| A/D | Analog-to-digital audio converter. (chapter 11)
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| acoustical phase | A difference in time between two or more sine waves, measured in degrees. (chapter 2)
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| active crossover | A powered speaker crossover network with adjustable crossover frequencies. (chapter 4)
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| ADAT | Alesis digital audiotape is a digital audio-recording system that uses S-VHS videotapes to record up to eight channels of digital audio. (chapter 5)
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| AM | Amplitude modulation. The AM radio band extends from 535 kHz to 1605 kHz. (chapter 13)
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| amplitude | Amplitude represents the strength, or loudness, of a sound or audio signal without regard for its frequency. The height of the sine wave can be measured either in decibels, for sound, or voltage, for audio signals. (chapter 2)
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| Arbitron | The primary radio audience measurement service. Arbitron ratings are often referred to as "the book," since the ratings are published in book form each quarter. (chapter 10)
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| ASCAP | American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. A membership-based performing rights organization that protects the copyrights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for the performances of their copyrighted works. (chapter 1)
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| attack time | The fixed or adjustable length of time it takes for an audio processor to sense the presence of audio and react to the audio, measured in milliseconds. (chapter 6)
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| audio | Latin, "to hear"; sound that has been converted into electrical energy. (chapter 3)
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| balanced microphone cable | A microphone cable or line in which there is a positive wire, a negative wire, and a shield, or earth ground, surrounding the positive and negative wires. (chapter 3)
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| band-pass filter | An audio filter that has a high and low cutoff frequency, allowing only the frequencies in between to pass unaffected. (chapter 6)
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| bandwidth | With reference to a radio carrier wave, bandwidth is the space on the radio band occupied by the radio carrier-wave frequency and the audio that has been superimposed upon it. The superimposed audio signal widens the radio carrier by adding sidebands just above and below the assigned carrier frequency. The carrier wave and the upper and lower sidebands of the signal compose the bandwidth of a signal. (chapter 13)
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| barometric air pressure | A measure of the weight of the atmosphere, or air, pressing down on earth. It averages approximately 29.92 inches of mercury at mean sea level, which is the equivalent of 14.7 pounds per square inch. Barometric pressure varies with altitude, getting lighter as the altitude increases. (chapter 2)
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| bass boost | Another term for proximity effect. (chapter 3)
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| bidirectional | A microphone pattern that has maximum sensitivity at 0 and 180 degrees and maximum rejection at 90 and 270 degrees. (chapter 3)
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| BMI | Broadcast Music, Incorporated. A membership-based performing rights organization that protects the copyrights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for the performances of their copyrighted works. (chapter 1)
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| BNC | An unbalanced coaxial cable connector with a bayonet-type locking system invented by Paul Neill and Carl Concelman, thus the name Bayonet Neill-Concelman. Typically found on video and digital audio cables. The center conductor of the cable is connected to a pin, and the shield is connected to a barrel surrounding the pin. A rotating ring outside the barrel locks the cable to any female connector. (chapter 5)
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| branding | A marketing plan that seeks to provide a clear differentiation from the other stations in the marketplace, based on the station's overall identity and attitude as defined by the listener. (chapter 10)
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| breakout box | A device designed to allow audio distribution at press conferences through multiple mic or line-level outputs. (chapter 11)
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| bright | A sound rich in high frequencies. (chapter 6)
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| bus | A common point in an audio device into which several inputs feed and are joined together. (chapter 4)
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| butt plug | A wireless transmitter designed for plugging into the base of a microphone. (chapter 3)
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| call-out research | Research conducted by a radio station or a research firm to ask listeners questions about how they perceive the station's music format; often used to keep a station's music format on track from week to week. (chapter 1)
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| cardioid | A heart-shaped microphone pattern with maximum sensitivity at 0 degrees and maximum rejection at 180 degrees. (chapter 3)
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| carrier wave | The high-frequency radio wave transmitted by a radio station that has been amplitude or frequency modulated. (chapter 13)
