Index: xml/glossary.xml =================================================================== --- xml/glossary.xml (revision 1460) +++ xml/glossary.xml (working copy) @@ -4,28 +4,51 @@ ]> - + + + 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. + A collection of drivers, libraries, standards, and utilities that provide 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 + audio track - Some reasonable definition here. + A track that can directly contain and control recorded material in a playlist. This is in contrast to a bus [track], which receives its input from other tracks. [Is this an accurate definition?] @@ -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.[is this accurate?] @@ -43,19 +66,22 @@ B - Bus + 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, subgroups, or subs[need to confirm this terminology]. + + [Make some reference to "submix" here?] 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. + - Bus Track + bus track - Some reasonable definition here. + [Some reasonable definition here. How is a bus track different from a bus, in particular.] @@ -64,10 +90,10 @@ C - Crossfade + crossfade - Some reasonable definition here. + An operation or effect equivalent to fading one sound out at the same time as another is faded in, leaving the overall level unchanged throughout[is this true? Are there different fade curves that could change the overall level, a la pan/balance?]. Crossfades in Ardour can be created where there are overlapping regions in a track. [Are layers relevant here?] @@ -76,20 +102,22 @@ 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. + - Destructive Recording + destructive recording - Some reasonable definition here. + A recording mode in which existing audio regions[in a particular layer?] in armed tracks may be overwritten. In Ardour, tape tracks implement destructive recording. @@ -98,10 +126,10 @@ E - Embed + embed - Some reasonable definition here. + To include audio data from an external file while leaving the file in its original location, rather than moving it into the directory tree for the session. @@ -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. @@ -122,11 +150,14 @@ I - Insert + insert - Some reasonable definition here. + A redirect in which the auxiliary signal chain runs in series with the main one. + + Inserts are commonly used to apply effects that affect the overall amplitude of the signal, such as a dynamic range compressor. + @@ -134,55 +165,90 @@ J - JACK + JACK (Jack[or 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: + 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[does Ardour actually distinguish between these?], and pre- and post-fader inserts. Mixer strips reside on the Mixer window, and a new strip is created for each new track. + [Does Ardour distinguish between recorded and live sound as far as mixer strips are concerned? Does a mixer strip actually apply to a "channel" (or equivalent term), which may or may not have a track mapped to it (e.g. in the case of a live mix)?] + + + + + TODO: add Mixer Window? P - Playlist + 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[is this correct?]. [TODO: mention something about layers?] + + Playlists are commonly used in recording multiple takes of a performance. + @@ -190,17 +256,19 @@ 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. + + In Ardour, a plugin is a type of redirect that uses a LADSPA plugin to provide effects processing for a track. + - 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. @@ -208,60 +276,65 @@ R - - Region + + redirect ["redirection"?] - Some reasonable definition here. + A generic type of connection available in Ardour for a track[track only?], in which an audio signal can be routed to other processing elements besides the normal mixer strip controls. Effects plugins, sends, and inserts are types of redirect available in Ardour. - - Redirect + + region - Some reasonable definition here. + The basic element of editing in Ardour, representing a contiguous section of one or more audio files[What does contiguous mean when applied to multiple files?]. A region normally resides within a playlist, which in turn normally resides within a track. + S - Send + send - Some reasonable definition here. + A redirect in which the auxiliary signal chain runs in parallel with the main one. + - Session + 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. + - Session Template + session template - Some reasonable definition here. + A saved Ardour session that can be used as a convenient starting point for a new session. - + - - Submixing + + submix - Some reasonable definition here. + A mix that involves only a subset of the tracks ["or channels"?] in a session. A submix usually occurs at["in"?] a bus. @@ -270,21 +343,27 @@ T - Tape Track + tape track - Some Reasonable definition here. + A type of ["audio"?] track in Ardour that simulates[or "behaves like"?] a tape recording machine in that it uses a destructive mode of recording. - + - Track + track - Some reasonable definition here. + [I'm not entirely happy with this definition. A track is basically a channel, correct?]The basic unit of recording [and mixing?] 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. However, bus tracks do not contain recorded material, and act instead to provide submixing for multiple other tracks. + + [I suspect this now belongs under "audio track":]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. + + + [This is perhaps more detail than necessary for a glossary:]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[is this still true?]. + @@ -292,11 +371,14 @@ 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. +