Asynchronous
The opposite of synchronous. A mode of SCSI operation where each byte is requested, sent, and acknowledged before the next is requested, sent etc. In synchronous SCSI transfers the byte does not have to be acknowledged before the next byte is sent, it only needs to be eventually acknowledged. Most modern SCSI drives can be set to allow synchronous transfers or not. Most SCSI devices can work synchronously or asynchronously, but some systems or SCSI controllers require one method or the other in order to perform correctly (Digidesign equipment, for example, prefers to have synchronous transfers enabled).Asynchronous also refers to some system commands in the Macintosh, such as copy and format, which take place in the background without tying up the CPU (on new versions of the OS).
Audio Suite
The obvious definition is a room or space for working with audio production. However Audio Suite is also the name Digidesign coined for host based plug-ins in their systems. A TDM Digidesign system has proprietary DSP devoted to plug-in processing, but Digidesign also makes a number of systems where the host computer provides all of the processing (whether it's in real time or not). Plug-ins designed to work on that type of hardware from Digidesign are known as Audio Suite plug-ins. This is analogous to VST or Direct X plug-ins, just specific to Digidesign hardware.
DAE
Abbreviation for Digidesign Audio Engine. DAE is the underlying code that Digidesign has been using to make their audio systems work and communicate with computer hardware and software. When you launch Pro Tools (or any application that uses DAE to communicate with Digidesign hardware) DAE also launches in the background. The main application (such as Pro Tools) is really just acting as the user interface while DAE is actually taking care of the underlying mechanics of moving the audio data in, out, and through the system. DAE is required for software programs to be able to access Digidesign hardware.
Digi System Init
Abbreviation for Digi System Init. Init is a fancy word for Extension on the Macintosh - historically the extensions that load upon boot up were called inits, which is short for initialize. These days we just call them extensions, but DSI is an old abbreviation. The DSI is, therefore, an extension that must be loaded by the computer in order for it to be able to "see" any Digidesign hardware that may be installed in it. It works in conjunction with DAE to enable recording with Digidesign systems.
Direct Connect
An audio streaming technology that allows users to feed audio outputs of host-based third party applications directly into a Digidesign audio recording system. This is done through a Direct Connect plug-in that runs on one of the DSP chips on a Digidesign audio card. Direct Connect provides a conduit for up to 32 channels of 24-bit audio to be brought directly into the Pro Tools environment.
Direct I/O
The trademarked name for Digidesign's software drivers that allow programs such as audio sequencers from various companies to directly access Digidesign audio hardware installed in a computer. Without Direct I/O drivers most audio programs can only interface with the Apple's built in audio, which can then often be interfaced with the hardware-recording card. The disadvantage is that this only allows for two channel input and output because that is all the computer supports. Direct I/O gives the software the ability to directly interface with multi-channel hardware, such as Digidesign's Pro Tools and Project systems, thereby allowing multiple inputs and/or outputs to be used simultaneously. Direct I/O drivers have to be specifically written for each hardware type. Most of the popular audio sequencer manufacturers (MOTU, Opcode, EMAGIC Steinberg, etc) have written their own Direct I/O drivers that work with Digidesign hardware and hardware from other companies.
ESB
Abbreviation for Emagic System Bridge. The ESB is a software driver that serves as a link between Emagic's native software and Digidesign's TDM hardware. As such it allows users to be able to bring native processes (plug-ins and software synths) running on Logic Audio into the TDM mixer environment. It consists of two components: Direct TDM and EXS24 TDM.ESB TDM allows the insertion of up to 32 instances of Emagic's Xtreme Sampler 24 Bit within the Aux channels of Logic Audio's TDM mixer. The output signals of inserted EXS24 instances can be further treated, utilizing all of the possibilities of the TDM DSP environment. Each EXS24 instance is handled by the computer's CPU, and the ESB TDM routes their output signals into the TDM DSP's. EXS24 MIDI performances are recorded on TDM Auxiliary tracks and are controlled directly in Logic Audio. This eliminates the need for OMS, making playback of the EXS24 TDM sample-accurate.Direct TDM provides an additional audio engine running in parallel with DAE/TDM. It works like most native processing engines and offers up to 64 audio tracks, plug-ins, the use of VST effects and integration of Emagic or third party VST 2.0-compatible Audio Instruments. ESB provides up to eight outputs from this native audio engine, which can be streamed into Logic Audio's TDM mixer - all within the computer.
