Glossary of Production Terms

Portions of this glossary are excerpted from the MIX Studio Business Book

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1/4-inch audiotape 1-, 2-, or 4-track analog open reel format

1/2-inch audiotape 2-, 4-, or 8-track analog open reel format. Used on 4-track open reel recorders as a master for film and video mixes; also occasionally used as a 30ips 2-track master for record mixes

1-inch audiotape 2-, 4-, 8-, or 16-track analog open reel format. Used on some current and older 16-track reel-to-reel machines. The standard 8-track format of the late '60s and early '70s. New 2 track version is being used for music mastering

1-inch videotape Old standard format for composite broadcast-quality video on 1-inch open reel tapes; largely replaced today by Beta-SP or digital formats

2-inch audiotape The standard size of 24-track analog open reel recording tape

4mm DDS Verified Digital Data Storage for archival backups, same mechanical format as DAT; offers 1.2 to 2 gigabytes storage

8mm DDS Verified Digital Data Storage for archival backups, same mechanical format as 8mm; offers 1.2 to 6 gigabytes storage (aka Exabyte)

8mm videotape Used primarily in handheld camcorders; a small cassette that yields a high quality picture and hi-fi sound. Requires 8mm deck or camera for playback

Address track An extra track on an audio or video tape for recording timecode information

A-DAM Akai's 12-channel digital audiotape format, uses high-grade 90-minute 8mm cassettes.

ADAT 8-channel digital audiotape format, uses S-VHS metal-particle cassettes (Alesis, Fostex, Studer)

ADR Automated Dialog Replacement. An ADR session is one in which live actors watch a scene on a monitor or projection screen in the studio and lip-sync the words. Used to replace poorly recorded or unacceptable takes, or to dub a film into another language. Also referred to as looping.

AFI American Film Institute, a nonprofit organization that sponsors film festivals and offers a program for film students who are granted small budgets for independent films.

AFM American Federation of Musicians, the musicians union. Work under AFM jurisdiction requires written AFM contracts and scale wages

AFTRA American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the actors' union for radio and TV and the singers' union for radio. Work under AFTRA jurisdiction requires written AFTRA contracts and scale wages

Animatic A film of still pictures or drawings, shot in real time, to better present an idea for shooting live action later. Often used by advertising agencies

Announce Booth A film term for any live recording area in which an announcer records voice-over copy. An announce booth can be anything from a 8' x 4' vocal booth to a 60' x 90' orchestral stage

Answer Print The first completed picture and sound print of a film that the director delivers to the producer

Bay Film term for a control room, as in edit bay or mixing bay

Beep Generator A synchronizer that produces a series of short beeps used to cue actors or sound effects performers when they are recording to picture

Betacam 1/2-inch component analog videotape, used extensively by news crews

Betacam SP High-band 1/2-inch component analog videotape. Uses metal tapes for increased performance. Compatible with Betacam machines, but requires Betacam SP decks for upgraded playback. Betacam-SP is the standard professional analog videotape format in use today

Bump Extra time that's added to a booking, allowing a session to go overtime if necessary. Not charged unless used

Casting An audition process to help select talent for a shoot or narration session. Usually involves the producer and director, sometimes the writer(s) for a production.

CD-R Compact Disc Recordable: A blank mastering format for write once CD audio recorders, CD-ROM, CD-I, Photo CD, CD+G, etc.

Clone An exact digital copy of an original tape; (theoretically) no generational loss (cf. Dub)

Component Analog video format which separates the video signal into three primary components (labelled Y, U, V) for increased clarity. Used on Betacam-SP and M-II videotape formats. Digital component technology will be the basis for Digital Television (DTV) signals.

Composite Analog video format which combines luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color) signals into a single channel. Used on NTSC/PAL broadcasts, along with 1-inch, U-Matic and VHS videotape formats

Composite A combination of music, dialog and effects tracks onto a single mono mac or optical track.

D1 Component 4:2:2 digital videotape format, 3/4-inch cassete. Has four audio tracks, plus SMPTE and cue audio tracks

D2 Composite digital videotape format, 3/4-inch cassette. Has four audio tracks, plus SMPTE and cue audio track

D3 Composite digital videotape format, 1/2-inch cassette. Has four audio tracks, plus SMPTE and cue audio track

D5 Component 4:4:4 digital videotape format, 1/2-inch cassette. Has four audio tracks, plus SMPTE and cue audio track

DA-88 8-channel digital audiotape format, uses Hi-8 metal-particle cassettes (Tascam, Sony); (aka DTRS)

DASH Digital Audio Stationary Head. Multitrack digital audio open reel format used by Sony and Studer. Available in 2-, 24- and 48-track version. Precursor to R-DAT.