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| centerline | An imaginary line extending straight out from the face of a microphone, or 0-degree axis. (chapter 3)
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| codec | Encoder/decoder; used to describe digital communication devices that encode data into a digital format before transmission and decode the data after the transmission. (chapters 11, 13)
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| coincident pair | Stereo microphone placement in which the two microphones are placed one above the other on a horizontal plane facing the sound source. With the heads serving as the rotation point, one is aimed at the right side of the sound source, the other at the left side. (chapter 3)
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| combo mode | When the on-air radio talent serves as the show's engineer as well, running the control board and other elements of the show in addition to announcing. (chapter 4)
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| commercial inventory | The number of commercials that a radio station has to offer for sale. Commercial inventory can be broken down into weekly, daily, and hourly inventory. (chapter 1)
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| commercial inventory load | How many commercials are actually scheduled to run in a given time period such as an hour, half hour, or quarter hour. (chapter 1)
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| compression | An audio processing technique in which the highest audio peaks are automatically turned down, reducing the dynamic range of the audio signal in a direct ratio to the audio input level; a form of automatic volume control. (chapter 5)
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| compression ratio | The fixed or adjustable ratio of the input to the output of an audio compressor. (chapter 6)
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| condenser microphone | A microphone that uses an electrostatic field to convert sound into audio and requires a polarizing voltage and preamplifier. (chapter 3)
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| constructive interference | When two sine waves are just slightly out of phase with one another but are still together in their cycles of compression and rarefaction. Constructive interference tends to increase the amplitude, reinforcing the sound waves. (chapter 2)
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| continuity coordinator | The individual who is responsible for writing all of the commercial and promotional copy that goes on the air. (chapter 8)
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| core audience | The primary target demographic of a radio station. (chapter 10)
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| courtesy lines | Telephone lines that are available in the press area of a sports venue for visiting sportscasters to use without charge. Depending on the facility, the line may be a POTS or an ISDN line. Most have long-distance service disabled, other than toll-free exchanges such as 800, 888, etc. (chapter 11)
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| crispy | A sound with extended high-frequency response, like the sizzle of crisp bacon frying. (chapter 6)
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| critical distance | The distance from the sound source at which the ratio of direct-to-reverberant sound is equal, or 1; abbreviated Dc. (chapter 3)
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| D/A | The abbreviation for a digital-to-analog audio converter. (chapter 11)
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| dark | A sound that is the direct opposite of bright; dull with a weak high-frequency response. (chapter 6)
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| DAW | Digital audio workstation is the term generally applied to a computer-based digital recording system that incorporates the ability to record, store, manipulate, transport, and deliver digital audio products. (chapter 5)
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| daypart | A broadcast industry term that classifies a specific time period of radio listening. (chapter 10)
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| dead studio | A studio or a location that has no natural reverberation or echo. (chapter 6)
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| dead-studio sound | A studio is said to be a "dead studio" when there is little or no natural reverberation—the less reverberation, the more dead the studio. (chapter 8)
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| decibels | A unit of measurement developed by Alexander Graham Bell to measure the loss of signal over one mile of telephone line. Because the bel is such a large unit, most measurements are made in tenths (deci) of a bel, thus the decibel. A decibel can be expressed as a volume of acoustic sound-pressure level or, for audio signals, as a voltage reading. (chapter 2)
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| de-esser | A specialty compressor that has a variable frequency range used to reduce sibilant ess sounds in speech between 6 kHz and 8 kHz. (chapter 6)
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| demographics | Demographic information consists of statistical data about a particular group of people. For example, the radio station targets 18-to-34-year-old single males living in Jackson County who have an annual income of over $15,000. (chapter 1)
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| destructive interference | When two sine waves are out of phase with one another and their cycles of compression and rarefaction are occurring at different times. Destructive interference tends to decrease the amplitude and weaken the sound waves. (chapter 2)
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| digital condenser microphone | A condenser microphone with a built-in preamplifier that includes an analog-to-digital converter and digital output only. (chapter 3)
