Audio Measurement Glossary

50 essential audio measurement and acoustics terms with engineering-accurate definitions, measurement standards, formulas, and practical examples. Each term links to the relevant SonaVyx measurement tool.

Building Acoustics

Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Intelligibility

Speech Transmission Index (STI)STIPA

Live Sound

Gain Before Feedback Headroom

Loudspeakers

Speaker Directivity Speaker Sensitivity Speaker Impedance Damping Factor

Measurement

Sound Pressure Level (SPL)A-Weighting (dBA)C-Weighting (dBC)Equivalent Continuous Sound Level (Leq)Frequency Response Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)Dynamic Range

Physics

Inverse Square Law Sound Propagation Delay

Problems

Comb Filtering Acoustic Feedback (Larsen Effect)

Room Acoustics

Reverberation Time (RT60)Impulse Response Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)Sabine Equation Eyring Equation Room Modes (Standing Waves)Schroeder Frequency Early Decay Time (EDT)Clarity (C50/C80)Definition (D50)Initial Time Delay Gap (ITDG)

Signal Processing

Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)Real-Time Analyzer (RTA)Octave Band Analysis Equalization (EQ)Parametric EQ Spectrograph Window Functions Graphic Equalizer

System Analysis

Transfer Function Coherence Phase (Audio)Polarity vs Phase

System Design

Crossover Frequency Delay Line Speaker Time Alignment Audio Latency

Test Signals

Pink Noise White Noise