Sounds Like? An Audio Glossary Glossary: V-Z

V

vague, vagueness Having poor specificity, confused.

veiled, veiling Pertaining to a deficiency of detail and focus, due to moderate amounts of distortion, treble-range restriction, or attack rounding.

velvet fog (as in "listening through a...") Describes a galloping case of haze, wherein virtually all detail and focus are absent.

vertical-venetian-blind effect See "picket-fencing."

violining See "scrape flutter."

visceral Producing a bodily sensation of pressure or concussion.

vowel coloration A form of midrange or low-treble coloration which impresses upon all program material a tonal "flavor" re~sembling a vowel in speech.

W

wander Side-to-side vacillation of the apparent position of a stereo image as the instrument plays different notes. Poor imaging stability.

warm The same as dark, but less tilted. A certain amount of warmth is a normal part of musical sound.

weight 1) The feeling of solidity and foundation contributed to music by extended, natural bass reproduction. 2) The emphasis assigned to a subjective term by a qualifier.

width The apparent lateral spread of a stereo image. If appropriately miked when recorded, a reproduced instrument should sound no wider or narrower than it would have sounded originally. See "stereo spread."

wiry Having an edgy or distorted high end, similar to the "tish" of brushed cymbals, but coloring all sounds reproduced by the system.

withdrawn Very laid-back.

woolly Pertains to loose, ill-defined bass.

Z

zippy A slight top-octave emphasis. See "toppy."

X