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| diversity receiver | A wireless microphone receiver using two tuners and two antennas to eliminate noise and dropouts. (chapter 3)
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| DMCA | Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. (chapter 12)
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| donut | A type of agency-supplied commercial that has a hole in the middle of the ad for the insertion of local copy. (chapter 8)
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| draw | Something to attract people to an event or a location: a gimmick or enticement. (chapter 11)
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| driver | An individual speaker within a speaker cabinet; each driver consists of a moving-coil transducer that converts analog electrical energy into acoustic energy. (chapter 4)
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| dry signal | An original, unprocessed audio signal being sent from an audio console to an outboard audio processor, such as a reverb or delay unit. (chapter 4)
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| DSL | Digital subscriber line. An Internet connection made over a regular, twisted-pair telephone line capable of carrying data and a telephone conversation at the same time. Popular for home and small business use. (chapters 12 and 13)
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| DSP | Digital signal processor is a device for the manipulation and modification of audio signals, such as reverb, delay, or dynamics processing. (chapter 5)
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| DTRS | Digital tape recording system that uses Hi8 videotape as the recording medium, with the capability to record eight channels of digital audio. (chapter 5)
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| dubs | Slang for the word duplicate, a term used for a copy or copies of an original. (chapter 7)
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| duplex devices | Audio devices that allow bi-directional communications on a single line or radio-frequency transmission. (chapter 11)
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| DVD | The digital versatile disc is an optical storage medium that offers a number of both audio and video storage formats. Depending on the format, a DVD can store data on both sides of the disc, two layers deep. (chapter 5)
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| DVD-A | A digital versatile disc that contains only audio. (chapter 5)
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| dynamic microphone | A moving-coil microphone. (chapter 3)
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| dynamic range | The difference betwen the softest and loudest part of a sound, measured in decibels (dB). A dynamic range of 95 dB, for example, indicates that the loudest sound is 95 dB louder than the softest sound. (chapter 2)
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| electret-condenser microphone | A condenser microphone that, although it does not require a polarizing voltage, does require a battery to run the preamplifier. (chapter 3)
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| ENG | Electronic news gathering, or location spot-news coverage. (chapter 11)
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| ERP | Effective radiated power. When applied to an FM station, the term specifies in watts how much power the station can use to transmit its signal, as measured at the antenna. (chapter 13)
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| external marketing | Any medium or marketing tool outside the radio station such as billboards, newspaper ads, and television commercials used to promote the radio station. (chapter 1)
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| fatter | A sound with a good, solid, low-frequency response with emphasis in the 100 Hz to 300 Hz range. (chapter 6)
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| feedback | A condition that occurs when a microphone is left open near a monitor speaker, creating a loud howling or whistling sound. The microphone picks up the amplified sound from the speaker and sends it back through the system, regenerating the signal over and over. (chapter 4)
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| FM | Frequency modulation. The FM radio band extends from 88 mHz to 108 mHz. (chapter 13)
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| focus groups | A qualitative market research tool in which a group of people with common demographics and similar attitudes are surveyed and questioned on a particular topic by a trained moderator. (chapter 14)
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| footprint | A satellite signal's geographic coverage area on earth. (chapter 13)
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| frequency | The number of complete cycles that occur in one second of time; expressed as cycles per second. (chapter 2)
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| frequency | The number of times a radio ad airs during a given period of time. (chapter 7)
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| frequency-response curve | A plotted chart that shows how a microphone responds to various frequencies, called flat if the microphone treats all frequencies equally. (chapter 3)
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| FTP | File transfer protocol, a system for exchanging computer files with another computer, using the Internet as opposed to the World Wide Web. (chapter 5)
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| gaffer's tape | Available in colors, gaffer's tape has the strength of duct tape without the sticky mess afterwards. (chapter 3)
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| gain staging | Matching a microphone's maximum output voltage to the preamplifier's maximum input voltage to prevent overload. (chapter 3)
