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Term
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Definition
| How a microphone reacts to transients, or sounds, with a fast attack that rails off slowly. |
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Term
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Definition
| A one-quarter inch diameter balanced connector with the tip as positive, the ring as negative, and the sleeve as a shield or earth ground. |
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Term
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Definition
| A one-quarter inch diameter connector with the tip as positive and the sleeve as negative and shield or earth ground. |
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Term
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Definition
| A band of frequencies assigned to television channels 14 through 83; 14 to 69 are also assigned to wireless microphones. |
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Term
| unbalanced microphone cable |
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Definition
| A microphone cable or line that only has one positive conductor, with the shield acting as both the negative and the shield. |
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Term
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Definition
| A generic term for a directional microphone, meaning one direction. |
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Term
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Definition
The most widely used hardware interface for connecting equipment to computers.
Virtually every portable device uses some form of this connectivity for data transfer. |
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Term
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Definition
| A band of frequencies assigned to television channels 2 through 13 and to wireless microphones. |
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Term
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Definition
| An acoustic foam cover for the head of a microphone used to block wind outdoors. |
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Term
XLR connector
Also called: Cannon connector |
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Definition
A balanced microphone connector after the man and the company that invented it.
A connector in which there are pins or sockets for the positive, negative, and shield, or earth ground. |
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Term
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Definition
| Stereo microphone placement in which the two microphones are placed in a horizontal position facing the sound source and aimed in either a coincident or near-coincident manner. |
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Term
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Definition
| A powered speaker crossover network with adjustable crossover frequencies. |
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Term
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Definition
| A common point in an audio device into which several inputs feed are joined together. |
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Term
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Definition
| When the on-air radio talent serves as the show's engineer as well, running the control board and other elements of the show in addition to announcing. |
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Term
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Definition
An individual speaker within a speaker cabinet
Each consists of a moving-coil transducer that coverts analog electrical energy into acoustic energy. |
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Term
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Definition
| An original, unprocessed audio signal sent from an audio console to an outboard audio processor, which as a reverb or delay unit. |
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Term
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Definition
A condition that occurs when a microphone is left open near a monitor speaker, creating a loud howling or whistling sound.
The microphone picks up the amplified sound from the speaker and sends it back through the system, regenerating the signal over and over. |
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Term
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Definition
| An audio condition in which the audio is driven beyond distortion to the point that the edges of the sine waves start breaking up. |
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Term
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Definition
| The additional capacity of an audio device to handle level increases above the average working levels to protect from transients, overload, and distortion. |
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Term
high-pass filter
Also called: low-cut filter |
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Definition
| A filter that blocks audio frequencies below a specific frequency, allowing those frequencies above the specified frequency to pass. |
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Term
interruptible feedback
IFB |
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Definition
A method for sending a monitor signal to the talent while also being able to talk to him or her through an earpiece or headphone.
A sophisticated intercom system. |
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Term
low-pass filter
Also called: high-cut filter |
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Definition
| A filter that blocks audio frequencies above a specific frequency, allowing those frequencies below the specified frequency to pass. |
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Term
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Definition
| Smaller monitor speakers placed very near the mixing position, often at the front of the console. |
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Term
panoramic control
Also called: pan control |
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Definition
| A sonic positioning control that allows the input to a mixer channel to be assigned to the left channel or the right channel, or to remain in the center channel for a mono signal. |
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Term
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Definition
| A crossover network comprised of electronic components whose values are fixed, with the audio requiring no electrical power to pass through the network. |
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Term
potentiometer
Abbreviated: pot |
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Definition
| The technical term for volume control. |
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Term
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Definition
| Speakers that have amplifiers built into them so that an audio feed from a mixer or control board can be fed directly into the speaker. |
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Term
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Definition
| The radio equivalent of the beginning of a scene in a television or motion picture shoot done audibly so that a production person can identify the audio cuts. |
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Term
unity gain
"A gain of one." |
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Definition
| The position on a fader at which the ideal operating level of 0 VU occurs. |
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Term
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Definition
A self-contained power supply for running portable equipment.
It plugs directly into the wall and down-converts 110 volts AC to a DC voltage. |
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Term
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Definition
| A processed audio signal that is returned to a control board after audio processing, such as reverb or delay. |
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