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Markers

Saved locations in the sound file. Markers can be displayed in the Trimmer window for sound files that contain them, but more often, markers and regions are used at the project level to mark locations or sections in the project.

Media Control Interface (MCI)

A standard way for Microsoft Windows programs t o communicate with multimedia devices like sound cards and CD players. If a device has a MCI device driver, it can easily be controlled by most multimedia Microsoft Windows software.

Media File

A media file, or multimedia file, is any image, audio or video file on a computer. In Vegas software, you can browse for these files in the Explorer window. You can drag media files to the timeline or insert them into the Project Media window. Media files that have been dragged to the timeline are referred to as events.

MIDI Clock

A MIDI device specific timing reference. It is not absolute time like MIDI timecode (MTC); instead, it is a tempo-dependent number of ticks per quarter note. MIDI clock is convenient for synchronizing devices that need to do tempo changes mid-song.

MIDI Port

A MIDI Port is the physical MIDI connection on a piece of MIDI gear. This port can be a MIDI in, out or through. Your computer must have a MIDI port to output MIDI timecode to an external device or to receive MIDI timecode from an external device.

MIDI Timecode (MTC)

MTC is an addendum to the MIDI 1.0 Specification and provides a way to specify absolute time for synchronizing MIDI-capable applications. Basically, it is a MIDI representation of SMPTE timecode.

Mix

The process of combining multiple audio events and effects into a final output. The analogous process of combining video events together is called compositing.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)

A standard language of control messages that provides for communication between any MIDI compliant devices. Anything from synthesizers to lights to stage equipment can be controlled via MIDI. Vegas software utilizes MIDI for synchronization purposes.

Noise-shaping

Noise-shaping is a technique that can minimize the audibility of quantization noise by shifting its frequency spectrum. For example, in 44,100 Hz audio, quantization noise is shifted towards the Nyquist Frequency of 22,050 Hz. See also Dithering.

Nondestructive Editing

A type of editing used by Vegas software that involves a pointer-based system of keeping track of edits. When you delete a section of audio in a nondestructive system, the audio on disk is not actually deleted. Instead, a set of pointers is established to tell the program to play the active sections during playback.

Nonlinear Editing (NLE)

A method of editing video non-sequentially or in random order. Editing video in Vegas software is nonlinear as opposed to editing video tape, which is linear.

GLOSSARY

APPENDIX B