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| gating | An audio processing technique that acts just as its name implies, as a gate. When audio is above a preset level, the gate allows it to pass. When the audio level drops below the preset level the gate closes, blocking the background noise. (chapter 5)
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| geo-synchronous orbit | An orbit that places a satellite approximately 22,000 miles above the earth so that it rotates at the same speed as the earth, maintaining a fixed position in space. (chapter 13)
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| gooseneck | A piece of flexible metal conduit used to support a microphone. (chapter 3)
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| GPS | Global Positioning System. A satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of satellites that enables pinpoint location identification. (chapter 11)
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| groundwave propagation | The property of physics that allows amplitude-modulated radio carrier signals to follow the earth's surface through conduction. (chapter 13)
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| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications. (chapter 11)
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| HAAT | Height above average terrain. Applied to an FM radio station, the term specifies in meters the height of the station's transmitting antenna above the average terrain that surrounds it. (chapter 13)
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| hard clipping | An audio condition in which the audio is driven beyond distortion to the point that the edges of the sine waves start breaking up. (chapter 3)
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| harmonic | A harmonic is a sound created by multiplying the fundamental frequency or first harmonic. The second harmonic is two times the fundamental; the third harmonic is three times the fundamental, etc. (chapter 2)
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| headroom | The additional capacity of an audio device to handle level increases above average working levels to protect from transients, overload, and distortion. (chapter 4)
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| high-pass filter | A filter that blocks audio frequencies below a specific frequency, allowing those frequencies above the specified frequency to pass. (chapter 4)
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| hollow | A sound that has a mid-frequency dip similar to when you cup your hands around your mouth and talk. (chapter 6)
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| HTML | Hyper Text Mark-up Language, a computer language used in the creation of web sites that allows sites to be linked together easily. (chapter 12)
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| hyper-cardioid | An elongated, heart-shaped cardioid pattern used primarily in shotgun microphones to allow the microphones to be moved farther from the sound source without increasing the apparent room reverberation. (chapter 3)
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| IFB | Interruptible foldback. A method for sending a monitor signal to the talent while also being able to talk to him or her through an earpiece or headphone; a sophisticated intercom system. (chapter 11)
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| image transfer | When an audio track from a television commercial is used as a stand-alone radio commercial, causing the radio listener to visualize the images of the matching television commercial. (chapter 7)
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| imaging | Radio station imaging consists of the short live and recorded elements that are used between segments of a station's programming that tie everything together, creating a station's signature sound. As an example, "Kansas City's home for good-time rock-and-roll oldies, Super Cool 107‑9." (chapter 1)
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| incidental performance | A very brief performance of a portion of a musical work going into program or commercial breaks. In no case the entire musical selection, regardless of length, and in no case longer than 30 seconds. Defined by federal copyright statutes. (chapter 12)
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| infrasonic | Sounds or audio signals that fall below the average person's hearing range, typically 20 Hz and lower. (chapter 2)
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| internal marketing | Any marketing tool or promotion tool used on a radio station to attract more listeners, such as contests, T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. (chapter 1)
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| interruptible foldback (IFB) | A type of intercom or communications system that allows the control board operator or producer to talk to the talent. (chapter 4)
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| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network. A dial-up digital line capable of transmitting 128 kilobits of studio-quality audio data and 16 kilobits of telephone switching data. (chapter 11)
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| ISP | Internet Service Provider. (chapter 11)
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| Krispy Kreme donut | A Southern delicacy, wonderfully light donuts slathered in mouth-watering sugar frosting, often used to entice the crew to show up in the morning; a sugar-delivery device. (chapter 3)
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| LAN | A local area network is a computer interconnection system for sharing data between or among computers within a company or media facility at one location. (chapter 5)
