NEW SOUND VOCABU-LARRY

Updated 03/27/22

As I do recording or sound reinforcement, I find situations where there just isn't a word to describe what happened. So, I coined a few. But 8 of the words are real, and 13 more are words coined by others that I adapted to sound engineering. Try to find them before consulting the answers at the end.

1. @ack (N - Pronounced "at ack") - Deluge of email complaining about the quality of your latest CD
2. Alabammer (N) - A drummer who can't hit any way but hard
3. Alienostic (A) - Believing aliens from outer space are affecting the sound
4. Alzhymners Disease (N) - Choir members who can't remember the words **
5. Analogism (N) - The belief that analog sounds best
6. Antitintinabulation (S) - Unwanted sounds caused by jewelry worn by a singer
7. Arachnoleptic Fit (N) - The frantic dance performed just after walking through a spider web ****
8. Arhythmetic (N) - Counting out the sequence of a rhythm (1 uh and a 2 uh and a ...)
9. Artchitect (N) - An architect who places the beauty he can create above the functionality of the building
10. Atomispuzz (S) - Opening the fader of the SMPTE sync track by mistake
11. Attidude (N) - The laid-back overconfidence of a novice
12. Audiovisualoglyphics (N) - Pictorial symbols on the buttons of a remote control for audio-visual equipment (See DRUNE)
13. Audivainue (N) - A place where vain audiences watch and listen (See VAINUE)
14. Autoplay (A, N) - A medley of songs with a common drumbeat, such as in the "Hooked-On" series
15. Aww (IJ) - What you are filled with when the band is awful (or is that AWW-ful - Antonym of "awe")
16. Backsludge (N) - A venue where the mixing console must be backstage, where the engineer can't hear the mix
17. Bagpipage (N) - The inability to hear any other instrument while bagpipes are being played
18. Balun (N) - A device, usually a transformer, which converts balanced line to unbalanced line and vice versa *****
19. Balundrop (N) - Loss of sound caused by a BALUN not working right with the equipment
20. Barghum (N) - The sticky syrup on everything in a bar, resulting from spilled beer
21. Bassute (N) - The new instrument created when a bassoon and a flute play the same notes octaves apart * Usually found in children's music
22. Beeriad (N) - 10000 cans of beer
23. Bellophone (N) - A musical instrument made entirely of telephone bells and pushbuttons
24. Big Band Theory (PH) - The origin of the universe, according to "The Picture Book of Relativity" *****
25. Bioblat (N, V, IJ) - Passing gas
26. Bipolarism (N) - The belief that bipolar transistors sound best
27. Bit Cheap (A) - An effect box that is cheaper, because it does a digital synthesis of the effect
28. Blabbertyjabbrer (S) - 1. Everyone talking at once
    2. The sound of a phone scrambler
    3. Receiving a single-sideband signal on an amplitude-modulated receiver
29. Blabbery (N) - 1. The misdemeanor of talking too much
    2. Using drivel to mislead people
30. Blabiot (N) - An idiot who won't shut up
31. Blaritone (N) - Any acoustic instrument that is naturally played too loud
32. Blig (S) - A very short organ note or chord
33. Blooium (N) - The substance that makes equipment go blooey
34. Boingage (S) - The effect where a spring reverb works during the song, but oscillates during speech
35. Boioioioioioi (S) - A theremin player scratching an itch
36. Boombastic (A) - Describing the power of a passing BOOMCAR to ruin a take
37. Boomboomph (S) - A bass line that blends into a solid drone due to live room acoustics
38. Boomcar (N) - An automobile with a booming THUMPER
39. Boxcorner (N) - The corner of the studio where you keep all of your BOXIC WASTE
40. Boxic waste (N) - All of the empty original manufacture's cartons you have to keep to get any warranty service
41. Bragsheet (N) - A newsletter telling what the band has done recently
42. Braticulated (A) - Worried about your equipment because children are playing nearby
43. Broyp (S) - A sound caused by a tape or record coming up to speed while it is playing a note
44. Bubbleglup (S) - A sound caused by a dropout in a digital medium
45. Bureauc Rat (S) - Any public official opposed to a live concert
46. Bustworthy (A) - Easily broken
47. Buy-buy Mic (PH) - The result of putting a mic in the drummer's way, or of a STANDFALL
48. Byorp (S) - A sound caused by a tape coming up to speed while recording a note
49. Cacophonics and Feud in H-minor (PH) - The awful result of MIDI FEEDBACK
50. Californicate (V) - 1. To behave like HOLLYWODD actors and actresses do in TV shows
    2. To believe that the California government actually knows what it is doing
51. Californitritus (N) - All of those labels on equipment saying that it contains something "known to the State of California" to be harmful in some obscure way or another - Treat them as the trash they are
52. Cansas (N) - A recycle bin full of cans right next to the stage, rattling along with the band
53. Capoid (N) - Any chord that is easier to play on a guitar if you use a capo
54. Celebratty (A) - Describing a well-known musician acting like a spoiled brat
55. Celebraty (N) - A well-known musician who acts like a spoiled brat
56. Celluyodel (S) - A ringing cellular phone ruining a take
57. Chairattle (S) - Sounds produced by folding chairs in the audience
58. Choosch (S) - The freight-train sound of "lawyer impact" in the Ken Nunn commercial
59. Chortleography (N) - The art of composing dance steps that are funny
60. Clack Trick (N) - The art of actually playing live to a click track
61. Clarinettled (A) - Bothered by too many clarinets in a high school band, because most students took clarinet