Grid Mode
An editing mode found in Pro Tools software. Grid Mode works like a lot of MIDI sequencers. Everything snaps to a user defined grid or quantization value. You can define the grid based on musical values (eighth notes, for example) or time code values. This mode is also handy for loop based work; it allows the added flexibility of being able to drop regions wherever you want, but it keeps them locked in to the musical timing of the piece. A lot of engineers use this mode when editing things like drum parts for timing (a very common use of Pro Tools) because it makes it really fast to drop individual drum hits to specific musical timing values that are related to the song. If you place a region over another region the first region will be cut off at the point where the new region starts and/or ends. The three other major editing modes in Pro Tools are Spot Mode, Shuffle Mode and Slip Mode.
HTDM
Abbreviation for Host TDM (Time Division (or Domain) Multiplexing). HTDM is a special subset of TDM that allows certain host-based plug-ins and software synthesizers to operate within a TDM Pro Tools environment. You can think of it as a sort of cross between regular TDM, RTAS, and Direct Connect. While RTAS is also a host-based environment those plug-ins aren't integrated as tightly into the Pro Tools software as HTDM plug-ins. For example, HTDM plug-ins can utilize the automation built into Pro Tools, as well as working directly with the Digidesign control surfaces (RTAS or Direct Connect solutions need to use MIDI for automation and control, and Direct Connect requires you to switch to the Direct Connect "client" applications when accessing them). HTDM plug-ins do NOT use the processing power of the TDM DSP Chips. In that sense they work like regular host-based plug-ins with their commensurate drain on CPU resources and latency issues. There is some DSP usage, however, as they require some overhead to be integrated with the system and to provide a place for the audio streams to get in and out.
HUI
An acronym for Human User Interface. HUI (pronounced Hew-Eee) is a product developed by Mackie Designs that can serve as a control surface for several DAW platforms. It was initially designed to work with Pro Tools, but later became compatible with native systems such as Digital Performer, Logic Audio, et-al.
Machine Control
In many circles machine control is simply another name for Sony's 9-pin control protocol. And in a general sense that's all it is - a method and standard for controlling and synchronizing audio and/or video machines. The phrase 'Machine Control' has been specifically coined by Digidesign as a product name in reference to its interfacing and ability to control machines via the 9-pin standard from within the Pro Tools environment. Machine Control is an option you can add to your Pro Tools system to enable this functionality. It also works with the V-LAN protocol, and may include others in the future.
OMF (OMFI)
Abbreviation for Open Media Framework. OMF is a file exchange protocol for digital audio/video workstations that attempts to put all of the important information about a session into a generic format that can be read by other systems. It is analogous to our standard MIDI files in the MIDI world, but much more complex an issue. Lately we are beginning to see it noted as OMFI, where the "I" stands for Interchange, which is more of a semantic than functional difference. In practice OMF allows an audio or video session to be opened and edited in a completely different system. For example: A work in progress on an Avid video system can be opened as a multitrack session in Pro Tools for enhanced audio processing, then imported back to Avid. There are still many limitations and complications with OMF, but because it is so useful there are scores of engineers working with it and sorting out problems. More information on the subject can be found at Avid's Web site in the OMFI section.
Operator
A term used in FM synthesis to refer to the software equivalent of common parts of other synthesizers such as oscillator, envelope generator, envelope amplifier, etc. The operators are combined in different ways to create different algorithms for producing fundamentally different types of sounds.An operator is also the person who runs a piece of equipment, such as a tape (machine) operator or Pro Tools operator.