DAT Digital Audio Tape, cassette shell, 2 tracks. Rotary head mechanism (aka R-DAT)

DCT Digital Component Technology. Ampex digital 3/4-inch videocassettes

DGS Digital Generation Service. A commercial service to quickly transmit radio spots via ISDN to local and national radio stations, or other studios equipped with DGS terminals. Audio sent via DGS is a high quality copy of the original (audio fax) and does not suffer from any artifacting associated with compressed data systems (codecs). To accomplish this, DGS is a non-real time system.The signal is recorded into the DGS computer at full fidelity, then slowed down for transmission, like a modem does to download files from the internet.

Digital Betacam Component digital videotape, 1/2-inch cassettes. Backwards compatibility allows Digital Betacam decks to play analog Betacam tapes

Digitizing Process of encoding audio or video media into digital form for use in an audio or video workstation

Donut A commercial jingle that features music in the beginning and end, leaving an open space for copy in the middle.

Drop Frame A common timecode format for videotapes. So called because two timing frames are dropped from the count every 60 seconds to correct for mathematical discrepancies with color video formats

DTRS 8-channel digital audiotape format, uses Hi-8 metal-particle cassettes (Tascam, Sony) (aka DA-88)

DTV Digital Television. Newly emerging standard using component digital video and multichannel digital audio for improved picture and sound. Also permits data transmissions and shared use of bandwidth for running multiple programs or applications (cf. internet)

Dub A copy of an existing tape (analog or digital). Each dub is one generation older than its source. (cf. Clone)

DV (DVCam, DVCPro) Component Digital Videotape formats. Different variants are consumer or professional versions. Replacing Hi-8 and Betacam-SP as a field acquistion format

Edited Master The master video that is the result of an online session. Laying back the master audio mix onto this tape is the final step in the entire production process

EDL Edit Decision List. A printed list generated during an offline editing session, detailing alI the picture edit points and their locations. Used in audio post sessions to find record and offset points quickly and accurately. Many sync systems allow the engineer to type in EDLs and automatically advance to each successive point

EFX Effects (aka SFX, sound effects)

Exabyte Verified Digital Data Storage for archival backups using 8mm cassettes; offers 1.2 to 6 gigabytes storage (aka 8mm DDS)

Exporting Half of the process of converting project documents and media files from one workstation format to another, so that work may continue in a different studio (cf. Importing)

F1 Obsolete 2-track format that stored digital audio on Betamax or VHS tapes.

Foley, Foley Effects Live sound effects performed to picture in the studio; named after the man who invented the art in the 1930s. Historically used for live radio broadcasts and feature film soundtracks, foley work is a craft all its own. For example, most footsteps in feature films are created as a post effect by the foley artist walking in a box of sand or gravel in sync with the actor's movements, rather than using the footsteps recorded during the actual shoot.

Frame The smallest unit of time and picture measurement, a single still picture on a piece of film or videotape. On film, 24 frames equals one second of motion. In video, 30 frames equals one second

FTP File Transfer Protocol. An internet technology for transferring files between computers over a network using TCP/IP (internet) protocols. Platform independent. Soundtrack has our own FTP server online to accept incoming files from clients or make files available online for distribution. Contact us for details.

Full Coat Sprocketed film stock with the entire surface coated with magnetic oxide for audio. Usually used for 3- or 4-track recording

Hi-8 High band 8mm videotape format, enhanced resolution with PCM audio. Often used for ENG (Electronic News Gathering) applications

Holding The accepted practice of reserving recording session time without firmly commiting to it. If another request comes in for the same time, the caller with time on hold gets first refusal for the booking

IATSE International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees, the film trade union for behind-the-scenes workers, including recording engineers

Importing Half of the process of converting project documents and media files from one workstation format to another, so that work may continue in a different studio (cf. Exporting)

Industrial A film or video used for sales training or product presentations; not intended for public broadcast.

Interlock Synchronization of audio to video components via an electronic or computerized system, so that the audio recording stays in perfect sync with the picture (aka sync)

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network. An ISDN link is used when your talent is in one studio while you are recording their voice in another studio, typically in a different city. This permits real-time interaction between talent and producer, and results in a high fidelity digital recording that you can edit and mix with immediately.

