Plain-English definitions of the mixing and mastering terms you'll run into — no jargon for its own sake.
LUFS
Loudness Units relative to Full Scale — the standard measure of perceived loudness over time. Streaming platforms use LUFS to normalize playback.
True peak (dBTP)
The real peak level including inter-sample peaks that appear after conversion or lossy encoding. Keep it at or below −1 dBTP to avoid distortion on streaming.
Clipping
Distortion when a signal exceeds the maximum level and its peaks get flattened. Sounds harsh; usually unwanted.
Headroom
The space between your loudest moment and the ceiling (0 dBFS). Leaving headroom before mastering prevents clipping.
Dynamic range
The gap between the quietest and loudest parts. Too little sounds squashed; the right amount keeps energy and impact.
Stems
Separate components of a song — vocals, drums, bass, instruments. Sonant separates your stereo song into stems automatically to mix it.
Mono compatibility
Whether your mix still sounds right when left and right are summed to mono — important because many systems play partly in mono.
Saturation
Gentle harmonic distortion that adds character. Even-order harmonics sound warm and tube-like; odd-order harmonics sound more aggressive.
Reference track
A finished, professional song you compare against. A good one shares your genre, mood, energy, vocal style and production.
Limiter
A fast compressor that stops audio exceeding a ceiling. A true-peak limiter raises loudness in mastering while keeping peaks safe.
Compression
Reducing dynamic range so loud and quiet parts are more even — control and consistency.
De-essing
Reducing harsh "s" and "t" sibilance in vocals so they're smooth without losing clarity.