Файл: Sound Tech Terms Dictionary.pdf

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scale construction:  See tonic and whole-step.  For example, the relative minor of a major scale
starts at either a sixth up or a third down on the major scale.  To find the third, fourth, fifth, etc.
of a tonic, count up that number of scale steps.  For example, to find the sixth of a tonic, the
major sixth would be nine half-steps above the tonic; the minor is diminished, i.e., it is eight
half-steps above the tonic.  The fifth is seven half-steps above the tonic or below it.  A fourth is
five half-steps above or below the tonic.  The seventh is ten half-steps (minor) or eleven half-
steps (major) above or below the tonic.

scale distortion:  Because the human ear has a sensitivity which varies with frequency and with
loudness level, a musical ensemble must be reproduced at the same loudness as the listener
would experience at the actual event if frequency distortion is not to occur.  This happens be-
cause of the apparent amplitudes of the different frequencies will differ, with accentuation of
the extreme high and low frequencies.  Also called volume distortion.  See equal loudness curves.

scaling:  In a synthesizer or sampler, a method of relating a parameter to a control so that the
degree to which the control effects the parameter can be varied.  For example, a pitch-bend
wheel might be scaled to produce a half-step bend for a given amount of movement, or it might
be scaled to give a whole octave.  Nonlinear scaling between control and parameter will pro-
duce an output corresponding to some sort of curve.  If there is a point on the curve where the
output changes radically in response to input, this is often called a breakpoint.  The scaling of
keyboard parameters is called keyboard tracking.

scan:  The way melody and lyrics are phrased together.  A good scan means words and music

fit well together and are easily sung and understood.  Bad scan may occur when words such as
“a” or “the” are sung on high notes or emphasized notes of the melody, sounding awkward or
misphrased.

Scheiber matrix encoding/decoding:  The algorithm used in Dolby Stereo optical process to
produce quadraphonic LCRS sound from two channels.  In this process, common in-phase in-
formation would bleed into the center channel, while the surround channel would receive out-
of-phase material.  See SVA.

Schroeder diffusers:  Used to construct ESS-type acoustic environments, a structure compris-
ing a number of wells of different, carefully-chosen depths.  As a ray of sound strikes the ir-
regular surface, instead of bounding off it like a mirror, it bounces out of each well at a slightly
different time, resulting in many small reflections, spread out in both time and space.  The op-
erating range of a single diffuser is limited to about four octaves because, if the deepest well is
deeper than about fifteen times its width, it begins to behave as a diaphragmatic absorber.  The
well depths are most commonly given by:

d

h

L

2N

h

2

modN

where d is the depth of the diffuser, h is the well number, N is the prime number on which the
sequence is based, and L is the wavelength of the lowest operating frequency.  This is called
the quadratic residue sequence.

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SCMS:  Serial Copy Management System.  A DAT format subcode which prevents direct digital
copies by inserting a copy-protect message when a digital-to-digital copy of a recording is
made.  Once the flag is in the subcode of a tape, no subsequent copies can be made from that
tape.  SCMS is designed into most home digital recorders, and is a problem when transferring
material from a consumer-type deck to a digital workstation or when trying to make safety
copies of recording sessions.  SCMS does not, however, prevent copies made using analog in-
puts.  Some pro-level DAT decks include an SCMS defeat switch or use AES/EBU digital inter-
faces which are unaffected by the SCMS flags.  Pronounced “scams” or “scums.”

‘scope: See anamorphic.  Originally an abbreviation for CinemaScope™.

score:  (1) (noun) The original-music composition for a motion picture or television production,
recorded after the picture has been edited.  (2) The conductor’s chart, containing all band parts
of a musical arrangement, and the individual band parts.  (3) (verb) To write the music for a
motion picture or television production soundtrack.

scoring paper:  Music paper with several (usually five) lines printed above each stave for other

information needed by the composer while writing a score or jingle.  These lines may contain
elapsed time counts or SMPTE timecode addresses, summaries of on-screen action, dialogue
and/or narration, required effects, etc.

scoring stage:  A large recording studio equipped with synchronous multitrack or other re-
cording equipment, interlocked film and video playback, and large-screen projection in the
studio itself.  Motion pictures and video productions are scored here, the conductor watching
the image and footage or SMPTE timecode data, and conducting performers so that the finished
recording aligns properly with the footage.

scoring wild:  The recording of a motion picture or television score using non-synchronous re-
corders.  The conductor defines timings for each part of the score from footage counts of the
edited film, and seeks a performance that approximates the required timing to a close toler-
ance, perhaps one-half of a second.  The wild score can be made to fit exactly if its playback
speed can be adjusted during transfer, by editing in/out short pauses, etc.  See also wild sound.

scrape-flutter filter:  In tape transports, a smooth or low-friction, non-magnetic, low-mass
flywheel installed in the tape path in the order to minimize the pressure with which the tape
meets guides, rollers, or other potential sources of scrape-flutter.

