Frequency Spectrum

The frequency spectrum of a signal refers to its range of frequencies. In audio, the

 

frequency range is basically 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The frequency spectrum sometimes refers

 

to the distribution of these frequencies. For example, bass-heavy sounds have a large

 

frequency content in the low end (20 Hz-200 Hz) of the spectrum.

 

 

Groove

A groove refers to the rhythmic pattern of a piece of music. By deviating from a machine-

 

quantized beat, individual beats may be played early or late to change the feel of the

 

music. Applying a groove can simulate the timing patterns of human musicians, lending a

 

human feel to MIDI-generated music or quantizing several distinct pieces of music to a

 

common timing.

 

 

Hertz (Hz)

The unit of measurement for frequency or cycles per second (CPS).

 

 

In-place plug-in

An in-place plug-in processes audio data so that the output length always matches the

 

input length. A non-in-place plug-in's output length need not match a given input length

 

at any time: for example, Time Stretch, Gapper/Snipper, Pitch-Shift (without preserving

 

duration), and some Vibrato settings can create an output that is longer or shorter than

 

the input.

 

Plug-ins that generate tails when there is no more input but otherwise operate in-place

 

(such as reverb and delay) are considered in-place plug-ins.

 

 

Insert Increment

Sections of silence between selections that you can create using the Chopper and insert

 

into the track view.

 

 

Insertion Point

The insertion point (also referred to as the cursor position) is analogous to the cursor in a

 

word processor. It is where markers or commands may be inserted depending on the

 

operation. The insertion point appears as a vertical flashing black line and can be moved

 

by clicking the left mouse button anywhere in the track view.

 

 

Loop

Loops are small audio clips that are designed to create a repeating beat or pattern. Loops

 

are usually one to four measures long and are stored completely in RAM for playback.

 

 

Marker

A marker is an anchored, accessible reference point in a file.

 

 

MIDI Channel

An informational pathway over which MIDI data can travel.

 

 

Media Control Interface

A standard way for Windows programs to communicate with multimedia devices such as

(MCI)

sound cards and CD players. If a device has an MCI device driver, it can easily be

 

controlled by most multimedia Windows software.

 

 

Media File

Files that may be placed within the ACID project. After a media file is placed into the

 

project, it is referred to as an event.

 

 

MIDI Clock

A MIDI device-specific timing reference. MIDI Clock 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 perform tempo changes mid-

 

song. MIDI clock out is supported, but MIDI clock in is not.

 

 

MIDI Port

A MIDI port is the physical MIDI connection on a piece of MIDI hardware. This port can be

 

a MIDI in, out or through. Your computer must have a MIDI-capable card 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. MTC is essentially a MIDI

 

representation of SMPTE timecode.

 

 

Multiple-Bit-Rate

Multiple-bit-rate encoding (also known as Intelligent Streaming for the Windows Media

Encoding

platform and SureStream™ for the RealMedia™ G2 platform) allows you to create a single

 

file that contains streams for several bit rates. A multiple-bit-rate file can accommodate

 

users with different Internet connection speeds, or these files can automatically change

 

to a different bit rate to compensate for network congestion without interrupting

 

playback.

 

To take advantage of multiple-bit-rate encoding, you must publish your media files to a

 

Windows Media server or a RealServerG2.

 

 

314 APPENDIX E