Operation Manual

ADOBE AUDITION 3.0
User Guide
276
L
latency Measures the delay between user input and sound output from a computer. If latency is high, it produces an
audible echo during recording, disrupting timing for musicians. To reduce latency, use sound cards with ASIO
drivers.
limiter A signal processor that prevents audio from clipping. If the input signal exceeds the specified threshold level,
the output level remains constant even if the input increases in volume.
loop An audio file that contains tempo and pitch information, allowing it to match the tempo and pitch of other
loops in a multitrack session. You can repeat a loop-enabled clip infinitely by simply dragging its bottom right corner.
(See “About loops” on page 221.)
M
mastering The process of finalizing audio for a specific medium, such as the web or an audio CD. Mastering consists
of several processing phases, with equalization and compression phases being the most essential. You can master
audio files either individually or in groups. Collectively mastering groups of files is particularly important if the
destination medium is audio CD. (See “Mastering effect” on page 161.)
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a method of communicating performance instructions from one piece
of software or hardware to another. MIDI can simply relay musical notes, or it can transmit detailed information
about timing, synthesizer patches, and such. Windows transmits MIDI information internally between applications;
to transmit MIDI information between your computer and external devices such as MIDI keyboards, you must use
a hardware MIDI interface (for example, the MIDI In port of a sound card).
MIDI Timecode (MTC) A method of sending timing information between MIDI-capable devices. For example, you
can convert SMPTE timecode to MTC to synchronize Adobe Audition’s transport controls with a video or audio tape
deck.
MIDI trigger An Adobe Audition shortcut triggered by a MIDI event, such as Note On. You can send MIDI events
to any device capable of issuing a MIDI command, such as MIDI keyboards and sequencers.
millisecond (ms) One thousandth of a second. (There are 1000 milliseconds in a second.)
miniplug A common name for 1/8-inch plugs and jacks, sometimes known as minijacks. On the most common
sound cards, miniplug jacks provide analog audio inputs and outputs.
mix (or mix down) To combine multiple audio sources or tracks and output them together. Though mixes are
typically output to a stereo pair of channels, they can be directed to any number of channels (for example, one
channel for mono, or six channels for surround-sound).
mono A monophonic signal, which contains only one sound source.
N
noise gate A special type of expander that reduces or eliminates noise by greatly lowering signal levels that fall below
a specified threshold. Noise gates are often configured to totally eliminate background noise during musical pauses.
You can also use these gates to silence pauses in speech.
noise shaping A technique that shifts the frequency of dithering noise to minimize its audibility. (See also
“dithering” on page 275.)
nondestructive editing Nondestructive edits don’t alter a sound file on disk in any way. For example, nondestructive
volume changes do not alter the amplitude of a waveform, but instead simply instruct an audio application to play
the waveform at higher volume. In Adobe Audition, Multitrack View is a nondestructive editing environment.