scratch demo:  A quick and inexpensive demo, usually done in a home studio, to give a client
a rough idea of what type of music is being composed or produced under contract.

scratching:  A technique employed by some DJs, consisting of the rapid back and forth move-
ment of a record turntable to cause the pick-up to produce the rhythmic scratching sound that
is characteristic of rap and hip hop.  This is done manually, with the turntable drive disen-
gaged, or on a special turntable made for the purpose.  Many records now feature scratching
as an integral part of the recording process, and some CD players are now available with fa-
cilities for scratching and other effects.

screen:  (1) A panel with surfaces designed to reflect or absorb sound, used to alter the acoustic
behavior of a recording space, or to isolate one performer from another.  (2) The shield part of
a shielded cable.  (3) A computer monitor.

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scrub:  To move backward and forward through an audio waveform under manual control in
order to find a precise point in the wave for editing purposes.

SCSI:  Small Computer System Interface.  A bus specification standard used by personal com-
puters to attach high-volume peripherals, such as mass storage devices, scanners, hard-disk
recorders, etc.  SCSI is a parallel data bus, and comes in several versions:

Type

Data Path

Max. Data

Ave. Data

Max. Total

Width (bits)

Rate (Mbps)

Rate (Mbps)

Cable Length

SCSI-1

8

5

2

9’9”

SCSI-2

8

5

2

19’6”

Fast

8

10

6

9’9”

Ultra (Fast-20)

8

20

8

4’11”

Ultra2 (Fast-40)

8

40

10

9’9”

Fast Wide

16

20

10

9’9”

Ultra Wide

16

40

12

4’11”

Ultra2 Wide

16

80

14

9’9”

S-DAT:  Stationary-head Digital Audio Tape.  A bi-directional cassette tape designed for do-
mestic digital recording.  The head is stationary, as opposed to the rotating head of R-DAT.
The tape speed is very low compared to professional stationary-head systems, such as DASH.
The required data rate for stereo operation is achieved by distributing the 16-bit data over 20
data tracks in each direction.  The sample rates are the same as for R-DAT, but 4-channel re-
cording is possible at 32kHz with 12-bit nonlinear operation.  S-DAT is not compatible with
DCC as the latter does not conform to the S-DAT standard.  See DAT.

SDDS:  Sony Dynamic Digital Sound.  Developed by Sony, the SDDS split-surround format
uses the usual 5.1 stems, plus additional left-center and right-center channels.  The additional
two speakers are employed at the front of the soundstage to deliver more uniform sound in
wide-format theaters of screen widths of up to 60’ or more, where there might be seats with a
hole-in-the-middle in between the C-L, and C-R channels.  An important aspect of the SDDS
format is that it can be decoded into four, six, or eight channels for playback on a wide variety
of audio systems.  Proponents of this format claim that the extra front channels make a signifi-
cant difference in the amount of depth, fullness and natural image of the audio.  See 7.1.

SDII:  Sound Designer II.  The audio format native to Digidesign’s Sound Designer™ II (Mac-
intosh) audio editing program.  The original SoundDesigner format supports uncompressed,
16-bit mono sound files at several sampling rates.  SDII supports 16-bit stereo files with sam-
pling rates up to 48kHz; ADPCM compression is available at 2:1 and 4:1 ratios.

SDMI:  Secure Digital Music Initiative.  A working group formed by the RIAA to develop a

“voluntary” method for protecting music copyright protection on the internet.  SDMI is
backed by the major labels, the aim of which is to simultaneously legitimize the distribution of
music, while protecting copyright holders.  There is an approximate analog in the UK with the
name (Government’s) Creative Industries Taskforce (CIT).

SDS:  Sample Dump Standard.  The MIDI standard used to transfer digital audio samples

from one instrument to another over a MIDI cable.  See SMDI.

SDU4:  See DS4.

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sealed enclosure:  The opposite of a ported enclosure.  A loudspeaker cabinet with no vents or
ports, e.g., an acoustic suspension system or an infinite baffle.

search-to-cue:  A feature in zero-locators that allows the engineer to instruct the recorder to find
a designated time location on tape and stop there and await further instructions.

second:  The interval between one note and another, one half-step (minor second) or two half-
steps (major second) above or below it.

segue:  (1) An instantaneous switch from one musical selection to another without a gap; the
absence of cross-fade.  (2) Musical term meaning, “continue on without stopping.”  (3) A piece
of music written to fill a gap, particularly in a musical or to link scenes in a film or TV pro-
gram.

