What is headroom in audio?
Headroom is the gap between the level a signal normally runs at and the loudest level the system can handle before it clips. Here is what it means in analogue gear, in a DAW and on Spotify.
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What is LUFS?
LUFS is the unit loudness meters use to say how loud a whole track or programme sounds, measured with the ITU-R BS.1770 algorithm. Broadcasters aim at -23 LUFS under EBU R128; Spotify turns playback to -14 dB LUFS.
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What is sample rate?
Sample rate is how many times per second a digital system measures an audio signal, written in hertz or kilohertz. It sets the highest frequency a recording can hold: just under half the sample rate.
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What is a sidechain?
A sidechain is a second input that tells a processor when to act, without being heard itself. Pumping kick-and-bass is one use of it; the term means the input, not the effect.
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What is true peak (dBTP)?
True peak is the highest level a digital audio waveform reaches once it is rebuilt as a continuous signal, including peaks that fall between samples. It is measured with the ITU-R BS.1770 method and shown in dBTP; Spotify asks for masters at or below -1 dBTP.
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