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| lav | Lavalier, which comes from the French word lavaliere or "pendant," a microphone worn on the body. Pronounced like "lava" from a volcano, just dropping the last a. (chapter 3)
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| LEO | Low earth orbit. A term used to describe satellites orbiting earth at between 300 and 500 miles high. (chapter 11)
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| limiting | An audio processing technique that automatically controls audio levels that approach a preset maximum audio level. When the preset level is reached, the audio is turned down so that it does not exceed the preset level. (chapter 5)
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| listener fatigue | A condition brought on by misadjusted audio processing, causing the listener to become consciously, or subconsciously, tired of listening to a musical selection or radio station. (chapter 6)
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| loudness distortion | Distortion that is caused by overpowering an electronic device, such as a speaker, thereby exceeding its capabilities and producing a very harsh and distorted sound. (chapter 4)
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| low-pass filter | A filter that blocks audio frequencies above a specific frequency, allowing those frequencies below the specified frequency to pass. (chapter 4)
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| maximum sound-pressure level | The maximum dB-SPL that a microphone can reproduce before going into distortion and then failure. (chapter 3)
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| MD | Minidisc is a registered trademark of Sony and refers to a disc enclosed in a small cartridge. The 2 1/2-inch-diameter disc records and plays back near-CD-quality audio using a combination magnetic/optical system. (chapter 2)
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| metro area | A metropolitan city's area as defined by the U.S. Government's Office of Management and Budget, also generally accepted by the major rating services as a designated geographical area. (chapter 10)
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| mic | Pronounced "Mike"; industry abbreviation for microphone ("mics" is used for more than one mic). (chapter 3)
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| mic flag | A plastic nameplate, or cover, that goes on a microphone with the station's call letters or logo. (chapter 11)
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| micron | An outdated term still in common usage that has since been replaced with the term micrometer. A micron, or micrometer, is one millionth of a meter, or about 1/25,000th of an inch. (chapter 3)
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| middle/side microphone | A stereo microphone incorporating a cardioid element facing forward and a bidirectional element facing out the sides of the microphone. The combination of the middle element and the separate halves of the bidirectional element create the left and right channels. (chapter 3)
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| modulation | Change; in this case, the process of changing a silent carrier with either amplitude or frequency modulation. (chapter 13)
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| MP3 | Motion Picture Experts Group Layer 3 audio compression compresses, or shrinks, CD-quality audio files by a factor of twelve or more, maintaining the original, perceived CD-quality sound so that audio files can be transferred via the World Wide Web. (chapter 1)
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| muddy | muffled-sounding audio, not clear, with too much reverb at the lower frequencies. (chapter 6)
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| mult | Same as a breakout box, a device designed to allow audio distribution at press conferences through multiple mic or line-level outputs. (chapter 11)
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| national rep | A national representative is a person or company that represents a radio station to large, national advertising agencies handling regional or national products. (chapter 1)
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| near-coincident pair | Stereo microphone placement in which the two microphones are placed one above the other on a horizontal plane, facing the sound source. With the midpoint of the mic bodies serving as the rotation point, one is aimed at the right side of the sound source, the other at the left side. (chapter 3)
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| near-field monitors | Smaller monitor speakers placed very near the mixing position, often at the front of the console. (chapter 4)
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| needle-drop basis | An old radio term used to describe paying for production music on a per-cut-used basis. (chapter 8)
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| noise | Electrical noise, which appears as hiss in an audio signal, measured in negative dB. The higher the negative figure, the better. (chapter 3)
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| nontraditional revenue | Revenue generated by a radio station from anything other than commercial-time sales. Examples include events a station sponsors, such as job fairs and car shows, or banner ad sales from the station's web site. (chapter 12)
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| notch filter | An audio filter designed to eliminate a very narrow bandwidth of sound, creating a notch in the frequency. Generally used to eliminate unwanted sounds. (chapter 6)
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| off-air monitor | An actual air signal taken from a radio set for monitoring purposes. (chapter 11)
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| off axis | Outside of the centerline of a microphone's directional pattern, usually measured in degrees. (chapter 3)