SEL:  Sound Exposure Level.  The SEL of a noise event is the A-weighted SPL lasting one sec-
ond that would have the same acoustic energy as the event itself.  SEL is a way of comparing
the noisiness of events that have different durations, such as airplane fly-over noise.

selectivity:  The characteristic that describes the ability of a tuned circuit or a receiver to select

the signal frequencies desired and reject all others.

self-clocking:  A device synchronization system whereby the clock information is embedded
within the datastream, and the receiving device locks to it, as opposed to a master clock system.
This system is not as stable as an internal clock as cables and network problems may introduce
jitter.  On professional systems, self-clocking protocols will be augmented with a master clock
interface which sends word clock data.

self-erasure:  See saturation, HX/HX Pro.

self-noise:  The intrinsic noise or hiss produced by a microphone, measured in the absence of
any input signal.  Usually the self-noise specification is A-weighted:  a self-noise figure of 18dB
SPL or less is excellent, 28dB SPL is good, and over 35dB SPL is not good enough for quality
recording.  Dynamic mics have very low self-noise.  The S/N ratio of a microphone is the differ-
ence in dB between the microphone’s sensitivity and its self-noise.  See also reach.

sel-sync or sel synch:  Selective synchronization.  (1) In a multitrack tape recorder, the use of
the record head to replay material from other tracks to be heard by the musicians while they
overdub a new track.  This is essential for accurate synchronization as the extra few millisec-
onds afforded by its position will compensate for the inevitable delay if the signal was taken
from the main replay head which is some millimeters farther down in the tape stream.  Also
called simul-sync.  Ampex has trademarked Sel-Sync, but other products have similar features.
The replay quality is less good when using the record head for a function for which it was not
designed, thus it is important that the recorder returns to monitoring from the main replay
head during mixdown.  See auto-input.  (2) On a recorder used for synchronization of sound
with motion pictures or videotape, a separate sync head that records and plays the sync tone or
other sync signal.

Selsyn motor:  The trade name for a type of synchronous motor used to drive the projector,
dubbers, and recorder in the dubbing, mixing, or re-recording theater.  These motors, when con-
nected to the generators and drive motors, will run in rigid interlock with one another, start-
ing, running, slowing down, and running in reverse without loss of sync.  See rock and roll.

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semi-parametric EQ:  A semi-parametric equalizer has two controls:  frequency and boost/cut.
A fully parametric band would allow the adjustment not only of the center frequency and the
amount of cut or boost, but also the Q of the frequency band that is being affected.

semitone:  See half-step.

sempre:  Italian for “always,” e.g., “sempre legato,” always smoothly.

send:  An output on a recording or sound reinforcement console for a signal to be sent to an-
other device, such as an equalizer or reverberator.  The signal rejoins the chain at the console via
the return connector.  Typical consoles will have several sends and returns.  See effects send.

send level:  A term used for both hardware audio mixers and software synthesizers, send level

is the amount of a sound that is sent to an effects processor via the effects send.

sensitivity:  (1) The minimum required signal at the input of an audio device in order to pro-
duce the rated output is generally called the sensitivity of the device.  The higher the sensitiv-
ity, the lower the signal required at the input.  A device with high sensitivity can process very
small signals, but may be distorted by large ones, whereas one with low sensitivity can process
large signals without distortion, but may add an unacceptable level of noise to a small signal.
(2) In general, all information about a transducer’s response characteristics to incoming sound
waves.  With respect to microphones, a standard performance specification that indicates the
output voltage generated when a sound of known SPL and frequency arrives at the dia-
phragm.  Given in mV by most manufacturers and generally specified for broadband response
to pink noise.  See efficiency, transfer characteristic.  (3) See velocity sensitivity.

sensurround:  A now-obsolete motion picture sound system which uses very strong, very low
frequencies to simulate the effects of explosions, earthquakes, etc.  It uses a special soundtrack
on the film and separate amplifiers and high-power subwoofers to produce the effect.  Origi-
nally, the first sensurround films simply triggered a noise generator during the scenes to have
augmented LFE.  Later versions recorded the very low-frequency on the print.

separation:  (1) In a multiple microphone set-up, the extent to which any one microphone is
able to reject unwanted sounds intended to be picked up by other microphones.  Separation is
desirable if phase cancellation is to be avoided, and can be increased by careful microphone
choice an placement.  See directional microphone.  (2) The degree of isolation between signals
flowing in two paths.  Specified in decibels, indicating the level of a signal induced by one sig-
nal path in the other.  See crosstalk.

s

ep mag:  Separate magnetic film.  Terminology for a print whose audio track is on a separate

roll of mag film to be run in interlock with the picture; the same as double-system.

sequence:  (1) A set of music performance commands (notes and controller data) stored by a
sequencer.  (2) To edit the master tapes of an album, putting the songs in the desired order,
prior to cutting acetates and lacquer masters, etc.

sequencer:  A device or program that records and plays back user-determined sets of music
performance commands, usually in the form of MIDI data.  Most sequencers also allow the
data to be edited in various ways and stored on disk.