Kill Fee A fee charged by the studio for session time that was scheduled but cancelled by the dent at the last minute.

Layback Transfer of a final audio mix from multitrack to the final video format

Laydown The transfer of audio source material from the master videotape to multitrack audio tape

Libraries Commercially produced, pre-cataloged music and sound effect collections which can save the time and expense of recording, creating or composing custom elements for your productions (often called stock music, needle drops or music drops). Individual music drops are priced by how and where they are used: broadcast or industrial, radio or television, what market and for how long, etc.. Licenses are non-exclusive.

Live Tag Also called a Local Open-Ended Spot. A space left open at the end of a commercial for a live announcer to add local information at the time of broadcast.

Lockup See Interlock

Looping See ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement)

M&E Music and Effects. Refers to the separate tracks on a film or video which exist independently of the dialog. Often used when dubbing into another language.

Mag Machine A machine that records and plays sound on 35mm film. Used for mag transfers

Mag Stripe Oxide coating on clear film stock, used for the soundtrack

Mag Film A form of magnetic recording tape which uses film stock as a base. The mag film stock has sprocket holes on the side which run in sync with film in a projector or optical transfer unit.

Mag Transfer Transfer of audio to the magnetic stripe on 35mm film

Mix to Pix Mixing to Picture. Creating, modifying or finishing the soundtrack to a video or film. All audio elements either match on-screen events or are used to tell the story or narrative (dialog, music, etc.). Mix to pix work involves using equipment that keeps the audio in sync with the picture, allows the engineer and producer to see the picture as audio work is performed, and allows finished soundtracks to be layed back to the master videotape or film.

Mono Mag Film stock with a single track of audio

MOS A picture with no sound elements. Attributed to a German director from the 1930s who would say "Mit-cut-sprache" ("without words"). Colloquialized to "Mitout sound."

Nagra A special tape recorder used for sound during filming in the field. It syncs to picture for playback using a special pilot tone, or the motor may be locked to the speed of a vibrating crystal (known as "crystal sync"). Nagra recordings must be played back on decks that can read this tone.

Needle Drop The use of prerecorded music as underscoring to picture. Originally referred to a phonograph needle dropping onto a record, today applies primarily to CDs

Nonlinear Refers to any format that provides digital access to information, including recorders and workstations. Nonlinear technology greatly minimzes search and access time for media

NTSC National Television Standards Committee. The standard composite broadcast video format in North America, Japan and most of Latin America

Online In video editing, refers to the editing and final recording of the master program

Optical Track A visible photographic strip printed on film that contains its soundtrack.

PAL Phase Alteration by Line. The standard composite broadcast video format for most of Europe and parts of South America. Incompatible with North American machines.

Pancake Audio or video tape that is wound onto an inner hub without an outer shell or reel. This lowers the cost and allows easy transfer to a choice of reels

Phone Patch Sending or receiving audio from a session over a standard telephone line, typically so that a producer can direct or a client can listen in remotely.

POTS Plain Old Telephone Service. An acronym used to identify the use of conventional analog phone lines in a mixed-format environment also using digital formats (ISDN, T1, T3, etc.)

Public Domain Any creative work, such as a piece of music, in which there is no copyright, or whose copyright has expired, therefore allowing anyone to use it commercially without permission or payments. Most work written prior to the 1900s is Public Domain. The new copyright laws set protection for the life of the creator plus 50 years.

PD Professional Digital 1/4-inch for 2-track, 1-inch for 32- or 64-track audio. Discontinued format for Mitsubishi and Otari

Pre-Dub A mixdown of several audio elements to a single track, done to make the final mix more manageable

Production Audio Audio tracks that already exist on a film or videotape They are transferred to multitrack as part of the first step in audio sweetening

Production Elements (also Production Rolls) Separate 1/4-inch audio tapes recorded by the location sound engineer during filming or videotaping that may contain outtakes, extra sound effects or ambient noise associated with the scene. Often recorded on a Nagra recorder, which requires a 2-track playback machine equipped with a pilot tone or center track head

Protection Master A duplicate tape of the original, usually kept in a separate place as safety backup

Removable MO Magneto-optical cartridge for the Sony PCM-9000 recorder, as well as many digital workstations

Rough Cut A rough, initial edited version of a film or video, assembled to get a general idea of what the work will look like

S-VHS High-band 1/2-inch analog video format, increases the number of lines of resolution for improved picture. Cannot be played on a standard VHS deck, but S-VHS decks can play standard VHS tapes.