62. Clarinoise (S) - A clarinet squeak in the wrong register
63. Clomptonite (N) - What they make loud heels that go "clomp-clomp" out of
64. Clonette (N) - An electronic version of a plastic tonette
65. Cloon (S) - The sound of "lawyer impact" in the Keller and Keller commercial
66. Cloth-Ears (N) - Disease causing an inability to tell good sound from mediocre sound *****
67. Cloud (N) - A large piece of sound-absorbing material hung from the ceiling *****
68. Clumfert (N) - An extra step in the stairs to the stage that materializes only in the dark *****
69. Coasterland (N) - Over the clipping level on a digital device - Makes ruined CDs, which are used for coasters
70. Cogging (S) - When a sound smoothly panned around the room in surround is heard to jump from speaker to speaker
71. Colorato (N) - Music performed on a piece of sound equipment with a built-in light-show device
72. Connecticutoff (A) - When the wire gets yanked out of the connector so it can't be fixed
73. Connectrated (A) - Unable to find any combination of the adaptors and cables on hand to be able connect device A to device B
74. Conscold (V) - Bawling out the guitar player who hooked his speaker output to your mixer and blew out a channel
75. Constroy (V) - To hook a speaker output to a mixer and blow out a channel
76. Contact Bridge (N) - A card game where people get mad and chase each other around the room (See TACKLE PINOCHLE)
77. Cooder (N) - Pronunciation of CD-R, which is the acronym for "Compact Disc - Recordable"
78. Cooderoo (N) - Pronunciation of CD-RW, which is the acronym for "Compact Disc - ReWriteable"
79. Corrodium (N) - What dead batteries are made of (See PRE-CORRODIUM)
80. Corrodium Warning (N) - "Do not lose this radio in closet while installing dead batteries."
81. Cry Storm (N) - 1. A crying baby drowning out the band
    2. A liberal politician drowning out the band
82. Cymbsector (N) - A cymbal pad for an electronic drumkit that is the shape of a sector (pie wedge), rather than a circle
83. Daw-rats! (IJ) - What you say after being unable to do an operation on a Digital Audio Workstation
84. Darkade (N) - A stage with very little light
85. Darth Faders (N) - Faders that do not fade smoothly
86. Deluted (A) - The state of not being able to hear a lute, because another instrument is in the room
87. Demen (N) - The little gremlin who hides the menus on digital equipment, so you can't find them
88. Demidesk (N) - Any console that does not have both pre-fader and after-fader solo functions (demi means half)
89. Demisurround (A) - Describing an attempt to make surround sound from only two speakers
90. Democ Rat (A) - Any public official wanting to charge a fee for a live concert that is held on private land
91. Demonitorize (V) - To turn down the monitor at the console every time the performer turns it up on stage
92. Demonitorized Zone (N) - Any area where the sound man has complete control of the monitors
93. Demousify (V) - To use reverb or delay in the monitor to cause a DISLOQUATED or MOUSIFIED vocalist to sing loud
94. Demp (S) - The sound of a single bounce of a basketball
95. Depodiated (A) - A speaker who, when told to come up to the podium, finds there isn't one to stand on, but just a lectern
96. Desk-can't (N) - A state of being unable to perform the needed function on the available mixer
97. Digitalism (N) - The belief that digital sounds best
98. Dimenutated (A) - Frustrated from the delays in using a DIMENUTIVE console
99. Dimenutive (A) - Having few controls, but with menus to select what those controls do
100. Discogpan (V) - When a sound smoothly panned around the room in discrete surround is heard to jump from speaker to speaker
101. Discretism (N) - The belief that discrete surround sound sounds best
102. DisIKable (A) - On garageband.com, any tune that is not eligible for an Instant Karma review
103. Dislaboration (N) - The state of musicians working against each other
104. Disloquated (A) - Having stage fright
105. Dissostrunk (S) - A sound produced by an unattended guitar falling off its stand
106. Dockswell (N) - When the end of the loading dock swells up against the vehicle's rear bumper as you load gear
107. Dongle (N) - A device attached to a computer that proves to the software that the user has purchased the software, and thus has a right to use it - Violates the law once the copyright expires *****
108. Doonk (S) - A Windows attention sound produced by a PC-based console, ruining a take
109. Double Drick (N) - A large-area power failure, such as the one on 11/9/1965 (See DRICK) *****
110. Double Entawdry (N) - Lyrics that have two meanings, with one of them being sexually suggestive
111. Dratify (V) - To affirm mistakes as part of the mix
112. Drick (S, N) - A power failure (From the TV series "Green Acres") *****
113. Dricker (N) - The cause of a power failure (See DRICK)
114. Droip (S) - The cartoon sound intended to sound like water dripping
115. Droot (S) - The sound of a cheap electronic imitation of an electric piano
116. Druffle (V) - To place a barrier around a drum kit to quiet it
117. Drumachinism (N) - The belief that a drum machine sounds better than a real drummer
118. Druma (N) - The use of drums to indicate suspense in movies and TV shows
119. Drump Loop (N) - The repeating sound of a drum that got away from the roadie and is rolling down a hill
120. Drumsy (A) - Having a tendency to constantly lose drumsticks while playing
121. Drune (N) - One of the little international picture symbols found on equipment that supposedly identifies the function of each control without using words (See AUDIOVISUALOGLYPHICS)
