Index: glossary.xml =================================================================== --- glossary.xml (revision 1460) +++ glossary.xml (working copy) @@ -4,23 +4,46 @@ ]> + + Ardour Glossary A - ALSA + ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) - Abbreviation for Advanced Linux Sound Architecture. ALSA provides audio - and MIDI functionality to the Linux operating system. + ALSA provides audio and MIDI functionality to the Linux operating system. - + Home page: + + API (Application Programming Interface) + + + A set of functions exposed by a computer system (usually a library, service, or operating system) enabling it to be used by other systems. + + + An API is exposed at the level of source code, and is primarily used by programmers. + + + + Audio Track @@ -34,7 +57,7 @@ Auditioner - Some reasonable definition here. + A special bus in Ardour that is independent of the rest of the mix, useful for auditioning specific regions by themselves. @@ -46,8 +69,11 @@ Bus - Some reasonable definition here. + A virtual track that provides mixing and effects control over an entire group of tracks. In analog mixing terminology, buses are sometimes known as groups or subs. + + The output from each of the tracks assigned to the bus is sent to the bus and mixed, and the output of the bus can be sent to the master output bus or (less commonly) another bus. The master bus is an always-present bus that usually provides a mix of all buses and tracks in the session, and is used to set the overall volume of the mix. + @@ -76,12 +102,14 @@ D - DAW + DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) - Abbreviation of Digital Audio Workstation. Some reasonable definition - here. + A system for sound production, focusing on the functions of multi-track recording, playback, mixing, editing, and possibly also mastering. DAWs often consist of specialised hardware (audio I/O devices, DSPs) and software. + + Since much of the functionality of a DAW can now be run in software on general-purpose personal computers, the term DAW can be used to refer specifically to an integrated software system for sound production. + @@ -89,7 +117,7 @@ Destructive Recording - Some reasonable definition here. + A recording mode in which any existing audio regions in armed tracks may be overwritten. In Ardour, tape tracks implement destructive recording. @@ -110,10 +138,10 @@ H - HDR + HDR (Hard Disk Recorder) - Short for Hard Disk Recorder. Some reasonable definition here. + Software and/or hardware for recording and playing back audio, using a hard disk drive as the storage medium. @@ -134,14 +162,20 @@ J - JACK + JACK (Jack Audio Connection Kit) - Initialism of Jack Audio Connection Kit. Some reasonable definition here. + A low-latency audio server for POSIX systems (including Linux and Mac OS X). - + JACK enables audio streams to be freely routed between applications and sound hardware or other applications, in real-time, and with sample-accurate synchronization. As of version 0.102.20, JACK also supports MIDI routing. + + Ardour requires that the JACK server, jackd, be running in order to record and play sounds. + + + Home page: + @@ -149,30 +183,56 @@ L - LADSPA + LADSPA (Linux Audio Developer's Simple Plugin API) - Abbreviation of Linux Audio Developers Simple Plugin API. Some reasonable - definition here. + A standard API for audio plugins on Linux. - + Home page: + + + layer + + + TODO + + + + M - MIDI + MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) - Abbreviation for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Some reasonable - definition here. + A standard for the coding and transmission of musical performance data in digital form. + + MIDI data is akin to a musical score, in that it consists of instructions specifying what notes are to be played, by which instrument, at what time, and with what nuances (e.g. how loud the note should be). A MIDI stream is typically much smaller than a digital reproduction of the waveform of the same performance. MIDI also provides for the transmission of control and system data, and clock signals for synchronisation. + + + + mixer strip + + + A user interface element in Ardour for controlling the flow and processing of the sound from a single track. + + + A mixer strip provides controls such as a fader (for controlling the level), pan or balance, and pre- and post-fader inserts. Mixer strips reside on the Mixer window, and a new strip is created for each new track. + + + + + + @@ -181,8 +241,11 @@ Playlist - some reasonable definition here. + A collection of audio regions in an Ardour track. A track may have only one playlist at a time, and an active playlist may belong to only one track. + + Playlists are commonly used in recording multiple takes of a performance. + @@ -190,17 +253,16 @@ plugin - some reasonable definition here. + A reusable code library that can be used within another program (for example, to perform audio data processing). Plugins are not standalone programs, and must be loaded and run within a host application. - POSIX + POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface for uniX) - POSIX stands for Portable Operating System Interface for uniX. Some - reasonable definition here. + A set of standards defining system and user interfaces for compatibility with the Unix operating system. @@ -208,8 +270,8 @@ R - - Region + + Redirect Some reasonable definition here. @@ -217,14 +279,15 @@ - - Redirect + + Region - Some reasonable definition here. + The basic element of editing in Ardour, representing a contiguous section of one or more audio files. A region normally resides within a playlist, which in turn normally resides within a track. + @@ -242,8 +305,11 @@ Session - Some reasonable definition here. + An Ardour project; a collection of control data and audio files that form a performance. Commonly, a session would be used for recording a single piece of music, although one session could be used to record an entire album or suite (especially in the case of a live performance). + + The Ardour user interface is basically a tool for managing and manipulating sessions. Each session is saved within a folder on the filesystem, with subfolders for audio files and automation data, and files for the session metadata and state, along with snapshots and backups of the session. + @@ -251,7 +317,7 @@ Session Template - Some reasonable definition here. + A saved Ardour session that can be used as a convenient starting point for a new session. @@ -283,8 +349,14 @@ Track - Some reasonable definition here. + The basic unit of recording in an Ardour session. A track typically represents the recording of a single instrument, and has controls such as gain and pan/balance applied to it on playback. A session typically comprises multiple tracks, which can be played back simultaneously. + + Each track has one playlist associated with it at any time, which contains the audio regions to be played. A track's playlist may have multiple regions, enabling a performance to be constructed from several smaller sections, or to control the levels and effects of multiple regions with one set of track controls. + + + An Ardour track can have many channels multiplexed within it, but most commonly only one (mono) or two (stereo) are used. Ardour's multichannel mixing is currently somewhat limited, so tracks with many channels might be better split into multiple tracks. + @@ -292,11 +364,14 @@ V - VST + VST (Virtual Studio Technology) - Short for Virtual Studio Technology + An audio plugin architecture defined by Steinberg. The main types of VST plugin are instruments (digital synthesizers) and effects. + + Steinberg's VST SDK may be freely downloaded, but the license agreement does not permit it to be redistributed. While Ardour can be compiled to support VST plugins, the VST SDK license prevents you from redistributing the binary. This in turn means that you cannot comply with the GPL license that applies to Ardour. +