Track (audio) - Glossary

Term: Track (audio)

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Term: Track (audio)

Definition:

A single stream of recorded sound with no location in a sound field. Although the term track has historically been used in the context of fixed media, e.g., "a four-track tape," this glossary's definition focuses on the processed signal and not the storage medium. One frequent use for track is in the context of multitrack recording sessions where, say, a group of musicians produce two guitar tracks, a drum track, and a vocal track, for later mixing into a stereo recording for public release.

Some writers use the term channel for the meanings outlined in the preceding paragraph. In order to distinguish channel from track, however, this working group defines channel as a stream of sound with a defined location in a sound field.

Category: Audio See also: Channel (audio); Sound field; Multitrack (audio)