NAMM
An acronym for the National Association Of Music Merchants, a not-for-profit association which provides a variety of tangible services to retail and commercial members of the music products industry.
Nasal
A vocal sound that seems as if the singer has his nose pinched, which can be caused by the mic positioned too close to the singer's mouth. A nasal, or honky instrument sound can be caused by a peak in the frequency response around 600 Hz.
Near-coincident
A stereo miking technique where two mics are angled apart in a symmetric fashion, and spaced a few inches apart.
Near-field monitoring
A monitor speaker arrangement in which the speakers are situated very close to the listener, to reduce the effect of the room acoustics when tracking or mixing.
Noise
Unwanted sound, such as hum from the power system or hiss from a tape recorder.
Noise reduction system
A device used to reduce or nearly eliminate hiss from the signal introduced as a by-product of the recording process. When used with tape-based systems, certain processors encode the tape, and decode it again on playback. Single-ended noise reduction processors simply reduce noise without encoding.
Noise gate
A device or circuit used to reduce or eliminate noise between notes or musical phrases.
Non-destructive editing
Edits that do not alter primary recordings. Typically these edits, if they are performed on a hard-disk recording system, are stored as new files, allowing for multiple levels of undo.
Normalization
A process that increases the overall level of an audio recording to maximize its output and reduce system noise.
Notebook
Also known as a 'laptop', a portable, battery-operated, personal computer.
Octave
The interval between any two frequencies where the upper frequency, 880 Hz for example, is twice the lower frequency, say 440 Hz. The frequency of the open A string on a guitar is at 440 Hz and the frequency of the note A, one octave up on the A string 12th fret, is at 880 Hz.
Off-axis
Not directly in front of a microphone or speaker, the axis being the center of the mic or speaker.
Off-axis coloration
The alteration of tone quality for sounds arriving off-center to the microphone.
Omnidirectional microphone
A mic that is equally sensitive to sounds coming from all directions.
On-location recording
A recording made outside the studio, in a club, concert hall, or other venue with a live audience.
Open tracks
On a multitrack tape or digital recorder, the unused tracks.
Outboard equipment
Signal processors or other effect devices that are not internal to the mixing board.
Output
A connector in an audio device from which the signal exits into a cable. An output on a MIDI device is called a MIDI output, or MIDI out, and is connected to another device's MIDI in.
Out-take
An entire recorded performance or a portion of a recorded performance that is to be discarded and not used.
Overdub
To record a new musical part on an unused track while listening to the previously recorded tracks.
Overhang
The continuation of a signal at the output of a device or mixer after the original input signal has faded.
Overload
The distortion resulting from a signal exceeding a input's maximum input level.
Overtone
A frequency component that is higher than the fundamental frequency in a complex sound wave.
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