Adobe AUDITION 1.5 - Manual (Page 287)

279 ADOBE AUDITION 1.5
User Guide
DC offset Some sound cards record with a slight DC offset, in which direct current is
introduced into the signal, causing the center of the waveform to be offset from the zero
point (the center line in the waveform display). DC offset can cause a click or pop at the
beginning and end of a file. To compensate for DC Offset, use the DC Bias Adjust setting
provided by the Amplify command.
Decibel (dB) In audio, the decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit of measurement used for
amplitude.
dBFS Decibels below full scale in digital audio. 0 dBFS is the maximum possible
amplitude value (for example, 256 for 8-bit audio). A given dBFS value does not directly
correspond to the original sound pressure level measured in acoustic dB.
Delay A time-shifted signal that you can mix with the original, nondelayed signal to
provide a fuller sound or create echo effects. Adobe Audition offers a variety of delay
effects such as Reverb, Chorus, and Echo.
Destructive editing Editing (such as cutting and pasting, or effects processing) that
changes the original audio data. For example, in destructive editing, a change in audio
volume alters the amplitude of the original wave file. In Adobe Audition, Edit View is a
destructive editing environment; however, edits do not permanently change audio until
you save a file.
Devices Wave and MIDI devices that send data into and out of the computer. In Adobe
Audition, wave devices are sound card inputs and outputs used for recording and playback
of audio; MIDI devices are hardware interfaces used to send performance and synchroni-
zation information to Adobe Audition and other MIDI-enabled programs and hardware.
You can configure both device types in the Device Properties dialog box.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) The process of transforming a digital audio signal by
using complex algorithms. Examples include filtering with equalizers, and effects
processing with reverbs and delays.
DirectX A development platform designed by Microsoft that provides an open standard
for audio plug-ins. Plug-ins based on this standard can be used by any application that
supports DirectX, such as Adobe Audition.
Dither Dithering adds small amounts of noise to a digital signal so that very quiet audio
remains audible when you convert from a high bit resolution to a lower one (for example,
when converting from 32-bit to 16-bit). Without dithering, quiet audio passages such as
long reverb tails may be abruptly truncated.
ug.book Page 279 Tuesday, March 16, 2004 1:29 PM