122. Dumdrum (N) - The drum section of a $25 keyboard
123. Dust Crashes (S) - The sound of breaking pencils in half caused by playing a CD-4 record with dust in the grooves.
124. Dutch Cow-Tipping Music (PH) - What some critics think of polkas *****
125. Dwet (S) - The sound of the Hammond organ finale note on a record the page author has.
126. Dynbamic Range (N) - Punctuation of a quiet section with a loud note or a drumbeat
127. Earbusted (N, A) - A person who has ruined his hearing with loud music LOUDBUSTED
128. Earworm (N) - A song you can't get out of your head *****
129. Eclectic Guitar (N) - A guitar that starts to play the wrong song
130. Edrumism (N) - The belief that electronic drum kits sound best
131. Elboing (S) - A sound produced when two performers bump elbows
132. Elboingia (N) - A stage that is too small for the band
133. Elefat (N) - Any piece of sound equipment too big to fit through the venue door
134. Electrifool (N) - Anyone who ignores electrical safety - Examples: 1. Using 3 to 2 prong adapters
     2. Playing electric guitar in the rain
135. Electrifry (V) - To destroy sound equipment by overdriving it
136. Ephosic (A) - Describing a person who has the expectation of having to clean dust off a phonograph stylus even when he is listening to digital music
137. Evianated (V) - The feeling you get onstage when you pick up your bottled water, and suddenly realize that "Evian" is "naive" spelled backwards
138. Excelar (N) - An Extra Large Round (XLR) connector
139. Faqirial (A) - A day short and a dollar late
140. Faqiry (N, pronounced "fakery") - One of the fake fairies that liberals postulate to exist - They provide the missing wealth needed to support the arts at pre-technology levels
141. Faxic Waste (N) - When ads offering tuba lessons come through the fax instead of the wanted gig orders
142. Feedaroundback (N) - A long, roundabout series of connections that together cause feedback
143. FETism (N) - The belief that field effect transistors sound best
144. Fillery Stuff (N) - What the lead musician asks for as a fill when he has no idea of the terms used by the musician he is asking ***
145. Fipplefluff (S) - The breath noises from a wind instrument
146. Flibbered (A) - Describing what an overactive noise gate did to the sound
147. Flink (S) - The sound produced by a powerful strobe light, when picked up by the sound system
148. Flinkafied (A) - Blinded by a strobe light
149. Flishpankle (S) - The unwanted sound of a cymbal falling off of its stand
150. Flooridah (N) - A club with no elevated stage, just a rectangle laid out on the floor for the band
151. Fluba (N) - The new instrument created when a tuba and a flute play the same notes octaves apart * Usually found in children's music
152. Flewpart (N) - A FLYPART that can not be found after a PARTFLY occurs (See GRUMMIES)
153. Flyable Part (N) - FLYPART that has not yet flown (See FLYPART)
154. Flypart (N) - A part in a machine that is spring-loaded, so it flies out of place as soon as the retaining parts are removed (See FLYABLE PART, PARTFLY, FLEWPART, GRUMMIES)
155. Foinsplat (S) - The sound of a musician knocking his theremin off of the stand
156. Foolower (N) - A groupie who does nothing but follow a lousy band
157. Francis Scott's Key (PH) - The unsingable key The Star Spangled Banner was written in
158. Frackify (V) - 1. To make a terrible off-key sound when your horn falls apart during a take
     2. To blow too hard into a duck call
159. Fribble (S) - Sounds made by a fur costume
160. Frutch (S) - A sound made by something rubbing across a mic
161. Fubbafluwatch (N) - The thing you can't think of the name of when you need one immediately before the take *** (See SPLIDNOOG)
162. Fusstrated (A) - Bothered by a fussy baby in the audience, fearing an all-out CRY STORM
163. Gabblerouser (N) - Something in the lyrics that causes the audience to start talking
164. Gigglepathic (N) - The portion of your music that invariably causes the audience to giggle
165. Giglioglers (N) - People who stand around and watch you put your drum kit together
166. Ging (S) - The sound made by the free ends of guitar strings stubbing against things
167. Glarade (N) - A stage with plenty of light on the performers, but none on the music stands
168. Glitchital (A) - The propensity of digital equipment to be glitched (disturbed by transients)
169. Glup (S) - A dropout in a recording
170. Gluptitude (N) - The probability that a cheap tape causes dropouts
171. Glurk (S) - Someone suddenly sitting on a couch or bed, causing someone else sitting there who was drinking to spill the drink
172. Gnarble (V) - To accidentally encrypt data with garbage for the encryption key
173. Goonister (N) - A musician who plays chords, instead of the part he is supposed to be playing
174. Goonstrument (N) - A single instrument created in the mix by all of the chord-playing instruments acting as one sound-producing entity - Combines the disadvantages of all of the individual instruments into one big disadvantage Also is the cause of a PANODRAMA
175. Gooptade (N) - A stage too close to the mud-wrestling pit
176. Grickle (S) - 1. A sound made by a damaged mic diaphragm
     2. A sound made by a candy bar wrapper in a performer's pocket
177. Gritch (S) - A sound made by a marginal connection acting up