Play List
Often written as playlist (one word), the term has come into use with hard disk recording systems. It refers to a list, or some sort of view of audio items that can be defined to play in a particular order (usually the order shown in the list). One track of Pro Tools (or almost any digital audio program) can be thought of as a play list. The shown audio regions will play back in order, even though they may have nothing to do with one another. Though the term is used more loosely like that these days, it originates with early disk recording systems that simply showed the sound files in text form in the order they were to be played. One of the earliest of these, Digidesign's Sound Designer, was very popular with rap and R & B artists for making dance edits of their tunes. Though we have progressed quite a bit since then, some relatively high-end systems still use a play list style of editing to this day. And there are people who still swear by Sound Designer for the ease of use in doing this type of editing.
Plug-in
Software that is designed to be integrated within another software environment. Plug-ins are a common method programmers use to provide additional tools for users of a given product. This is advantageous for everyone because it means that the user doesn't have to switch to an entirely different application to perform one specific task that's its specialty. For an early example, PhotoShop - software designed to manipulate digital images in a computer - has a plug-in environment where users can purchase any number of add-on technologies to enhance the capability of the program. These may be things like special lighting effects rendering, painting and motion effects, or anything anyone can think of to add (fans of PhotoShop know there are now hundreds of available plug-ins). Digidesign's Sound Designer II audio recording/editing software was one of the first music oriented programs to adopt the plug-in architecture. Digidesign or other third-party developers wrote software plug-ins for additional functions such as compression, equalization, and eventually many other things that enhanced the capabilities already included in the program. Nowadays many sophisticated applications (for music and otherwise) have the ability to utilize plug-in technology for enhancements.
ReWire
An inter-application communication engine developed by Steinberg that allows MIDI and audio applications to interact and cooperate with one another. For example, the audio output of an application may be routed to the audio engine of another and output with the second application's audio. Further, they may communicate with each other via MIDI so that one can control the other or so they can be synchronized. ReWire currently works with just about every DAW application such as Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Logic, Sonar, Cubase and others. Rocket Network
A music industry global production network for audio production and session management. The Rocket Network Company has established this standard through development and resale partnerships with leading audio companies, including Digidesign/Avid, DSP Media, Emagic, Euphonix, MOTU, Steinberg and Waveframe. These companies have developed or are developing RocketPower versions of their leading products. Rocket Network has developed an Application Programmers Interface (API) that is integrated directly into third party audio applications. This allows users to access the Rocket Network from within their favorite audio product. Rocket Network allows simultaneous multi-user access to files that can be dynamically updated from anywhere in the world. The Rocket Network Company's technology and services are becoming an integral part of a growing percent of professional audio sessions.
SDII (Sound Designer II)
A digital audio software application developed by Digidesign in the late 1980's. Sound Designer was originally created to be a sample-editing platform that interfaced with digital sampling instruments of the day. Not long after its introduction, Sound Designer became the front-end software for a direct to disk audio recording product called Sound Tools. The software became Sound Designer II at that time, and the Sound Designer II file format was born. While these old products have since been replaced by newer technology, the Sound Designer II file format lives on to this day. It is still one of the most popular audio file formats on the Macintosh, especially for professional audio work.
Session
Originally derived from the term "recording session," referring to the period of time when all the musicians were in the studio, the engineer was at the mixing console and the tape was rolling. Multitrack recording fragmented the original sense of this term by breaking complete "sessions" into individual segments in which only vocals, or drums, etc. were recorded at one time. Since then this word has been given different meanings by different audio software and hardware developers. Here are just a few examples.
In Pro Tools, a "session" refers to the master document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new project. The session file contains maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your plug-in effects, edit and mix information. Included in the session file is a play list, which defines groups of regions arranged on each audio or MIDI track.
In the CD world a "multisession" CD is one on which individual tracks or files have been burned to the CD at different times - also known as track at once burning. The Orange Book CD standard defines this process. But a multisession CD can be "fixed up" - with a table of contents written - once all necessary material is recorded on it. If it's an audio CD it can then conform to the Red Book CD standard - which is what all commercially produced CDs conform to.