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| off-axis coloration | The change in the frequency response and sensitivity of a microphone as it is turned away from a sound source and aimed in a different direction. (chapter 3)
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| omnidirectional | A microphone pattern that allows the microphone to pick up sound from all directions equally. (chapter 3)
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| overload | The point at which a microphone's output will overpower the preamplifier it is plugged into. (chapter 3)
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| overtone | A sound or audio signal that occurs in between the harmonics or multiples of a fundamental frequency. (chapter 2)
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| pan control | Panoramic control, a sonic positioning control that allows the input to a mixer channel to be assigned to the left channel or the right channel, or to remain in the center channel for a mono signal. (chapter 4)
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| parabolic reflector | A microphone that uses a large parabolic dish to focus sound onto the microphone; used to pick up distant sounds, and commonly seen on sports sidelines. (chapter 3)
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| passive crossover | A crossover network comprised of electronic components whose values are fixed, with the audio requiring no electrical power to pass through the network. (chapter 4)
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| pattern | The term used to describe the directional characteristics of a microphone. (chapter 3)
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| perceptual audio coding | A method of compressing, encoding, and decoding audio data files that takes advantage of the properties of the human perception of sound to achieve a size reduction of the data file with little or no perceptible loss of quality. (chapter 12)
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| phantom power | Power supplied to a condenser microphone from a source such as a control board, portable mixing board, or other outside source through the microphone cable. (chapter 3)
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| phone hybrid | An electronic device used to connect broadcast equipment with a telephone line so that audio can be sent and received on the phone line. (chapter 11)
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| polar frequency response | The frequency-response curve of a microphone measured at various points in the microphone pattern. (chapter 3)
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| pool audio feed | A single-point audio feed for the press, usually accomplished with a mult or breakout box. (chapter 11)
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| pop filter | An acoustic foam filter within a microphone, used to prevent popping plosive sounds from reaching the microphone element. (chapter 3)
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| popper stopper | A fine mesh screen placed a few inches off the face of a microphone to prevent popping plosive sounds from reaching the microphone element. (chapter 3)
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| positioning statement | A unique selling proposition, or slogan, used by a station to separate itself from the competition. (chapter 10)
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| pot | Potentiometer; technical term for a volume control. (chapter 4)
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| POTS | A telephone company term for Plain Old Telephone Service, or a dial-up, hard-line telephone connection. (chapter 6)
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| preamplifier | A voltage multiplier used to boost the weak signal of a microphone to a usable audio level. (chapter 3)
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| prosumer | Prosumer equipment is equipment that offers many professional features but is not built to rigid professional standards. It is generally priced in between consumer and professional-level equipment. (chapter 3)
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| proximity effect | The closer you move to a directional microphone, the more bass it appears to have. (chapter 3)
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| psychographic | Determining how people or groups of people thinks about a particular product or service: what their image is of your product and how they see themselves relating to your product. (chapter 14)
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| qualitative research | Research centered on a person or group's lifestyle choices. For example, the radio station targets 18-to-34-year-old single males living in Jackson County who rent an apartment, make monthly car payments on a 2004, or newer, vehicle, eat out three times a week, drink domestic beer, and go to the movies twice a month. (chapter 1)
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| quantitative research | Research centered on numerical or statistical data; most commonly audience ratings research to determine the number of listeners a radio station has. (chapter 1)
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| quantization | The process of assigning a binary number to each of the samples or voltage readings taken during the analog-to-digital audio conversion. (chapter 2)
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| release time | The fixed, or adjustable, length of time it takes for an audio processor, such as a compressor or limiter, to return a signal to its normal level after processing, measured in milliseconds. (chapter 6)
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| RF | Radio frequency. (chapter 13)
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| ribbon | A member of the dynamic class of microphones; the ribbon uses a thin ribbon of metal as the sound pickup element. (chapter 3)