178. Grummies (N) - Little parts that get lost easily
179. Grunkle (S) - A sound made by moving the mic stand while the mic is hot
180. Gubble-gubble (S) - An instance of a singer forgetting the words (See GUBFUBBLE)
181. Gubfubble (S) - An instance of a singer forgetting the words (See GUBBLE-GUBBLE)
182. Guiano (N) - The new instrument created when a piano and an acoustic guitar play the same chords *
183. Guianostified (A) - In a mixdown, the inability to separate a piano from an acoustic guitar
184. Guitarmophonics (S) - Awful sounds produced by a cheap guitar pickup at high gain **
185. Guitusi (N) - The frenzied inverted-guitar dance incited by losing the plectrum (pick) inside the guitar
186. Gymnoisium (N) - Any room with such live acoustics that dropping a matchbook is a major sound event
187. Gyrese (N) - Whirling Dervish language
188. Haberdashanoid (N) - A musician more worried about how his clothes look than about recording the song
189. Haecoed (A) - A recording with the stereo phase distorted by the Haeco Compatible Stereo Generator (CSG), intended to remove the error of the oversized soloist in mono playback
190. Haftas (N) - Things that must be done
191. Hairanoid (N) - A musician more worried about how his hair looks than about recording the song
192. Headclomp (S) - A crash produced by an amp head getting yanked off of the speaker by the guitar cord, and falling to the stage floor
193. Hemidemisemidesk (N) - Any console that has no solo function at all
194. Hocus Bogus (PH) - Words you make up for a song when you forget the real ones
195. Hollywodd (N) - Any place where all morality is abandoned - Hollywood at its oddest (See CALIFORNICATE)
196. Hoopstruck (A) - The anxiety of seeing a basketball from a nearby court heading straight for your mixing console
197. Hoopstrunk (A) - A basketball from a nearby court knocking over a guitar
198. Hot-Truck Treatment (PH) - Damage to recording media during shipment, due to overheating
199. Hymnastics (N) - Rewriting old hymns to modernize them
200. Hystericate (V) - To notice that you brought just the empty instrument case, 5 minutes before soundcheck
201. ICism (N - pronounced "eye-SEE-is-um") - The belief that integrated circuits sound best
202. IKable (A) - On garageband.com, any tune that is eligible for an Instant Karma review
203. Illannoyed (A) - Upset because a band member sneezes during every take
204. Inhornate (V) - To make noises by inhaling through your wind or brass instrument
205. Inkgrog (N) - A magazine in the ready room guaranteed to put any musician to sleep - Example: Business Week
206. Inpout (N) - A connection that can be used as either an input or an output
207. Insatrument (N) - An instrument that lies, malfunctions, or can't be tuned
208. Internixed (A) - Describing a record changer malfunction, caused by loading records in the wrong intermix sequence
209. Jackified (A) - After making a long cable run, discovering that the plug doesn't fit the jack at the far end
210. Jackinated (A) - plugging a cable into the wrong jack
211. Key-Signatory (PH) - Having to sign out a key to the stage lavatory
212. Kazician (N) - A kazoo player (Why?)
213. Keyboardophile (N) - Anyone who prefers to use a keyboard command over a mouse command
214. Kicktonator (N) - A monster kick drum patch that blows out ears
215. Killow (N) - A pillow stuffed inside a kick drum to deaden it
216. Killpressor (N) - Using a compressor to limit the kick, to avoid going into COASTERLAND
217. Klinkectomy (N) - Preventing ANTITINTINABULATION by removing the musician's jewelry
218. Knobbered (A) - The state of repeatedly adjusting the same wrong knob on the console to fix a problem
219. Kudzician (N) - A musician who puts such complicated improvisation into a piece that the original piece is totally lost in the improvised tangle of kudzu
220. Lampson (U) - The unit (abbr. Ls) of speed of human speech (Normal speech is 200 millilampsons. Comes from programmer Butler Lampson) *****
221. Lampulated (A) - Distracted by all of the flashing lights on the equipment
222. Lampulized (A) - Overjoyed by all of the flashing lights on the equipment
223. Latigid (A) - Describing the sound of digital audio, especially the part that is different from analog
224. LEDify (V) - To get information from all of the flashing lights on the equipment
225. Liquese (N) - Drunken speech or singing
226. Loudbusted (N, A) - A person who has ruined his hearing with loud music (see EARBUSTED)
227. Loudbuster (N) - A sound man who ruins the hearing of other people with loud music
228. Lousyana (N) - A state with laws that require ground loops to exist
229. Lumptated (A) - Trying to sing after your significant other just broke up with you
230. Maindrown (N) - When the main speakers drown out everyone's monitors
231. Malformite (N) - What defective equipment is made of
232. Megabucksic (A) - Extremely expensive
233. Megaglup (S) - 1. A break in the tape
     2. An 18.5 minute gap in the recording (See GLUP)
234. Menutated (A) - Adjusting a control on the wrong menu of a digital console
235. Meringue Noisette (N) - The fake squish sound used when a pie is thrown
236. Messachewsetts (N) - The venue where your equipment gets stuck to the floor, due to food and beer residue on the stage
