156 English
Glossary
Polyphonic
More than one voice
played simultaneously.
Plug and Play
Plug and Play is an
architecture designed to simplify
installation and configuration of new
devices in a PC.
POST
Power-On Self-Test. A series
of tests your computer performs
when you switch the computer on.
Q-Sound
Audio-processing
technique to simulate reverb/
surround sound.
RAM
Random Access Memory. This
memory is used to hold programs and
data temporarily.
resolution
A measure of the visible
detail on a screen or printout. Screen
resolution is measured in ‘pixels
across’ by ‘pixels down’ by ‘number of
colors’. Printer resolution is measured
in dpi (dots-per-inch).
ROM
Read-Only Memory. Computer
memory used to store parts of the
computer’s operating system
permanently. ROM chips can contain
instructions and data.
Sampling
The process of converting
an analog signal into digital data.
Sampling rate
The rate of analyzing
a sound. The more frequently a sound
is sampled, the more closely it will
match the original sound.
SCAM
SCSI Configured
Automatically. A protocol which
automatically assigns device IDs to
SCSI devices which support SCAM.
SCSI
Small Computer System
Interface. A high-speed data bus used
for connecting hard disks, tape drives,
and other accessories to your
computer (see 8-bit SCSI and 16-bit
SCSI).
SCSI chain
Devices connected on a
single SCSI bus.
SDRAM
Synchronous Dynamic
Random Access Memory. This
memory is used to improve perfor-
mance of your PC Workstation
Sequencer
A device used to record
note information from MIDI devices.
Setup program
Used to inform the
computer about its configuration, for
example the amount of memory
installed. The setup program is stored
in ROM on the system board.
shadow RAM
A method of
relocating the system and/or video
BIOS from slower ROM chips to faster
RAM to improve system performance.
SIMM
Single In-line Memory
Module. These memory modules can
provide a 32-bit data path.
Sound files
Files containing sound
data. Sound files are usually stored in
one of two formats, with the
extension .WAV or .MID.
crystal.bk : glossary.fb4 Page 156 Monday, March 23, 1998 4:09 AM
