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Glossary of Audio Terms
Appendix H: Glossary of Audio Terms
amplitude. The variation in a sound signal producing varying levels of loudness. Measured in
decibels (dB).
analog sound. Recorded sound depicted by fluctuations in amplitude.
bits per sample. The number of bits employed to record information from a single sample when
recording digital sound. See Sampling.
CD quality. Recording quality similar to that of a compact disc player. This means that 16 bits of
information are recorded for every sample taken. See Bits Per Sample and Sampling.
decibel (db). A means of measuring amplitude.
digital sound. Recorded and stored sound as a series of numerical values rather than fluctuations in
amplitude.
line-in. A connector on audio equipment to which a device like a CD-player or tape cassette player
may be attached. See also Line Out.
line out. A connector on audio equipment to which audio components can be attached such as stereo
speakers. See also Line In.
MIDI. Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard which allows for the exchange of data
between two music synthesizers or a synthesizer and a computer. Sound data may be communicated
from the synthesizer to the computer and stored as a MIDI file. Or, a MIDI file can be transmitted to
the synthesizer for playback.
MPU-401. A UART on the MIDI port which allows MIDI interface to transmit and receive at 32.5K
baud (see Appendix E for more information).
pitch. A sound’s tone, usually determined by the sound’s frequency.
sample. A measurement of sound taken during a certain duration. In digital recording, sampling
means recording voltages which make a sound as a sequence of numerical values representing the
sound’s amplitude.
sound file. Any file which holds sound data. Examples: files with .MID file name extensions are
compatible with the MIDI standard (see above); a file with a .WAV file name extension is a standard
Microsoft file format for storing waveform audio data. See Waveform and wave file.
timbre. How the ear identifies and classifies sound. Example: the timbre of the same note played by
two different instruments (flute and tuba) will not be the same.
voice annotation. Embedding of a voice message into a document for later playback.
wave file. A standard Microsoft file format for storing waveform audio data.
waveform. A graph showing the amplitude of a sound over a particular interval of time. Any portion
of that interval is a sample.
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