237. Messaslippery (N) - The venue where you fall on the floor, due to food and beer residue on the stage
238. Messouri (N) - The venue where your equipment acquires a sour smell that reeks and reeks for weeks and weeks
239. Messterpiece (N) - 1. Antonym of masterpiece
     2. The result of liberals trying to fix the economy
     3. The result of a giant food fight.
     4. The result of a ruined recording studio session
240. MIDI Feedback (N) - The cacophonic mess caused by a feedback loop in MIDI connections - This causes MIDI messages to be repeated over and over *****
241. MIDI Logjam (N) - The backlog caused by too many MIDI messages needing to be sent at the same time - Causes notes to play late, or not at all
242. MIDIclog (N) - A MIDI LOGJAM
243. MIDIglup (N) - A MIDI note incompletely played for technical reasons, such as a MIDI LOGJAM
244. MIDIsounditis (N) - A disease that imparts the mistaken belief that audio can be sent over MIDI
245. Millinote (N) - A MIDI note incapable of being performed by any human being
246. Milliphone (N) - A very insensitive microphone
247. Mixtake (N) - A mistake made while mixing
248. Mondegreen (N) - A misheard word or phrase in music lyrics ***** (cf. mishearing "on the green" - See GUBFUBBLE)
249. Mondrown (N) - When the monitors drown out the main PA speakers
250. Monimixnix (N) - When the mixing console is required by house rules to be on stage, so the engineer can't hear the mains
251. Moniphone (N) - A monitor system that uses individual headphone mixes
252. Monistor (N) - The band member who keeps turning his monitor up too loud
253. Mousageddon (N) - World War III caused by one wrong mouse click
254. Mouse Manure (N) - The results produced by bad science
255. Mouse Potato (N) - Internet addict *
256. Moused Up (V) - Having just made a mistake with a computer mouse
257. Mousecar (N) - A Kia Soul (from the ad where mice are driving toasters and the Kia Soul)
258. Mouseglup (S) - A dropout on a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) caused by moving the mouse too much
259. Mousified (A) - Timidity in vocal performance
260. Mousemilk (V, N) - Make a big issue out of something inconsequential *
261. Mousetied (A) - The state of having to stay within a certain distance of the computer or DAW to work the mouse
262. Mousfunction (N) - A mouse misfunction
263. Mousion (N) - The use of a computer mouse
264. Mouso (N) - MOUSOGRAPHICAL ERROR *
265. Mousographical error (N) - A typographical error made with a mouse *
266. Mousophile (N) - Anyone who prefers to use a mouse command over a keyboard command
267. Mousophobe (N) - Anyone who prefers to use a keyboard command over a mouse command
268. Moustered (N) - Flustered by a malfunctioning mouse
269. Moustake (N) - A mistaken mouse click
270. Moustified (A) - Can't use a computer mouse
271. Moustrained (A) - Not enough room to use a computer mouse
272. Moustrated (A) - Not enough room to use a computer mouse
273. Moustro (N) - A person who creates a whole recording using a computer MIDI sequencer and MIDI instruments
274. Mucksuck (S) - The sound of your best on-stage shoes being swallowed by mud as you carry in at the venue
275. Mudsician (N) - A musician who makes muddy sound no matter how you adjust your equipment
276. Mudtana (N) - A venue that sounds like mud no matter how you adjust your equipment
277. Mupglup (S) - A dropout in an MP-3 file caused by the computer having too much else to do
278. Muppled (A) - Describes the sound of your recording after you convert it to MUPPY THREE form
279. Muppy Three (N) - MP-3
280. Murphon (U) - The unit (abbr. Mu) of easiness of being ruined - Standardized scale:
     • Anvil = 1 picomurphon
     • Anvil case = 1 micromurphon
     • Molded-on RCA plug = 1 murphon
     • CD-R disc = 1 megamurphon
     • Live 2-track take = 1 teramurphon
281. Murphy (V) - To mess up royally
282. Mutellate (V) - To mess up, muting a channel by mistake
283. Nanonote (N) - A MIDI note too short to be heard by any human being
284. Nanophone (N) - A very sensitive microphone
285. NIMBY (PH) - Acronym: Not In My Back Yard *****
286. NIMBYite (N) - Anyone who doesn't want to be disturbed by anything (such as a rock band or a pink house)
287. Nitpecking Order (N) - The hierarchy of which band members can criticize the others
288. Nittiana (N) - A state with nitpicking laws about sound and/or concerts
289. Notique (N) - A collection of downloadable MIDI sounds
290. Nuttorious (A) - Describing a musician who does nutty things that ruin the session
291. Obsoloot (N) - Money dishonestly earned by companies who force people to buy the new product, by no longer supporting the old product
292. Octopussed (A) - Describing a tangle of cords and cube taps, all connected to one wall receptacle (See SQUIDIFIED)
293. Oh-no-matopoea (N) - When a singer starts imitating an instrument
294. Overbload (N) - Too many instruments in the same musical space - Symptomatic of a GOONSTRUMENT - Causes mud
295. Overbyte (N) - Running out of DAW disk space, just before the end of the song
296. Overdrub (N) - To overwrite a fairly good overdub take with an awful one
297. Paino (N) - A piano that is part of either a GUIANO or a GOONSTRUMENT
298. Panodrama (N) - 1. The constant shifting in pan position of a GOONSTRUMENT