On the Mackie dXb series of digital mixers, "session" is applied to a collection of fader and knob settings, plug-in effects instantiations, and any and all automation data performed by the mixer during one song, or one recording period. Note that no actual audio data is included in this definition. Mackie uses a "template" to describe preset initial fader, knob and effects values that allow you to begin a session with your preferred settings already in place. Shuffle Mode
An editing mode found in Pro Tools software. Shuffle Mode will always cause the audio region you are moving to become butted up against another region, or the beginning of the track. You can't just drop it anywhere. If you do it will "jump" up against another region. If you move a region to a place earlier in the track than some region that later region will move over to make room for the one you are dropping in, and then butt right up against it. This mode is great for working with loops and grooves as it does the dirty work for you in terms of keeping everything continuous. The three other major editing modes in Pro Tools are Spot Mode, Grid Mode and Slip Mode.
Slip Mode
An editing mode found in Pro Tools software. Slip mode allows you to place an audio region anywhere you wish, independent of any grid or time code values. This mode is handy for all the other stuff you do in Pro Tools, particularly when it comes to working with regions that don't have any relevance to the musical timing of the piece. Often times vocal and guitar tracks are comped with this mode. If you place a region over another region the first region will be cut off at the point where the new region starts and/or ends. The three other major editing modes in Pro Tools are Spot Mode, Grid Mode and Shuffle Mode.
Sound Designer
(1) The person who creates special sound effects for film; originally, the person assigned responsibility for the overall sound of the film, and who supervises the sound editing and re-recording.
(2) A popular Mac-based digital audio editing program created by Digidesign. The Sound Designer program was discontinued by Digidesign in the late 1990’s as much of its functionality had been incorporated into Pro Tools.
(3) A file format (SDII) created by Digidesign for use with their various Mac-based audio recording/editing/processing programs. Spot Mode
An editing mode found in Pro Tools software. When you move an audio region, or pull an audio file out of the audio regions list (on the right side of the edit window) a dialog box will pop up asking you to enter the location for the region. Once you input that it will drop it precisely there for you. Spot Mode is ideal for working with sound effects and things that are being spotted to picture. Once you have your session synchronized to the time code you can just enter the time code value for the region and it's right on. If you spot a region over another region the first region will be cut off at the point where the new region starts and/or ends. The three other major editing modes in Pro Tools are Shuffle Mode, Grid Mode and Slip Mode.
Superclock
A term coined by Digidesign in the early days of Pro Tools. Pro Tools has always operated at an internal timing resolution of 256x the sample rate. In order for multiple audio interfaces to be able to remain locked together in a system it was necessary to carry this clocking information between the interfaces themselves. It couldn't just be passed through the multi-pin cable that connects them to the host cards for various technical reasons. So Digidesign decided to use a BNC connector (they were easily available and good for the job) to transfer this high resolution clock data, but to keep people from getting confused and thinking it was a standard word clock connection, Digidesign came up with the term Superclock and labeled them as such. Any device, such as a synchronizer, that connects to a Digidesign system and needs to accurately control its clock must output this superclock reference.
TDM
Abbreviation for Time Division (or Domain) Multiplexing. TDM dates at least as far back as early telephone and telegraph systems, where multiple signals were able to exist on one cable by way of a complex mechanical relay system that caused different signals to actually "appear" on the line at different instances in time. The TDM concept was applied to audio by Digidesign years ago in the development of their Pro Tools product. The product was developed from the ground up to have an internal timing resolution of 256 times the sample rate. Among other things this provided an innate ability for Pro Tools to carry out up to 256 different operations per sample (see also Super Clock). Shortly after the release of Pro Tools 2.0, TDM became positioned as an architecture that would provide an internal 256 channel, 24-bit routing matrix implemented in the Pro Tools software. By adding other hardware resources, such as DSP chips, it became possible to route audio to and from various places in a system where other processes could be applied to the audio. This provided a foundation to begin to have plug-ins and lots of other real time audio routing capabilities in Pro Tools.
Template
Generally something that establishes or serves as a pattern or gauge, such as a thin metal plate with a cut pattern that is used as a guide in making something accurately in woodworking. In our discourse this normally refers to a computer document or file having a preset format that is used as a starting point for a particular application so that the format does not have to be recreated each time it is used. This could be a loan amortization template for a spreadsheet program; a memorandum template for a word processing program, a mixer configuration for Pro Tools, a MIDI setup for sequencing software, a basic two zone layer for a keyboard controller, or any of dozens of other applications. Anytime one is working with a device that is programmable and has many different parameters templates can save a lot of time configuring new sessions, mixes, setups, and so on. An overlay that fits over all or part of a keyboard or other type of hardware control panel and has labels describing the functions of each key within a particular application is also known as a template.
