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Glossary of Terms


If you are unfamiliar with any of the technical jargon contained within this website, see below for a full explanation.  If you need further help, contact our customer services team by logging your enquiry through your My Roland account. Your enquiry will be logged and placed in a queue where we aim to respond to your enquiry within one working day.

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A
ADC
For "Analog-to-Digital Converter," a device that receives analog audio and converts it into digital data, such as analog audio coming into a V-Studio, sampler or digital mixer.
ADSR
Abbreviation for "Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release," the four settings of a traditional envelope.
ADVANCED Mode
Found on EDIROL audio interfaces, this switch changes the driver operation mode for use with audio editing software that uses ASIO drivers. ADVANCED mode is typically used when transferring audio to a computer at a bit depth of 24 bit and sample rates of 44.1/48/96kHz. ADVANCED mode is required for MIDI functionality with EDIROL products.
AES/EBU
For "Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcast Union," a format for sending and receiving digital audio data; typically uses an XLR connection.
AIFF
For "Apple Audio Interchange File Format." A commonly used type of disk file that contains audio, developed by Apple. Also called ".aif" files.
Aftertouch
A realtime control produced by pushing a key down further than the point at which the key's note sounds. Channel aftertouch affects all currently sounding notes; polyphonic aftertouch affects only the pressed note.
Ambience
The resonating of the real or imaginary space in which a sound occurs.
Amplifier envelope
A device that changes the Time Variant Amplifier's settings over a period of time.
Amplitude
The technical term for a signal's volume or loudness.
Analog audio
Voltage-based representations of sound.
Analog-to-digital
The conversion, using an ADC, of analog audio to digital data.
Arpeggiator
A device that plays a pre-programmed series of notes. An arpeggio can be any kind of musical phrase, including simulations of guitar strumming.
ASIO
ASIO stands for Audio Streaming Input/Output. It was originally developed by Steinberg as a low latency driver for handling multiple streams of audio data. ASIO drivers are going to work best with Cubase and Nuendo. Numerous other software makers also work well with this driver including the Emagic programs.
Attack
A parameter that sets the speed at which an envelope or dynamics processor starts. With an envelope, Attack sets the speed at which the enveloped setting travels from 0 to its nominal value. In a dynamics processor, it sets the speed at which the processor starts working.
Attenuate
To reduce in volume.
Audio
A general word for sound.
Automation
The memorization and playback of changes you make to mixer settings.
Automix, Auto-Mix
Automix is the automated mixing system in a V-Studio or VM mixer.
Auto Punch
A feature on V-Studios that automatically starts and stops recording for you when you're punching at locations you've set beforehand.
Aux
Short for "Auxiliary"; a designation for extra busses typically used for sending signal to effects, headphone amps and other destinations.
Aux return
An extra input; typically used for receiving a signal from the output of an internal or external effect processor.
Aux send
An extra bus that can be used for sending signal anywhere; typically used for sending signal into an effect.
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B
Back up
To make a copy of data and to store the copy on an external medium -- such as a CD-R or CD-RW disk -- for safekeeping. This copy is called a "backup." Backing up is extremely important to safeguard against unexpected events. To play or work on a song or project that's been backed up, it must be "recovered."
Balanced
A type of audio connection that uses the three leads in a cable, connector and jack as part of a phase-cancellation scheme to boost signal and reduce noise.
Band
In EQ, a range of frequencies.
Band pass filter
A type of filter that allows only the band of frequencies surrounding the cutoff frequency to pass through unaffected.
Bandwidth
In EQ, the width of a band; the number of frequencies that are boosted or cut above and below a selected center frequency.
Bank
In MIDI instruments, a group of patches. Each bank can contains up to 128 patches, numbered from 0-127 or 1-128. In favorite lists, a group of patches.
Bank Select
A type of MIDI message that typically corresponds to a specific bank of patches. When an instrument receives a Bank Select message, the corresponding patch bank is selected. Typically, a Bank Select message is followed by a Program Change message that selects a patch within the selected bank. A Bank Select message may contain two components, an MSB ("Most Significant Byte") and/or an LSB ("Least Significant Byte") value.
Bass
The lower frequency range of a sound, usually from about 200 Hz down.
Bend range
The maximum pitch change that can be applied by moving a pitch bend control.
Bit depth
Digital recording can capture audio using number strings of varying lengths -- a longer string allows more detail in the description of level changes in the signal. The size of a string is referred to as its "bit depth." Most often, digital devices record and play audio using bit depths of 16 or 24 bits. Audio CDs use 16 bits.
Boost
To increase in level.
Bouncing
Bouncing is the copying of tracks onto other tracks. Typically, this is done to combine a greater number of tracks into a fewer tracks, though there are other reasons to bounce. Some people call bouncing "ping-ponging."
Buffer
An audio buffer is a driver setting usually found in audio recording software. Reducing the buffer size can help reduce the amount of latency while recording and monitoring audio. Increasing the buffer size can help reduce pops and clicks while recording.
Bulk dump
The transmission of a chunk of SysEx data from one MIDI device to another. The sending device doesn't need to understand the data -- it merely needs to be able to receive, store and re-transmit it.
Burn
"Burn" is music industry slang for writing data onto a CD.
Bus
A pathway down which one or more signals can travel to a common destination.
