Musical creativity, sound recording and music business do not stand still - new technologies, new means, and therefore new terms appear every year. To better navigate modern music and understand the new culture, we will explain the basic terms and designations adopted today.
Musical and sound creativity
Bitmaker (English beatmaker from beat - rhythm and maker - the manufacturer; that is, creating the beat) - in rap music: a person who creates music for MC. Bit - the main part of the music (track), on which rap artists recite their lyrics. Bitmaker performs the functions of a composer and arranger. Creating beats is an art in the genres of rap and hip-hop.
Beat tap This is an archive, a music library, a collection of all the bits made by the beatmaker.
Breakdown In translation - decline, stop, failure. The term originally referred to a section of a rock song with a slow tempo and performed by a bassist and keyboard player (sometimes a drummer). Later, breakdown became part of dance DJ culture. Emotionally - psychologically prepares the audience for the next explosion (release) of energy on the dance floor.
DJ (Eng. DJ from disc jockey - disc jockey) - a person performing a public reproduction of recorded on audio media music with change.
Cover, cover version (in translation from English - to cover) - the performance or recording of an original musical work by another musician, vocalist or group. A cover is a special case of a remake (see below). A concert or disc consisting entirely of cover versions of songs by one artist or group is called a tribute (from the English tribute - tribute, gift).
MS Emsie or MC (abbreviated English Master of Ceremonies), in reggae culture and hip-hop - the host of events, an artist, accompanied by electronic dance music, uttering words from the stage - pre-composed or improvised, usually in the form of rap - to provoke the audience and also introduce a DJ. Emsi not only hosts parties, but also introduces guests, DJs, participants, holds contests; his task is to "lead the crowd." He must feel the audience, its wishes and moods, as well as have a significant vocabulary, a sense of humor, and be able to improvise. Since the late 1970s, the term MC has been associated with hip-hop music and culture. Emsy reads rhymed lines, written earlier or composed impromptu (freestyle) - to introduce the audience and listeners to the DJ with whom he works to warm up the crowd, show himself or comment on a socially important event. With the development of hip-hop, the term MC began to be decoded as well as microphone controller, mic checka, music commentator, and even moves the crowd. Today, the term "MC" is used along with the concept of "rapper", others put a broader meaning in it.
Musmaker Integral notion of the profession, including the work of the arranger, studio sound engineer and producer of recordings of various styles and directions.
Remix A remixed (in translation - remixed or remixed) track or phonogram means that some non-critical changes have occurred in the arrangement and sound of the source material. In this case, the sound of the original components (tracks, instrument parts) usually does not change. The length of the phonogram is most often subject to changes in the direction of lengthening or decreasing; an instrument or sound may also be added; the structure of the instrument part may change.
Remake. This is a completely converted phonogram: the arrangement and sound direction of the track is changed, re-sung or melody played.
Sabbas. This is part of the phonogram spectrum in the region from 20 to 160 hertz. Reproduced by high-quality acoustic systems and a subwoofer (speaker with one low-frequency speaker). Attention to this range has increased due to the growing popularity of certain types of music that emphasize the sound of bass and drums (hip-hop, “heavy” rock styles, dance music).
Track. This word today has a double meaning. A track is the phonogram itself in the form of a file intended for playback, or a separately recorded part of an instrument and presented as an oscillogram or spectrogram in a sound editor. The first concept is most often a DJ concept, and the second refers to the field of music making and sound engineering.
Tracker A word that also has two meanings in Russian. The first is the name of an outdated digital audio editor that worked on samples (loops, one-shots), from which a track (part) could easily be put together. The second is a torrent site.
Music business (distribution)
Feat. Abbreviated “featuring”, or “with the participation”, a track was recorded together with someone. It is always noted if the partner is known as an independent creative unit or a participant in another famous musical project.
Single (in translation from English - single). In other words, it is a small disc (formerly a small record) with one musical composition. On old vinyl 45s there were two of them - on one side and the other of the record. Singles with hit songs from the album were released before the official release of the album.
EP (Extended Play). Otherwise - a minion, or mini-album, consisting of four to six pieces of music. A common form of music carrier both in the record era and now.
Album. This is the most common and standard option for recording musical works on media (from ten to eighteen tracks). Vinyl record - the album is called LP (long play), there are also options: double album (2 CD or 2 LP), triple album and box set (collection of albums).
Mixtape A common form of distribution of their creativity through the Internet for beginners. In fact, it is a collection of other people's phonograms or borrowed sound materials with texts sung or read over the top. A peculiar non-cost option to attract the attention of listeners.
Release Implementation, release, demonstration, display of the finished music product (often album). Includes a set of activities aimed at promoting and mass selling this product.
Streaming (listening) - providing access to content on the Internet through a web-resource or a special application on the user's device in real time for listening or viewing using technology that does not allow saving or otherwise copying the content to the user's device during completion of listening (except for transit storage required for transmission in real time, for example, in the data buffer).
Production Literally translated - production, or the process of creating (text, music, arrangement) of a musical work, as well as installation, processing, mixing and mastering of phonograms. Sometimes it is used as jargon for ready-made audio products for universal purposes (for use in cinema, television, audio advertising, etc.).
