A signal which contains all possible audio frequencies in equal average amplitudes. Useful for testing equipment.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 August 2005 )
Studio Jargon
Envelope
The characteristic change in amplitude throughout time which all sounds possess. The envelope of a sound has a number of features: whether it sustains like a bowed violin string; whether it decays like a plucked violin string or a single strike of a drum; and how quickly the sound reaches its fullest intensity - how the sound "attacks". While the envelope of any specific sound has specific characteristics determined by the way the sound was generated, it should be realised that real sounds occur in real situations and the envelope of a sound will change according to the environment it occupies. A clave in a cave may appear (what is the sonic equivalent of the eye-based "appear"?) to have a longer envelope than when it is played in the open air.
