AUDIO GLOSSARY                 B

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Baffles – Sound absorbing panels that are used to prevent sound waves from entering or leaving a space

Balance – 1) The relative level of two or more instruments in a mix, or the relative level of audio signals in the channels of a stereo recording. 2) To balance or even out the relative levels of audio signals in the channels of stereo recording.

Balance Control – A control on a stereo amplifier that will make the right channel louder or the left channel softer.

Backbone – The high-traffic-density connectivity portion of any communications network. In packet-switched networks, a primary forward direction path traced sequentially through two or more major relay or switching stations. In packet-switched networks, a backbone consists primarily of switches and inter-switch trunks.

Background Noise – The total system noise in the absence of a signal.
 
Balanced Mixer – A circuit or device that generates the sum and difference frequencies of two input signals.

Balanced Phase Detector – A circuit that controls the oscillator frequency (afc). RF Phase Detector Manufacturers

Band – 1) A range of frequencies, often identified by the center frequency of the range. 2) One of the selections on a compact disk or DVD. 3) A group of musicians playing together.

Bandpass Filter  – Allows a narrow band of frequencies to pass through the circuit. Rejects or attenuates frequencies that are either higher or lower than the desired band of frequencies.

Bandwidth – Refers to the width of a communication channel measured as frequency. The difference between the highest usable frequency of a device and the lowest usable frequency of the device measured at the half-power points.

Band Track – A song mixdown without the lead vocal or without the lead and background vocals.

Bandwidth  – The range of frequencies over which a tape recorder, amplifier or other audio device is useful. Also refers to the number of frequency octaves affected by an equalization setting.

Bank – A collection of sound patches, data as to the sequence and operating parameters of the synthesizer generators and modifiers) in memory.  Also refers to a group of sound modules as a unit.  Also, a place to stash your paychecks.

Bar – A term meaning to measure, the grouping of a number of beats in music, most-often four beats.

Barrier Micing – A method of placing the head of a microphone close to a reflective surface which prevents phase cancellation.

Basic Session – The first audio recording session for recording the basic tracks.

Bass Reflex – A type of loudspeaker cabinet design in which a port, or opening, in the speaker cabinet enhances bass frequencies. The principle is that the sound wave pressure generated by the back of the speaker cone inside the cabinet can be routed out the port at the front of the cabinet, mixed with the sound coming from the front of the woofer. Changing the port size and position will greatly change the character of the low frequencies.

Beaming – A phenomenon found in all loudspeakers in which higher frequencies begin to be projected straight out of the loudspeaker rather than dispersing. The loudspeaker would sound as if the device only reproduces high frequencies when standing directly on-axis. Using horns for high-frequencies helps to alleviate the problem, and the advent of Constant Directivity horns improved the problem further.

Bass  –  1) The lower range of audio frequencies up to approximately 250 Hz. A reference value.   2) A freshwater fish that are caught in large numbers at various bass tournaments.

Beat –  1) The steady even pulse in music. 2) The action of two sounds or audio signals mixing together and causing regular rises &.falls in volume.

Beats - A sequence of individual beats (in the sense of meter, rhythm, groove, or riddim).

Beats Per Minute – The number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute and there fore defining a song’s tempo

Bi-Directional Pattern – A microphone pick up pattern with maximum pick up directly in front and directly in back of the diaphragm and the least pick up at the sides.

Biamplification – The process of having low-frequency speakers and high-frequency speakers driven by separate amplifiers.

Binary –   A numbering system based on two. In binary there are two symbols used ("l" and "0").

Bit – The smallest unit of digital information representing a single "0" or 1.

Blending – The mixing together to form one sound, or mixing the left and right signals together.

Board – Controls also known as the console which controls all the signals for recording and mixing. 2) A slang shortening of the term Keyboard Instrument.

Boom – A telescoping support arm attached to a microphone stand holding the microphone.

Boomstand  – A microphone stand equipped with a telescoping support arm to hold the microphone. 

Boost –  To increase gain at specific frequencies with an equalizer.

Bouncing – Also known as Ping-Ponging, or playing several tacks with sync playback through a console to mix and record them together in an open track.

BPM – An abbreviation of Beat Per Minute, the number of steady even pulses in music occurring in one minute which defines the tempo.
Breathing  –  In the audio world, this is the audible change in level of a signal due to the use of noise reduction or other dynamics processing.

Brickwall Filter –  A certain type of low-pass filter exhibiting a steep cutoff slope which resembles a "brick wall." These filters are often found in A/D converters to prevent aliasing; while they are acceptable for this purpose their steep slope introduces unwanted side-effects on the audio signal, such as phase shift.

Bridging – An amplifier technique whereby a single input is fed to both channels of an amplifier, and the positive output from both channels is summed into one, providing more amplifier power than using a single channel.

Bucking – Also known as Phase Cancellation,  bucking refers to the cancellation of one signal or part of a signal by another signal with equal amplitude but opposite polarity. This term is more commonly found in reference to musical instruments and used by musicians than "phase cancellation.

Bulk Dump – Short for System Exclusive Bulk Dump, a method of transmitting data such as the internal parameters between MIDI devices.

Buss/Bus – A wire carrying signals to a designated place, usually fed from several sources.

Byte – Information bits in a grouping of eight.