German Music Database
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or contribute to this website in any way, please contact greg@stahlhammer.org.
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There are dozens of words and other terms that are used when describing music, and they are often confusing or misleading as to what it actually means. This page was created in order to help people understand what exactly these terms mean.
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Media Type
The "Media Type" category describes the different types of media that the music is recorded onto. That is, what is the actual object you put into the player to listen to the music.
8 Track
CD
CD-R
DCD or 2CD
Enhanced CD
Mini-CD
Business Card CD
Shape CD
SACD
Vinyl (12", 10", and 7")
Cassette
(other)
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Recording Type
The "Recording Type" category describes the content of media. That is, what exactly are you listening to, and how many tracks are on the media.
Album or LP
EP
Single
Maxi
Compilation
Soundtrack
Remix CD
Live album/recording
Live Bootleg
Promotional
Tribute Album
Snippet Promotional
(other)
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Case Type
The "Case Type" category describes the packaging that the media is held in. That is, what type of case or packaging does the music come in when you buy it.
Jewel Case
Double Jewel Case
Double Width Jewel Case
Slim Jewel Case
Digipack
DVD Case
Cardboard Sleeve
Box Set
DVD Digipack
Metal/Tin Case
Super-Jewel Box
Plastic Sleeve
(other)
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8 Track - Similiar to cassette, the 8 Track was used in the 60ies and 70ies. Housed in a large plastic cartridge, the 8 Track was composed of an endless loop of magenetic tape with 8 parrallel soundtracks that corresponded to four stereo programs.
Album - An album is a recording of songs arranged together on a CD or other type of media. Generally, an album contains more than 7 or 8 songs, and plays for at least 40 minutes. They are also often called an LP. These terms come from the days when vinyl records were popular but are applied to CDs in the modern day.
Business Card CD - The Business Card CD is a small, rectangular CD about the size of a business card. These are sometimes chosen for their compact size and shape, but are not often used in recording music. Also, because of their shape, they can become unstable while spinning and break into pieces, possibly causing damage to the CD player.
CD - The Compact Disc (CD) is currently the standard media for playing music, as well as a number of other applications. A regular CD is simply a thin, round piece of plastic with music encoded on the silver side which is read with a laser beam while the CD spins. The diameter of a CD is about 4.75 inches, or 12 centimeters, with a central hole.
CD-R - The CD-R is simply a blank (without content) CD that can be purchased by the consumer and recorded onto. Many people use a CD-R to copy regular CDs. The CD-R has the exact same specifications of a regular CD, except for the color of the side containing the music or information. While they can be silver, most CD-Rs are light green, blue, or black on the music side. The average CD-R will hold 700 megabytes of information, or up to 80 minutes of music.
Cassette - The cassette tape uses a long, thin strand of recordable tape that contains the music which is wrapped around two reels. It is contained inside a rectangular case and the tape moves from one reel to the other while it is being read by the cassette tape player. Cassette tapes have also been largely replaced by CDs.
Compilation - An arrangement of songs by different musicians on the same release. Compilations are usually made with songs of the same or similar genres to expose the listener to many different bands of a particular style.
DCD - The DCD is simply a Double-CD. Oftentimes if the amount of music will not fit onto one CD, a musician will include a second CD and release them together.
Digipack (or Digipak) - A type of CD (or DVD) case that is primarily made of cardboard or other composite material that is folded rather than hinged like a standard plastic jewel case. The cardboard offers a larger surface for graphics and offers the flexibility to hold any number of CDs. Oftentimes, the digipack is released as a the limited edition version of a particular release because it can contain a bonus CD or DVD and other features. However, this is not always the case, so do not make this assumption for all digipacks. For more details about the Digipack, visit www.digipak.com.
EP - The term "EP" means "Extended Play". An EP can be thought of as a short album, usually containing between 4 and 8 songs. They usually play for 10 minutes to 40 minutes. The songs on an EP are all different, and it is not to be confused with a Maxi which has different versions of the same song.
Enhanced CD - The Enhanced CD is just like a regular music CD, but there are also additional features added to the CD that can be viewed with a computer. These features may include a video, images, or even a computer program, as well as other things.
LP - The term "LP" means "Long Play". It is basically the same thing as an album.
Maxi - A maxi is a recording of different variations of the same song, usually of the song released as a single. These variations may include remixes or radio edits. The maxi may also include an extra song that is often not released on the album, called a "B-Side" song. In Europe, a maxi is often considered a single, but America does not generally release many maxis.
Mini-CD - The Mini-CD is a CD with a smaller diameter, which holds much less music. Sometimes when a musician only puts a small amount of music on a CD, they will choose a Mini-CD.
Remix album - An arrangement of songs that were originally created by a particular musician, but were remixed by other musicians and re-arranged as a new recording.
SACD - The SACD is a special kind of CD called a Special Audio CD, created by Sony and Philips Electronics in 1999. The SACD can produce very high quality digital surround sound, but requires a special SACD player. Only a "Hybrid SACD" can be played in a regular CD player, but still does not have the same high quality unless it is played in the special SACD player. More information about the SACD is available at www.sonymusic.com/sacd.
Shape CD - The Shape CD is a regular CD that has been cut to form a certain shape. These are sometimes used as a special collector's items CD. Also, because of their irregular shape, they can often become unstable while spinning and break into pieces, possibly causing damage to the CD player.
Single - A single is a recording of just one song, usually selected from an album. The song is often selected from an album and is played on the radio and becomes one of the musician's signature songs.
Soundtrack - An arrangement of songs that are used in a movie production or video/computer game. Oftentimes, songs on a soundtrack are made by different musicians, so it could be considered a type of compilation. However, there are some soundtracks, particularly those of video or computer games, in which all the songs are made by the same musician. In this case, the soundtrack would have more in common with an album.
Super Jewel Box - The Super Jewel Box is meant to be an improvement over the traditional jewel case. The case is built more sturdily and has stronger hinges, and the insert booklet and tray liner are perforated at the corners for a precise fit. To learn more about the Super Jewel Box, visit www.jewelboxing.com.
Test Press - Before a commercial music release, the album or single sometimes gets "test pressed" so the label can see if it needs additional mastering, or if they want to change the track sequence before it is mass produced. The number of test presses usually vary from 5 to 50 copies and are rarely distrubuted like promos are. Very few test pressings have the usual trappings of retail copies like cover artwork, inclusions, etc. In most cases the CD is "white labeled" with only artist and title text added.
Vinyl - The vinyl record has been available for decades as a media for playing music, however today they have been almost entirely replaced by CDs. They are played on a record player or turntable by a needle that reads the grooves in the surface, while spinning at a specified RPM (revolutions per minute). Vinyl records are available in 12 inch, 10 inch, and 7 inch sizes, as well as multiple colors including clear.
Please email us if you would like to see any additional words defined here.
These terms will be defined soon:
Live Recording
Live Bootleg (Illegal Recording)
Promotional
Tribute Album
Snippet Promotional
Jewel Case
Double Jewel Case
Double Width Jewel Case
Slim Case
DVD Case
Cardboard Sleeve
Box Set
DVD Digipack
Metal/Tin Case
Plastic Sleeve
(to be continued)
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