Safety A duplicate of the master tape, recorded for security.

SAG Screen Actors Guild, the union for actors, singers and voice-over talent for TV commercials and film. Work under SAG jurisdiction requires written SAG contracts and scale wages

Scale Union term for a specific wage guaranteed to a member for services. The performance unions publish current lists detailing amounts, and will quote scale for specific projects over the phone

Scratch Track In post-production, refers to a non-master recording used as a reference, usually done quickly and simply to get the general idea across and establish timings that will be replaced during sweetening. In music production, a reference track used as a guide for recording overdubs

SECAM The standard composite broadcast video format in France, Russia and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Incompatible with North American machines

SFX Abbreviation for Sound Effects

Single Stripe On mag transfers, usually containing a composite audio track done on special stock with one small audio strip of oxide coating on perforated 16 or 35mm film

SMPTE Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers

SMPTE Timecode A system used for synchronizing audio or video, synths, drum machines and sequencers. When used on tape, SMPTE occupies either a special address track, or one track on a multitrack master. You can also generate visible time code on a readout screen or monitor. Example: "01 :02:52:27" means 1 hour, 2 minutes, 52 seconds, 27 frames.

Stage Film term for a studio, as in shooting stage or sound stage

Stripe A thin ribbon of audio tape mounted on clear l6mm or 35mm film stock, used to transfer a tape recording onto film for editing

Studio Manager The person responsible for causing impossible scheduling demands, cranky clientele and loudly moaning engineers to appear to be non-problematic

Surround Sound Using multiple playback channels [speakers] around the room to sonically engulf the listener (stereo uses two channels to create a sonic image in front of a listener). Produces a sense of realism and excitement beyond what stereo can offer.

Sync Synchronization of audio to video components via an electronic or computerized system, so that the audio recording stays in perfect sync with the picture (aka interlock)

Sync Pulse A timing signal used to maintain a recorder's speed consistency when the audio is played back, which takes up one track on the 24-track master. In film mixing, sync purse is always transferred to a separate track of a 2- or 4-track tape to maintain the same synchronization in the final mix to film.

Sync Pop An audible beep on either tape or mag stripe used as a common sync point to align picture and sound. Typically a blip of 1kHz tone 2 frames in duration, located exactly 2 seconds before program start

T1 A digital telephone line offering 1.5Mbps symmetrical bandwidth

T3 A digital telephone line offering 36Mbps sysmmetrical bandwidth (equivalent to 24 T1 lines)
Telecine Picture and/or audio transfer from film to video. Also known by the machine's name, Rank Cintel

Three-Stripe A sprocketed mag film format using three parallel audio tracks on 35mm film stock, containing separate soundtrack information, usually divided into dialog, music and sound effects

Timecode Generic name for SMPTE timecode

Trailer A preview or coming-attractions film for a feature movie or show, so called because it is spliced onto the beginning or end of a feature film shown in movie theaters.

Tracking Musical instrument recording to multitrack tape. First step in the recording process

Two Beep, Two Pop see Sync Pop

U-Matic Analog composite 3/4-inch video tape format, the commercial standard before 1-inch

U-Matic SP High band U-Matic format, increased resolution. Compatible with standard U-Matic tapes

VHS Analog composite 1/2-inch video; the standard home video format

VHS-C Mini-camcorder videotape format. Can be placed in an adapter and played back on a regular VHS deck

Video Post Editing and enhancement done to picture following live production.
Visible Code see Window Burn

V.O. Voiceover or announcing. A V.O. session involves an announcer recording either directly to 2-track or to multitrack, often along with picture.

Voice-Over See V.O.

Walla The sound of murmuring or background noises made by a few people or a crowd in which individual voices are undiscernable. Also called Crowd Walla or Rhubarb.

Wild Track In film, a sound recording made separately or out of sync with the picture

Window Burn On videotape, a small horizontal rectangle is superimposed over a portion of the picture, displaying time code numbers for production reference. A necessity for composers to get accurate musical timings and for editors and engineers who need a numerical visual reference. (aka Visible Window or Visible Code)

Work Print A temporarily print made of a film to be used for post-production. Also a dub of a film or video program used as a reference in the studio, thus protecting the master from possible damage

Workstation A grouping of pieces of computer based hardware that forms a complete production environment for recording and manipulating sound and/or picture elements

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