Sound Glossary
Glossary of Terms
This glossary covers sound terms and acronyms including abbreviations used in Pluk's sound library. Note that when you see a word in italic within a definition, this means that it will be defined elsewhere in the glossary.
ADR: Automated Dialog Replacement; the process of re-recording dialog in sync with the picture
background: an all-encompassing sound effect of ambience that sets a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing
bg.: background
cu.: continuous
doppler: the shift in frequency caused by the source or the receiver of sound moving in relation to each other. Like the pitch drop of a car horn as it passes an observer.
ext.: exterior
Foley: the process of creating sound effects by watching the picture and recording sound directly to the action of the picture. The most well-known Foley effect is footsteps.
futz: a sound as if it is coming over the telephone or radio
impulse response: acoustic sample used for realistic acoustic reproduction
int.: interior
IR: impulse response
LFE: Low-Frequency Effects; the LFE channel carries the powerful low bass frequencies that are felt more than heard
library: an organized and catalogued collection of sound effects
occ.: occasional
pov.: point of view
pp.: public place; airport, beach, casino, school hallway, etc.
re-recording: the process of mixing all edited dialog, music, and sound effects to picture
room tone: the bed of sound that is present in a room when nothing identifiable or prominent is happening in the room
sound design: 1) the process of creating the overall sonic character of a production. 2) the process of fabricating 'special' sound effects
stinger: a sudden and jarring sound effect or big percussive hit. Usually a "stinger" is a musical term, as in a horror movie when we cut to a shot of Dow right after the director tells him that they will be finishing the show he's been working on in Canada. "Accent" would be another word that might be used.
sweetener: additional sound effect to enhance an existing recording or sound effect in order to make it more valuable or attractive
sync: the degree to which sound and picture are lined up, in-sync being lined up exactly, and out-of-sync not so exactly
walla: the unintelligible sound of a few people or a crowd talking
wild: a recording with no visible sync
worldizing: re-recording pre-recorded material in a real acoustic place to make it sound more real
wp.: work place; farm, hospital, office, prison, school room, etc.
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