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APPENDIX
Glossary
AES/EBU
Professional digital in/out standard, using balanced XLR cables.
The AES/EBU format can output 24 bit 96kHz.
S/PDIF
Consumer digital in/out standard, using coaxial phono-type
cables. This format can generally output 20 bit 48kHz.
TC products can output all 24 bits on S/PDIF.
Tos-link
Also called optical S/PDIF. Two channels of 24 bit, 96kHz can
be transferred with this format.
ADAT/TDIFF
Format capable of transferring 8 channels of 24 bit 48kHz, using
optical cables.
Brickwall type limiter
A type of limiter that allows absolutely no signal above threshold.
Bits & Bytes
1 bit is the smallest unit for information in the digital world. Its
value can be can be 0 or 1 or you could say on/off. 1 byte=8 bit.
Compressor Overshoot
When slow Attack times are used overshoots might occur. This
causes an unwanted click/distortion and. To prevent compressor
overshoots you can use a brickwall type limiter.
Cross-over point
Splitpoint indicating where the different bands begins/stops
working.
dBFS
dB full scale. 0dBFS is the absolute max in the digital world.
Any signal above 0dBFS will cause serious unwanted distortion.
dBu
Measuring unit in the analog world.
0dBu=0,775V in 600ohm
dBv
Measuring unit in the analog world.
0dBv is 1V in 600 ohm.
De-essing
An algorithm that removes unwanted “esses” or sibilance from
vocal material.
Dither
Going from one type of bit resolution to a lower, e.g. from 24 bit
to 16 bit, you actually loose 8 bits of information. The process of
cutting off bits is called truncation and it introduces digital
distortion of low level signals, due to the lack of complete signal
information. To compensate for this, dither must be applied.
Dither is a small amount of filtered noise that generates
randomization at the noise floor ensuring a less distorted low
level signal. Dithering is relevant only on digital Outputs and it is
always the receiving device that determines the number of bits
you must dither to. A DAT or CDR recorder should normally be
Dithered to 16 bit.
House Clock
A separate piece of equipment used only to generate a common
standard clock keeping all the attached digital equipment in sync.
Master Clock
If you don’t use a separate House Clock you can use most digital
units for the same purpose. In this case the unit you sync to is
called the Master Clock.
Make up gain
To optimize the output gain and energy in your material auto
Make-Up gain can be used to gain the compressed band
automatically.
Sample Rate
The quality of sound depends on how precise you can measure
the analog signal. Measuring is done by taking “pictures” of the
wave at a given rate: The Sample Rate. Since you need two
points to define a sinus curve, the maximum frequency that can
be successfully reproduced is the Sample Rate divided by two.
E.g. the max frequency that can be successfully reproduced with
a Sample Rate of 48kHz is 24kHz.
De-essing
An algorithm that removes unwanted “esses” or sibilance from
vocal material.
System Exclusive MIDI Commands
Device-dependent MIDI commands, normally used for remote
controlling machines.
Pre-emphasis
Pre-emphasis is used during broadcast to boost the high
frequency area. The receiving device compensates by attenuating
the same frequency area.
