Music Glossary - I

IC
Acronym for Integrated Circuit.

Impedance
This is the total opposition to the current flow of an Alternating Current (AC) within a measured system. Impedance is measured in Ohms.

Impedance Balancing (Load Balancing)
This is a technique applied to unbalanced signal outputs to minimise the effects of interference and hum by maximising the power contained in the signal.

Inductor
Electronics component that is chracterised by producing an increasing impedance with frequency.

Insert Point
This is a break point in the signal path that allows external devices to be connected in-line. Commonly these connections are used for connecting signal processors.

Instrumental
Unlike a song, an instrumental is a piece of music without any accompanying lyrics or vocal part. In popular music, an instrumental may include vocal sounds, but not lyrics.

Insulator
A term used to describe any material that does not conduct electricity.

Intermodulation Distortion
A type of distortion that results in the addition of frequencies, not present in the original signal. These are normally derived from the sum and difference products of the original signal frequencies.

Intonation
Intonation is basically the alignment of the notes in relation to the position of the frets on the guitar neck. Adjusting the length of guitar strings affects the alignment of the notes in relation to the position of the frets so that they can be aligned. This is best done on a per string basis, with individual bridge positions for each string.

IPS
Used to describe tape speed, this is an acronym for Inches Per Second.

Isolation
As the word implies, in recording it is best to keep all of the recordings pure, insulating the rooms to eliminate bleed.