     2. The shifting of many pan positions, caused by a musician turning his head while wearing a headset mic (See WANDROMIX)
299. Pantzoop (S) - Unwanted sounds produced by corduroy pants *****
300. Panundrum (N) - The state of not having any place left to pan the last instrument without unbalancing the mix
301. Partfly (N) - One instance of what happens when you release the retaining parts holding a FLYPART
302. Pedapulate (N) - To manipulate something with a foot
303. Pencilvania (N) - Where all the writing instruments disappear to, when you need to make a change in a score
304. Penthym (V) - To write a rhythmic anthem
305. Pet Peaveyed (A) - Trying to mix a recording on a Peavey console with no AFL (after-fader-listen)
306. Phantblock (N) - An inline device (such as an EQ) that won't pass phantom power on to the mic
307. Phobiac (N) - Someone afraid of everything
308. Pianated (A) - A keyboard player who invariably chooses piano sounds, rather than other sounds that mix in better
309. Pianoid (N) - A synthesized instrument that sounds similar to a piano, but obviously isn't
310. Pickanoid (N) - Someone who fears losing the pick (plectrum) inside the guitar
311. Pickybody (N) - A person who gets very upset at the tiniest annoyances
312. Pingle (S) - The bright sound of the upper notes of an electric piano
313. Pink-Sugar (V) - To buy too many of anything, because you forgot you already bought them *****
314. Plinky-dink (A) - The sound of a cheap keyboard
315. Plub (N) - A plug that won't stay in the socket
316. Pludge (N) - A plug that won't come out of a socket
317. Plunt (N) - A plug that refuses to go into the socket
318. Plurge (N) - A plug that needs a lot of force to get it into the socket
319. Plutscht (N) - A plug that falls apart when you try to do anything with it
320. Poit (S) - The sound of a plug coming out by itself
321. Poundster (N) - An ALABAMMER who pounds on the drumkit hard enough to destroy parts of it
322. Poutback (N) - The facial expression everyone gives you after you cause feedback
323. Powoffback (N) - Where a piece of equipment will allow signal to go through it backwards when its power is off
324. Pre-Corrodium (N) - What batteries are made of (See CORRODIUM)
325. Pro-Bonehead (A) - Gets lousy musicians who play for free, rather than hiring good musicians
326. Produck (N) - A fake product
327. Pucktuated (S) - When the sounds of an air-hockey machine in the next room get on the live tape
328. Punktated (A) - When you can't tell the difference between digital overflows and the sound of the band
329. Quacktice (V) - Pretend to practice
330. Quadlity (N) - The quality of the surround sound
331. Quadnery (N) - The question: Is it surround sound or not?
332. Quadraphobia (N) - Fear of converting to surround sound (See SURROUNDOPHOBIA)
333. Quadratortion (N) - The displacement of surround sound images caused by playing a quadraphonic recording with the wrong matrix decoder
334. Quantated (A) - Mechanical timing of a MIDI sequence generated from sheet music
335. Quellophone (N) - Any instrument that puts the audience to sleep
336. Quid Pro Quotient (PH) - The amount each player gets after the gate is divided up
337. Quonk (S) - An unwanted sound made by any falling or knocked over object *****
338. Quudd (S) - When the sounds of mud-wrestling in the next room at the bar get on the live tape
339. Racktated (A) - Having one more rack mount device than there is space in your rack for
340. Rantify (V) - To make a decision based on the pickiest musician's ravings
341. Realaudiated (A) - Describes the awful changes Real Audio makes to your recordings
342. Realdrumism (N) - The belief that real drums sound better than electronic drum kits
343. Reboingage (S) - The amount of sound a spring reverb produces when overdriven or shaken up
344. Rectilinified (A) - Having all components parallel or perpendicular to room or stage boundaries - This increases the probability of standing waves and feedback
345. Relectant (A) - A singer who tends to omit the first two or three words of a verse
346. Remonistrate (V) - To protest loudly about the sound of the monitor
347. Remonsterate (V) - To protest about the loud sound coming from the club next door
348. Remotaggravated (A) - Upset because every piece of audio-visual gear must have a remote control to function
349. Remotaggregation (N) - The pile of remote controls needed to control most audio-visual equipment
350. Remotebattle (N) - The trouble caused when two pieces of audiovisual gear respond to each other's remote controls
351. Remotendency (N) - The proclivity of manufacturers to use remote controls instead of putting knobs on the equipment
352. Rewindatory Gap (N) - Time out while the multitrack tape rewinds
353. Riggafrutch! (IJ) - A perfectly clean swear word *****
354. Ringtonation (V) - Encoding a well-known tune into a cell phone ringtone
355. Ringtonitis (N) - The state of being totally sick of musical ringtones playing well-known tunes
356. Road Island (N) - When all of the roads leading to your next gig are closed
357. Rootabassa (N) - A bass player who never plays anything but the root notes of the chords of a song **
358. Rwath (N) - The angry feeling you get after discovering the CDRW you labored so hard on won't play in ordinary CD players