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| rubber ducky | A flexible radio antenna made from silicone-based rubber products that can be bent and flexed without damage to the antenna coil contained within. (chapter 3)
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| SACD | A joint product of Sony and Philips that uses a two-layer, CD-sized disc to reproduce both 5.1 surround sound and standard stereo using Direct Stream Digital encoding, which is a one-bit system with a sampling rate of 2,822,400 samples per second. (chapter 2)
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| SDR | Software-defined radio. A radio that converts the incoming radio signal into a digital data stream and then processes the data to extract the usable signals. (chapter 13)
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| self-powered speakers | Speakers that have amplifiers built into them so that an audio feed from a mixer or control board can be fed directly into the speaker. (chapter 4)
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| sensitivity | An electrical measurement in either dBV or millivolts that tells what the audio output of the microphone will be at a given sound-pressure input level. (chapter 3)
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| SESAC | Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. A membership-based performing rights organization that protects the copyrights of members' works by licensing and distributing royalties for their performance. (chapter 1)
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| SFX | Sound effects. (chapter 8)
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| shock mount | A device designed to hold a microphone and isolate it from vibrations that might enter the microphone body and cause undesirable sounds. (chapter 3)
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| shotgun microphone | A microphone designed with a long tube in front of the microphone element to focus the sound and increase the microphone's direct-to-reverberant sound ratio. (chapter 3)
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| skywave propagation | A phenomenon that occurs as the long wavelengths of the AM signals interact with the radically shifting layers of the ionosphere several miles above the earth's surface at night, causing AM signals to travel great distances. (chapter 13)
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| slate | The radio equivalent of the beginning of a scene in a television or film shoot, when someone holds a slate, or "clapboard," in front of a camera with the production name, scene number, take number, roll number, director, producer and date, to identify the material later. In radio, this is done audibly, with a slate mic, so that a production person can identify the audio cuts. (chapter 4)
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| sound | Acoustic energy traveling through a medium such as air or water. (chapter 3)
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| sound design | The overall sound quality of a radio station that sets it apart from others. (chapter 10)
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| spaced pair | Stereo microphone placement in which two microphones are spaced a distance apart following the three-to-one rule: three feet of separation for each one foot of distance from the sound source. (chapter 3)
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| SPDIF | Sony/Philips Digital InterFace is a standard digital-audio-file-transfer format using 75-ohm coaxial cable. (chapter 5)
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| spectrum use fees | Fees charged by the FCC to broadcasters for the use of the public airwaves. (chapter 1)
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| spit screen | A fine mesh screen placed a few inches off the face of a microphone to prevent popping plosive sounds and spit from reaching the microphone element; same as a popper stopper. (chapter 3)
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| spot | Slang term for a radio or television commercial. Don't use this word. Although advertising salespeople call them spots, clients typically think in terms of ads or commercials. (chapter 7)
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| stop set | A break in a station's music programming, composed of a jock talking, commercials, and promotional announcements. (chapter 7)
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| streaming | A term used to describe transmitting audio on the Internet. Usually used to describe a continuous, real-time-audio feed, such as an on-air signal. (chapter 12)
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| subwoofer | A speaker designed to handle those sounds from 16 Hz to about 100 Hz. (chapter 2)
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| Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) | A joint product of Sony and Philips that uses a two-layer, CD-sized disc to reproduce both 5.1 surround sound and standard stereo using Direct Stream Digital encoding, which is a one-bit system with a sampling rate of 2,822,400 samples per second. (chapter 5)
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| super-cardioid | A heart-shaped microphone pattern with maximum sensitivity at 0 degrees and maximum rejection at 180 degrees. Super-cardioid microphones are even less sensitive to the sides than a cardioid microphone. (chapter 3)
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| sweet spot | The physical location in a concert hall or studio where there is the least phase cancellation of live sound and where the direct-to-ambient sound ratio is in proper proportion. (chapter 6)
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| T-1 | The technical designation for a direct-leased Internet connection that is capable of transferring 1.544 megabits of data per second. (chapter 13)