Bus Powered
Found on some EDIROL products, the power for the product is obtained from the FireWire or USB connection, no AC adapter is necessary.
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C
C4
Middle C in most MIDI devices.
CC number (Control Change Number)
A numbered MIDI message that's permanently assigned to a particular parameter. A MIDI Control Change number is followed by a value that sets the parameter in the MIDI device that receives it.
CD-RW drive
A CD-RW drive -- short for "CD-ReWritable" -- is a device that can burn audio onto CD-R ("CD-Recordable") or CD-RW ("CD-ReWritable") discs. You can write unerasable, permanent data onto a CD-R one time. A CD-RW disk can be reused: You can erase a CD-RW and write new data onto the disk.
COSM
An abbreviation for Roland's "Composite Object Sound Modeling" technology that shapes audio by applying the sonic characteristics of popular or classic microphones, guitars, guitar amplifiers and studio reference speakers.
Cannon connector
Another name for an XLR connector.
Channel
A set of tools for the control and shaping of a single audio signal.
Channel strip
A row of controls on a mixer allocated to the shaping of a single audio signal.
Chorus
An effect in which multiple copies of a signal are played together slightly out of time to create a shimmering effect.
Clipping
The unpleasant thumping or clicking noise made when a digital signal exceeds the capacity of an audio device.
Clock
A timing reference that provides the basis for synchronization of different elements in a single device, or between multiple devices.
Coarse tune
The adjustment of pitch in semitone steps.
Compression ratio
The amount of gain reduction applied to a signal exceeding a compressor's threshold level setting.
Compressor
A dynamics processor that reduces the level of any signal exceeding a specified threshold volume.
Core Audio
This is an ultra-low latency, high quality MAC-compatible audio driver that is built directly in to the OSX operating system.
Cue bus
A bus -- sometimes a stereo pair of busses -- dedicated to the providing of signal to performers so they can hear what they're doing.
Cut
To reduce in level.
Cutoff
The frequency at which a filter starts to work.
Cycle
In a sound wave, the repeating movement from the greatest amount of air pressure to the least; the pitch of sound waves is measures in cycles; each cycle equals one "Hertz."
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D
DAC
For "Digital-to-Analog Converter," a device that converts digital data to analog audio, such as the audio leaving a digital mixer on its way to an analog device.
DAT
Abbreviation for "Digital Audio Tape"; used in reference to this type of tape as well as the recorders that use it.
dB
Abbreviation for "decibel," a unit of measurement for the loudness of audio.
DSP
For "digital signal processing," the means by which digital audio is mixed, filtered, equalized, or by which effects are added.
Damper Pedal
Pedal that, when pressed, causes sustaining notes to continue to play until the pedal is released.
D-Beam
A realtime controller found on many Roland instruments. You can manipulate or trigger sounds by moving your hand above the D-Beam.
Decay
In a traditional envelope, the time it takes for the enveloped setting to reach its sustain level after the Attack envelope stage.
De-esser
A device that detects and reduces sibilance in vocal signals.
Defrag, Defragment
The process by which the empty space on a hard drive or in a device's RAM is made continuous -- instead of being broken into small, scattered pieces -- to help ensure smooth operation.
Delay
An effect in which a copy of a signal is played back later than the original.
Detent
A notch that you can feel as you move a fader up or down; signifies the point at which no level boost or cut is applied by the fader.
Digi-Score
A visual interface that displays a music score from any MIDI file. This virtual score constantly displays the exact location in the music file in several notation sizes
Digital audio
Sound represented as binary computer data.
Digital music file
Music that is digitally recorded as a computer file. Common types of digital music files are .mid files -- the smallest and only really interactive type, also called a "Standard MIDI Files" -- .wav files -- very large, medium-resolution files, and MP3 files -- a highly compressed, high resolution file suitable for recording and playback
Digital-to-analog
The conversion, using a DAC, of digital data to analog audio.
Dim
A switch that allows you to quickly reduce your monitoring volume.
Direct box
A mic-level box that converts a phone connector to an XLR connector.
Direct Monitoring
Found on EDIROL products, this adjusts the balance between the monitor volume and the audio volume playback from the computer. Using the Direct Monitor volume control to adjust the volume will not affect the recording level.
Distortion
Fuzz or roughness added to a sound.
Dither
A process that deliberately adds a tiny amount of noise to a signal in order to mask unwanted sounds introduced when the signal's original bit depth is reduced. Dithering is recommended when transferring audio to a device that uses a lower bit depth.
Doubling
The artificial simulation of a second unison performance by using a delay with a short delay time.
Driver
In order for audio or MIDI interfaces to communicate (transfer data) to and from a computer, the use of software drivers is required. For use with a Windows machine, many products can use a standard 16 bit windows driver- these are already a part of a full install of Windows XP. Other interfaces require one or more special drivers to be installed. EDIROL products have an ADVANCED option or switch, which allows for a choice between the standard Windows driver, or in the ADVANCED mode, the specialized drivers. Deciding which driver to use will depend on the application being used and the USB/FIREWIRE hardware being used.
Dry
A signal to which an effect has not been added.
Dynamics
Volume changes that occur in audio.
EQ
The process of altering the levels of frequencies that comprise a signal. Also called "equalization."
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