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Archtop Guitar: Archtop guitars are steel string instruments, which feature a violin-inspired f-hole design in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved in a curved rather than a flat shape. If you look across the top of the guitar, you'll notice the wood arches in the middle and dips down where it meets the sides of the guitar. Not all archtop guitars have f-holes. Some, especially early Gibsons, have round or oval soundholes. The arch of the fine archtop guitar is carved from a thick plank, an expensive procedure that requires quite a lot of skilled handwork to do correctly. Guitars of lesser price and quality have laminated or plywood arched tops and backs, which are pressed into shape. Lloyd Loar of the Gibson Guitar Corporation invented this variation of guitar after designing a style of mandolin of the same type. The typical archtop is a hollowbody guitar whose form is much like that of a mandolin or violin family instrument and may be acoustic or electric. Some solidbody electric guitars are also considered archtop guitars, the most notable being the Gibson Les Paul. However, "archtop guitar" usually refers to the hollow body form. Archtop guitars were immediately adopted by jazz and country musicians and have remained particularly popular in jazz music, usually using thicker strings (higher gauged round wound and flat wound) than acoustic guitars. Archtops are often louder than a typical dreadnought acoustic guitar. The traditional archtop acoustic guitar is known for its mellow tone, smoothness through all ranges, relative lack of "sustain" and tremendous "cutting power" when played hard. Along with drums, the archtop guitar was half of the rhythm section in the "big band" era.

A & R	A-B Stereo	A-Time
A-weighted	A/B	A440
AAC - Advanced Audio Coding (also MPEG-2 AAC)	AAF	Abalam
Abalone	ABS	Absolute Phase
Absorption	Absorption Coefficient	Alternating Current (AC)
AC-1	AC-2	AC-3
Academy Curve	A cappella	Accent
Access Time	Accidental	Accompaniment
Accumulator	Accutronics Reverb	Acetate
Acoustic Lens	Acoustic Suspension	Acoustic Treatment
ACPI	Action	Actionflo
Active	Active Sensing	Actuator
Adagio	ADAT	ADAT/FST
ADAT Optical	ADB	A/D Converter (ADC)
Additive Synthesis	Adjusto-Matic	ADPCM
ADR	ADSR	Aeolian Harp
Aerophone	AES	AES/EBU
AES3	AES3id	AES42-2001
AFL	AFM	Aftertouch
AFTRA	AGC	Aggregate Device
Aging Toner	Agitato	Agoya
AGP	AHDSFR	AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
AIR	AIT	Alder
Alder	Aleatoric Music (Composition)	Algorithm
Alias	Aliasing	Alkaline Battery
All-Button Mode	All-Notes-Off	Allegro
Alnico	Alteration	Altered Chord
Alternate Tuning	Alto	AM
Ambience	Ambisonics	Amen Break
Amperage	Ampere	Amp Head
Amplifier	Amplifier, Instrument	Amplitude
Amplitude Modulation	AMS	Analog
Analog Sequencer	Analog Synthesizer	Anamorphic
Andante	Anechoic	Anode
Anodize	Anodized	ANSI
ANSI A-Weighting	Antecedent and Consequence	Antenna
Antenna gain	Anti-Imaging Filter	Anti-Aliasing Filter
Anti-node	Aperiodic	API
Apoyando	Apple Talk	Application (Program)
Architecture	Archival Stability	Archtop Guitar
Arco	ARP Avatar	Arpeggiator
Arpeggio	ARP String Ensemble	Arrangement
Articulation	Artifact	Artificial (or Automated) Double Tracking or ADT)
ASCAP	ASCII	Ash
Ashtray Bridge Cover	ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)	ASIO
Aspect Ratio	Asperity	ASPI
Asynchronous	ATA	ATA-2
ATA 66/100/120	ATAPI	Absolute Time Code
Atonal Music	ATRAC	ATRAC
Attack	Attenuation	Audio
Audiobook	Audiology	Audio RIP
Audio Suite	AudioUnits	Audiowire
Auditory Cortex	Augmented Interval	Auranomic
Author	Authorize	Auto Accompaniment
Autolocate/Autolocator	Automata	Automatic Mixer
Automation	Auto Punch	Aux Send
AVI	AWG (American Wire Gauge)	AWM
Axe	Axial Room Mode	Azure Noise