Digital Audio Glossary
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audio image file:A computer file which holds audio data used to create a Red Book Audio CD.
Beta Testing:The act of testing and proofing a custom authored computer application.
Buffering:The method for temporarily storing or delaying data samples before processing or conversion.
Blue Book:The official specification for session 2 of a CD EXTRA or Enhanced CD. Includes a file structure for graphics, lyrics, biographies, and copyright.
CD+G: An extension to CD-Audio which allowed for storing graphics within the subcode of the audio data..
CD EXTRA: Originally called CD Plus, this Enhanced CD format has two sessions on one disc: 1) Red Book Audio and 2) CD-ROM. Of all interactive music formats to date, the most successful.
CD-Interactive: Also known as CD-I; an interactive multimedia format developed by Philips in 1986 which had only limited success.
CD-ROM XA: A subset of the CD-ROM standard with a slightly different sector size used for multi-session CD-ROM.
CD-R: A recordable compact disc format, allowing just one record cycle.
CDTV: A short lived interactive multimedia compact disc format developed by Commodore which worked in conjunction with a televison set.
Custom Icons: Small thumbnail pictures which graphically represent the contents of a computer file on the desktop.
D/A: An acronym for a Digital to Analog Converter needed in any device to play back digital audio.
Defragmenting: a computer procedure which reorders and makes contiguous any fragmented files on a hard disk.
Digital Audio Extraction: A method of retrieving audio samples from an Audio CD in order to create a computer audio file.
Disc at Once: A recordable CD method, where the session is recorded in one pass, without interruption.
DVD: An acronym for Digital Versatile Disc, which is a new comapct disc format with an increased data capacity.
DVD-Audio: A new consumer audio format, based upon the DVD standard, still awaiting final v. 1.0 specification. The new format will feature very high quality audio (96kHz, 24 bit) as well 5.1 Surround Sound (up to 6 channels).
DVD-ROM:A new computer data format, based upon the DVD standard, which uses the UDF file format and will offer up to 4.9 GB of data storage on each layer.
Freedom Sessions:A MIXED MODE CD-ROM released by the music artist, Sarah McLachlan, in 1995.
HFS:An acronym for Hierarchical File System which the Macintosh OS uses for it's file structure.
High Sierra: A group of high level computer companies (IBM, Apple, Microsoft) that created the groundwork for the CD-ROM "yellow book" standard in 1985.
ISRC: A twelve digit code written into the subcode area of an Audio CD, which holds logging information for each track.
ISO 9660: The universal file format for Yellow Book CD-ROM.
Jaz: a cartridge-based magnetic storage fomat popular with personal computers.
JAM:
Adaptec's popular recordable CD Audio software which writes a Red Book audio
disc from computer audio files. Formerly known as Toast CD-DA.
Jitter:
The timing error or inconsistency between audio samples, when digital audio
is being recorded or played back through a converter.
Macromedia
Director: A very popular multimedia authoring application.
Mixed
Mode: A multimedia variant on the audio compact
disc developed in 1992 that substituted CD-ROM data for track 1.
MPEG:
A universal standard for viewing video/audio on a computer.
Multimedia
Authoring: The creation of a custom computer
program or application which has different interactive media such as audio,
video and text.
Multi-session:
A compact disc with more than one table of contents and program.
Out
of phase: An audio signal that has its waveform
180 degrees out of phase with another.
Pregap:
A method of inserting computer data for multimedia within the "pregap"
area between Index 0 and Index 1 of an Audio CD.
Projector:
A finished "run-time" application made with Macromedia Director which
displays a finished mulitmedia project.
QuickTime::
A multimedia architecture developed by Apple Computer to view and hear audio
and video files on a computer.
Q Subcode:: A section of the subcode of an Audio CD that defines timing and tracking information.
Red Book: The formal standard for the audio compact disc, develped by Philips and Sony in 1982.
Sadie:a PC based CD mastering software used by some CD premastering facilities and CD plants.
SCSI:a computer hardware protocol, which allows copying or transmission of data from one device to the next.
Shared Hybrid: a CD-ROM protocol for storing both Macintosh and Windows compatible files on the same disc.
SonicStudio:a Macintosh based CD mastering software used by a great majority of CD premastering facilities and CD plants.
Sony PCM-1630:an early compact disc mastering format, which utilized 3/4" U-matic video tape for storage.
SoundDesigner II:a Macintosh based computer file format for digital audio.
unfinished:a protocol for a recordable CD, allowing more sessions to be written.
Web Link:a button or link within a multimedia application which allows the user to access a specific Web site on the World Wide Web.
Yellow Book:the formal basic standard for storing computer data on a compact disc, ie. CD-ROM.
Zip:a cartridge-based magnetic storage fomat popular with personal computers .