Music Glossary: audio-theory-and-acoustics category [Page 2]

Number of cycles per second of a periodic waveform, measured in hertz (Hz); perceived as pitch. more

Localization dominated by the first-arriving sound; later reflections add spaciousness without shifting image. more

Margin between nominal operating level and the clip point; prevents overload on peaks. more

Narrow-band absorber comprising a cavity and neck; frequency set by volume and port geometry. more

Head-Related Transfer Function capturing pinna/head/torso filtering for direction-dependent cues. more

Time-domain reaction of a system to a short impulse; encodes reflections and resonances. more

In free field, SPL decreases 6 dB per doubling of distance from a point source. more

Interaural Time and Level Differences cue lateral localization; ITD low-mid, ILD high frequencies. more

Timing variability of the sampling clock causing low-level modulation or distortion. more

Delay between input and output through a system; includes A/D, buffers, plug-ins, and D/A. more

Live End–Dead End / Reflection-Free Zone design: absorb front early reflections, diffuse rear for stable imaging. more

Psychoacoustic perception of intensity; depends on spectrum, duration, and context, not just SPL. more

When a strong sound makes nearby frequencies less audible; temporal masking affects sounds before/after a masker. more

Each doubling of surface mass raises transmission loss by 6 dB (ideal single leaf). more

Calibrated omni mic with flat response for room/speaker measurements and system tuning. more

Diffuser based on Maximum Length Sequences producing broad scattering spectra. more

Procedure to set monitoring level (e.g., 83 dB SPL C-weighted) for consistent loudness judgments. more

DSP technique that spectrally redistributes quantization noise to less audible bands. more

Band-limited signals can be perfectly reconstructed when sampled at >2× the highest frequency content. more

Tuned resonant absorber using a limp or stiff panel over an air cavity to target narrow LF bands. more

Duration of one cycle of a waveform; T = 1 / f. more

Angular position within a cycle, measured in degrees or radians; differences cause summation or cancellation. more

Instantaneous sign (positive/negative) of a signal; polarity inversion flips the waveform vertically. more

Fibrous/foam material converting particle velocity to heat; thickness and air-gap set LF effectiveness. more

Primitive Root Diffuser variant with different sequence properties for scattering. more

Quadratic Residue Diffuser using number-theory well depths to scatter sound evenly. more

Noise introduced by rounding continuous amplitudes to discrete steps during digitization. more