Turnkey
Turnkey refers to a system or software package that has been built, installed or supplied by the manufacturer complete and ready to operate. In the computer industry, the term is used to promote a system that can be easily set up and operated "right out of the box." If you think of it in terms of an engine, a turnkey engine comes with all the parts and can be tossed into a car and work immediately. An engine that isn't Turnkey will need additional parts and integration before it will run.
In essence, Turnkey is a term that requires qualification. For example, a Sweetwater PC that is optimized for audio in and of itself is a Turnkey system. However, a system that includes a Sweetwater PC, Pro Tools software, and an Mbox that enables you to set up easily and begin recording immediately can also be considered a Turnkey system. Virtual Instrument
A computer program that emulates the performance of an analog or digital synthesizer, a sampler or an acoustic instrument. Virtual instruments earn this name because they operate entirely as software with no physical "box." However, this is not actually correct, as virtual instruments simply utilize the host computer's CPU and internal or external audio hardware to generate sounds in place of the dedicated, proprietary hardware of most of the keyboards and synthesizers we've been used to over the years. Virtual instruments can be of relatively simple design, such as a collection of samples with a playback engine, or they can use complex modeling algorithms to emulate analog synths of the past (called "virtual analog" synths). Most of these instruments will respond to MIDI continuous controller messages in the same manner as a hardware synthesizer.
Virtual instruments often can operate in two modes. First, they function as a plug-in in compatible host programs such as Pro Tools, Digital Performer, SONAR, or other audio/MIDI sequencers. To do so, the virtual instrument must be written to support the audio format used by the host program, such as VST, MAS, DirectX or Audio Units. In addition many virtual instruments can function in standalone mode, which means they can be played and programmed without requiring a host program to be open. Zero Latency
Latency is the time a message takes to traverse a system. For music recorded via computer, latency is major concern. A human playing an instrument, for example, needs nearly instantaneous feedback from that instrument in order to play it correctly. While this is generally not a problem with non-digital instruments, audio routed through a computer always has some delay in the signal path. Latencies higher than 100 ms make working with real-time music programs or instruments impossible, and many musicians find much lower latencies objectionable. While virtually every digital process involves some latency (just converting a signal to digital and back to analog takes some small amount of time) there are some systems where it is much more of an issue than others. Historically host based computer recording systems (ones that don't rely on dedicated audio processing hardware, but use the computer's CPU for instead) have been the worst offenders. A TDM based Pro Tools DAW, for example, has virtually no latency because the computer is merely acting as a host while most of the audio processing is done on the DSP cards residing in the computer.
Out of the need for low-latency interconnects, Steinberg created ASIO, a protocol designed for low-latency transmission (on the order of a few ms) of digital instrument and other music data. The term 'Zero Latency Monitoring' was introduced in 1998 by RME with the DIGI96 series of audio interfaces and refers to the technique of routing the input signal directly to the output on the audio card. This has become one of the most important features of modern, host based hard disk recording.
Progress is continually being made in lowering the latency of these systems. With ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM, since ASIO 2.0), Steinberg has not only introduced Zero Latency Monitoring to ASIO, but also extended it substantially. ADM also allows for monitoring the input signal via the hardware in real-time. Over and above that, ADM supports panorama, volume and routing, which requires a mixer (i.e. DSP functionality) in the hardware though. Thus it is possible to copy a routing through a software mixer into the hardware in real-time, so that the sound difference between playback and monitoring is very small. In total, ADM renders a substantial step towards 'mixer and tape recorder inside the computer'. There are similar advancements being achieved with other brands. On the whole zero latency monitoring is a reality now, but there are still some compromises to be made in terms of workflow to achieve it. The only easy way around this is still to go with more costly solutions until processing speeds allow the power and flexibility of dedicated systems to be truly replicated with host based systems. |
