Mute

In audio, muting is a function that somehow prevents a device or audio channel from being able to be heard. The muting function has been standard on many mixing boards over the years as a handy way to eliminate a channel from a mix without having to pull the level down. This is beneficial because one can quickly return the channel to the mix without having to reset the level again. Muting causes similar results in MIDI sequencing and DAW systems – where individual tracks or MIDI channels can be silenced – though the means of achieving those results are dramatically different than an analog mixing board.