Audio Technical Glossary

Bit(s)
Increments of digital data, represented in binary code (0s and 1s). It is the smallest unit of data in a computer. The number of bits corresponds with the amount of information that can be read.

Bit Rate
The amount of information, in binary digits, that is transferred in a unit of time, usually a second.

CD (Compact Disc)
A plastic disc containing optical digital audio information. Uses a 44.1kHz sampling rate with 16 bits of data. Uses Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) to convert analog information into digital information.

CD-ROM (Compact Disc, Read-Only-Memory (or Read-Only-Media))
A compact disc containing interactive data that can be read by a computer.

Cassette
An analog format that uses a magnetic film to record audio information.

Digital Remastering
The transferring of audio to a digital format, used as the new "master" for duplication. Digital Remastering can involve "cleaning" the original audio (removing pops, hiss, and other unwanted noise), boosting or cutting high, low and mid signals (AKA Equalization), and re-mixing the separate tracks. The quality of the remaster is dependent on the quality of the original recording.

DSD (Direct Stream Digital)
Analog-to-digital converter, used for recording Super Audio CDs. It has a sample rate of 2.8224 MHz, which can be converted to any of the industry standard sample rates. Designed by Sony and Philips.

DST (Direct Stream Transfer)
Used in SACD production, DST is a lossless compression technique (no data is lost during compression). This technology allows for two programs of content to be printed on the same disc: a 2-channel program and a 6-channel program. Designed by Sony and Philips.

DTS-CD
A CD encoded with DTS-formatted sound. A regular CD player can play this CD only when a line is run out of the digital output through a DTS-capable receiver, otherwise the audio will come out as static-like noise. A CD player's analog output will not work. A DVD player is not required since DTS is encoded differently on a DTS-CD than it is on a DVD. A DTS compatible DVD player should be able to read these discs when run through a DTS-capable receiver. The multi-channel output is 5.1.

DualDisc
The DualDisc, is a single CD/DVD-sized disc featuring a full-length CD on one side and a DVD on the other. The CD is playable in any standard CD player, and the DVD - which features an enhanced version of the album and a wide array of bonus material (such as video clips, documentaries, lyrics, etc.) - is playable in any standard DVD player.
For more see: DualDisc

DVD Audio
Anyone who has seen the incredible picture quality of a movie on DVD can tell you that videotape is now obsolete. Along with the stunning image quality, the amazing sound quality of DVD has made the DVD format the most quickly adopted new video format...

For more see: What is DVD Audio?

Enhanced CD
An audio CD with interactive material contained on the disc to be used on a computer similar to a CD-ROM.

EP (Extended Play)
Usually contains five or feWer songs, although there are exceptions. It can be considered a long single, or a short album.

HDCD (High Density Compatible Digital)
A format of CD encoded with 20 bits of information instead of 16. An HDCD player or an HDCD receiver is required, but not both, to achieve the full potential of the HDCD encoding. A normal CD player will play the CD but will not enhance the sound. HDCD sound has more body and more dynamic range than a normal CD.

Hybrid SACDs
Discs with a Super Audio layer and a CD layer are called Hybrid SACDs. These SACDs can be played on regular CD players. Sony does not make Hybrid SACDs. Therefore, Sony SACD's cannot be played on traditional CD players. The SA layer is a semi-transmissive layer, which a normal CD player's laser will read through in order to read the CD layer.

Hyper CD
Includes links to a Website(s) affiliated with the audio content (i.e.: the artist's Website). Not to be confused with the Hyper CD-ROM, which is a storage format.

Mastering
Mastering is the process in which the mixdown of a song is transferred to a medium from which it will be replicated, known as the "master". This process also includes the "cleaning" of the audio, tWeaking the high, low, and mid signals (AKA Equalization), and boosting the overall volume level.

MiniDisc
A recordable digital format. A small disc framed within a thin, plastic casing a little smaller than the computer 3 ½" floppy-disc. The MiniDisc is popular for creating personal mixes to be played on portable MiniDisc players.

Mixing
All of the sounds that comprise a piece of recorded music are recorded onto separate "tracks." The sound levels and signal quality (Equalization) of these tracks are then "mixed" together so that all of the sounds compliment each other.

Mixdown
The final mixing of a recording, mixed down to the essential number of tracks (i.e.: 2 tracks, left and right, for stereo). The mixdown is used to produce the "master" recording.

MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing)
A lossless compression technique (no data is lost during compression). It is used for compressing DVD-Audio files.

Oversampling
Digital samples must be at least double the frequency of the analog signal in order for the digital sample to accurately represent the analog signal. The human ear cannot hear frequencies over 20kHz, therefore 44.1 kHz is the industry standard for digital sampling, since all frequencies over the 20kHz digital sample would be inaudible. Oversampling is a digital filter that boosts the frequency of the digital sample. Two reasons for this: 1) boosting the frequency helps the digital sample to be converted to analog more faithfully during playback, and 2) the leftover digital frequencies are filtered out so that the signals do not interfere with other electronics.

PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)
The analog-to-digital converter used for recording traditional CDs.

Record
Records are releases that include all collections of recorded material, including albums, compilations and singles. Also refers to a vinyl-format recording.

Sample Rate
The number of samples of a sound per second.
 

Single
A record containing only a few songs, usually the album version of a song plus remixes of the same song. A single may also contain songs not included on the album, known as B-sides.

SACD (Super Audio CD)
It is now possible to play music in your home that sounds markedly better than a CD, and also makes full use of your multi-channel, multi-speaker home theater system. It's called Super Audio CD or SACD.
For more see: What is Super Audio CD?

Vinyl
AKA: "records." These are large plastic discs, often black, where the audio information is heard by using a needle to "translate" the tiny grooves embedded in the plastic into sound.

XRCD (Extended Resolution CD)
A JVC invention and trademark, XRCDs are regular CDs with higher sound quality. The encoding of the disc itself is not what produces the higher sound quality. Instead, attention is put into the mastering and manufacturing process. Mastering is done with 20-bit analog-to-digital conversion with 128 times oversampling, which is then converted to 16 bits during manufacturing while still maintaining its sonic integrity. All of this is done on special JVC equipment. The recording is pressed onto a CD where the readable side is coated in aluminum. No special equipment is required to play an XRCD. All that is needed is a normal CD player.