Studio Terminology Research

Polar Patterns - circular diasgrams showing how sensitive a mic setup is and the microphones in it, this can be used to identify the optimum positioning of microphones when recording.

Compression - software or hardware unit that reduces the dynamic range of an audio track into a consistent peak and drop point.

Noise Gate - mutes low volume sounds and background noise to prevent it from spilling into the mix.

Comp Track/Comping - combining multiple recordings into one single track, most common with vocals to add more depth to the track.

Ambience - quality or character given to a sound recording by the environment.

Bouncing - the process of mixing two or more recorded tracks and re-recording the sum of the original tracks on to another track.

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) - electronic or software device that can be used to record, edit, and produce audio files.

Automation - a way of recording change in a parameter over time.