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| T-3 | The technical designation for a direct-leased Internet connection that is capable of transferring 44.736 megabits of data per second. (chapter 13)
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| T/S connector | A one-quarter-inch-diameter connector with the tip as positive and the sleeve as negative and shield or earth ground. (chapter 3)
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| tag | A 10- to 15-second space at the end of an agency ad over which the local station puts copy. (chapter 8)
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| target audience | A group of people that a radio station has selected to try to reach with the station's programming. Typically, this audience can be identified both quantitatively and qualitatively. (chapter 14)
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| terrestrial based | Fancy term for earth based. (chapter 13)
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| threshold | When used in relation to an audio processor, an adjustment that sets the audio level at which the device will become active and begin processing. (chapter 6)
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| time spent listening | An audience ratings measurement indicating the number of quarter-hour time segments the average person spends listening to a radio station in a given time period, such as a week. (chapter 10)
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| tinny | A sound that has an almost telephone-like quality to it. A very narrow-band sound that sounds as if it were coming through a tin can or over a telephone. (chapter 6)
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| TOS LINK | The name given a system of fiber-optic cables and connectors developed by Toshiba and used for the transmission of SPDIF digital audio. (chapter 5)
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| transient | A sound that has a very fast attack, or rise in volume, and is slow to trail off. Examples include a snare drum and consonants in human speech. (chapter 3)
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| transient response | How a microphone reacts to transients, or sounds, with a fast attack that trail off slowly. (chapter 3)
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| TRS connector | A one-quarter-inch-diameter balanced connector with the tip as positive, the ring as negative, and the sleeve as shield or earth ground. (chapter 3)
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| tune out | Any psychoacoustic element of a radio station's signal that is annoying to the listener. Often referred to as a tune-out factor. (chapter 6)
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| UHF | Ultra High Frequency, a band of frequencies assigned to television channels 14 through 83; 14 through 69 are also assigned to wireless frequencies. (chapter 3)
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| ultrasonic | Sounds or audio signals occurring above the average person's hearing range, typically above 20,000 Hz. (chapter 2)
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| unbalanced cable | A microphone cable or line that only has one positive conductor, with the shield acting as both the negative and the shield. (chapter 3)
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| unidirectional | A generic term for a directional microphone, meaning one direction. (chapter 3)
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| unity gain | A gain of one; the position on a fader at which the ideal operating level of 0 VU (volume units) occurs. A device with unity gain does not raise or lower the volume, or gain, of a signal. (chapter 4)
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| variable-pattern microphone | A microphone that has more than one pattern. Pattern selection can be changed with a switch on the microphone. (chapter 3)
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| vendor involvement | When the vendor of a product or service provides support to a local business in the form of product to give away or expert staff to help demonstrate the product. This kind of involvement with the local business can be quite varied from manufacturer to manufacturer. (chapter 11)
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| VHF | Very High Frequency, a band of frequencies assigned to television channels 2 through 13 and to wireless microphones. (chapter 3)
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| wall wart | A self-contained power supply, for running portable equipment, that plugs directly into the wall and down-converts 110 volts AC to a DC voltage. (chapter 4)
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| WAN | A wide area network is a computer interconnection system for sharing data among computers within a company or media facility at multiple geographic locations. (chapter 5)
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| wet signal | A processed audio signal that is returning to a control board after audio processing such as reverb or delay. (chapter 4)
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| windscreen | An acoustic foam cover for the head of a microphone, used to block wind outdoors. (chapter 3)
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| XLR connector | A balanced microphone connector, sometimes referred to as a Cannon Connector, after the man and the company that invented it. A connector in which there are pins or sockets for the positive, negative, and shield or earth ground. (chapter 3)
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| X-Y stereo configuration | Stereo microphone placement in which the two microphones are placed one above the other in a horizontal plane and aimed in either a coincident or near-coincident manner. (chapter 3)
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