359. Samplitude (N) - The strength of the signal being digitally sampled
360. Sandpaper Quad (N) - The sanding sound when the carrier is worn out on a CD-4 record.
361. Scams (N) - A meaning-filled pronunciation of SCMS, an acronym for Serial Copy Management System
362. Screwb (N) - The part or piece of equipment that keeps messing up
363. Scridgel (V) - To wiggle or twist a fitting (such as a mic in a holder) until it is just right *****
364. Scroton (N) - A surface-mount power outlet box sticking up out of the floor to trip you
365. Scums (N) - A meaning-filled pronunciation of SCMS, an acronym for Serial Copy Management System
366. Seedy-4 (N) - The CD-4 quadraphonic system in failure mode.
367. Sexophone (N) - A saxophone solo played in sexy scenes in movies or TV shows
368. Skims (N) - A meaning-filled pronunciation of SCMS, an acronym for Serial Copy Management System
369. Smelk (M) - The awful stink that occurs when an amp blows a transistor
370. Soduk (N) - The award given to the worst of anything, such as a band or a song (Kudos spelled backwards)
371. Solo-opathy (N) - The state of forgetting the console is in SOLO, and trying to fix sounds not soloed
372. Soundbitten (A) - Converted into a soundbite *****
373. Speakercog (V) - When the listener's ears find the speakers instead of the panned sound in surround sound
374. Splidnoog (N) - What you call the thing you can't remember the name of, until you remember it (See FUBBAFLUWATCH)
375. Spoot (S) - The sound the cheap little bell on 1930s Underwood typewriters made
376. Spootwattles (N) - Appendages, such as headset mics, earphones, eyeshades, and harmonica holders, worn by performing musicians on their heads
377. Spottled (A) - Blinded by flash cameras
378. Sprast (S) - 1. Final sound of a speaker before it blows
     2. Sound of going over digital 0 dB and into COASTERLAND
379. Squaddled (S) - The feeling a victim of BAGPIPAGE gets
380. Squatellite Dish (N) - A large saucer shaped object that has "squatter's rights" in many backyards
381. Squawker (N) - A midrange driver ***** (cf Tweeter and Woofer)
382. Squeaker (N) - An upper-midrange driver (cf SQUAWKER - See SQUOOKER)
383. Squeaqualize (V) - To remove feedback with an equalizer, producing a lousy sound
384. Squeezophone (N) - An accordion
385. Squelchocracy (N) - Local government that passes noise ordinances that prevent practicing after a day at work
386. Squidified (A) - Surrounded by a tangle of audio and power cables (See OCTOPUSSED)
387. Squishpond (N) - The mosh pit at an outdoor rock concert
388. Squit (S) - The cartoon sound added when a pie hits a face in a TV sitcom (there is very little actual sound from that action)
389. Squooker (N) - A lower midrange driver (A SQUAWKER, when used with a SQUEAKER)
390. Stackopilesic (A) - Of a stack of speakers more than 2 units high
391. Staff Infection (N) - An attempt to use sheet music with the clefs cut off by the copying machine
392. Standfall (N) - The event of a mic stand falling with the mic attached
393. Sticky-shed (PH) - A condition where old recording tape becomes sticky because its oxide binder has oozed out *****
394. Stirooch (S) - The sound made by a tape with STICKY-SHED coming to an abrupt halt
395. Stompified (A) - Bewildered by the confusing menus on an effects stomp-box
396. Stoogidity (A) - Describing behavior like that of the Three Stooges
397. Stoogification (N) - An effect of an important performance that causes performers to imitate the Three Stooges
398. Stoogilistics (N) - The art of getting into fights on stage like the Three Stooges
399. Strip Tracker (N) - Someone who doesn't understand the difference between a channel strip and a tape track
400. Stunkify (V) - To attempt to fix a bad take in the mix
401. Sudsician (N) - A musician saturated with bubble-machine effluent
402. Surfactor (N) - A musician who imitates the style of Jan and Dean, or the Beach Boys
403. Surroundophile (N) - Someone who loves surround sound
404. Surroundophobe (N) - Someone who fears that surround sound will replace stereo
405. Surroundohobia (N) - Fear of converting to surround sound (See QUADRAPHOBIA, SURROUNDOPHOBE)
406. Syncglup (S) - A noise or shortened note caused by a sequencer resynchronizing to a multitrack tape
407. Synnuzz (S) - Video sync buzz from a camcorder getting into the mix
408. Tackle Concerto (N) - A performance where each musician tries to outplay the others
409. Tackle Pinochle (N) - A card game where people get mad and chase each other around the room ***** (See CONTACT BRIDGE)
410. Tackle Poker (N) - A card game where people get mad, chase each other, and accuse each other of cheating, after trying to play poker with a pinochle deck (See TACKLE PINOCHLE)
411. Taxas (N) - A venue where most of the gate ends up paying local taxes
412. Taxic Waste (N) - Tax money spent on useless improvements to music venues
413. Teevium (N) - What TV programs are made of
414. Tennisscene (N) - The fit the club manager throws when the band shows up in shorts and tennis shoes
415. That synching feeling (PH) - Going into a take unsure if the multitracks will stay in sync or not
416. Threeality (N) - The quality of the realism of a three-dimensional display or surround sound system
417. Thuddify (V) - Take all the snap out of a kick by limiting it to keep the D/A from going over into COASTERLAND
418. Thumper (N) - A subwoofer (cf Tweeter, Squeaker, Squawker, and Woofer)
419. Time-Signatory (PH) - Having to pay musicians by the hour, no matter how much they goof off
420. Toysymphonize (V) - To accidentally play the demo song on the keyboard
421. Tromboon (N) - The new instrument created when a trombone and a bassoon play the same notes * *****
422. Troubledor (N) - A musician who can't sing on key
423. Tubaphonated (A) - Incapable of remembering which instrument is the tuba and which is the sousaphone
424. Tubism (N) - The belief that tubes sound better
425. Turnitupitis (N) - A disease making musicians want things turned up, rather than other things turned down
426. Undo Pain - 1. The painful act of being forced to undo good work
     2. Pain caused by Daylight-Stupid Time, or other government activities
427. Undo-redo-doo-doo (N) - The mess left by forgetting where in an undo-redo menu you are **
428. Undon't (V) - Do
429. Unempage (V, pronounced "un-em-PAZH") - To require musicians to turn off their pagers and cell phones
430. Unbalabuzz (S) - Noise picked up by long unbalanced cables
431. Unmoustrate (V) - To change from a PC based console to a real one
432. Vagaband (N) - A band that dresses like a motorcycle gang
433. Vainue (N) - A place where vain performers play (See AUDIVAINUE)
434. Vanitize (V) - To condense a band down, until the equipment and the players will fit in one van
435. WAD (N) - 1. A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that won't do the job (See DAW-RATS!)
     2. What you paid for the DAW system
436. Wandromix (N) - A mix containing the shifting of many pan positions, caused by a musician turning his head while wearing a headset mic (See PANODRAMA)
437. Wanfryzwizzat (PH) - The theme song of the musician who hopes to strike it rich (Want fries with that?)
438. Whackagigawatt (A) - More power than you will ever need
439. Windroid (N) - A Windows screen console
440. Woom (S) - A sudden increase in loudness *****
441. Xylobone (N) - A xylophone played when skeletons appear in a horror film
442. Yabble (S) - Yells from the audience getting on the tape
443. Yehudi Menuhenpecked (A) - Unable to find the correct menu to make the change in
444. Yellbin (N) - Where musicians go when they are angry
445. Yubble (V) - Transmitting data, as shown by the blinking light on the modem
446. Zxnrbl (N, pronounced "ZNER-ble") - A scrambling of a digital transmission or file

KEY:

• A - Adjective
• IJ - Interjection
• N - Noun
• PH - Phrase
• S - Sound
• U - Unit of measure
• V - Verb
• * = Has the disadvantages of both instruments at once
• ** = Submitted by Tim Gray
• *** = Coined by Brian Rapp
• **** = Washington Post
• ***** = Coined by others

These are the 8 real words:

• Balun
• Cloud
• Quonk
• MIDI Feedback
• MIDI Logjam
• Squawker
• Squeaker
• Sticky-shed

These are the 13 words coined by others, though not in the sound engineering context.

• Cloth-Ears (Wife who hates stereo system spoiling the decor in the living area)
• Clumfert (Extra step in a staircase that appears only when you carry clean laundry)
• Dongle (device attached to a computer to prove purchase of the software)
• Lampson (Speed of lecture or commercial delivery)
• Murphy (Verbed from Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it will.")
• NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard - Annoyance protest)
• Pantzoop (Sounds made by walking in corduroy pants)
• Pink-Sugar (To forget you bought it, and buy it again - coined by author's mother)
• Riggafrutch (Perfectly clean swear word)
• Scridgel (To wiggle a telephone handset into an acoustic coupler)
• Soundbitten (Having had part of your speech turned into a soundbite)
• Tackle Pinochle (A very wild game of pinochle that appeared in the Pogo comic strip - Walt Kelly)
• Tromboon (An instrument cobbled from parts of a trombone and a bassoon, with the disadvantages of both)

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