Album
An album is a collection of songs with one or more recordings produced as a single unit. Term has transferred from LP or Record days to modern terminology.
Bit(s)
Increments of digital data, represented in binary code (0s and 1s). It is the smallest unit of data in a computer. The number of bits corresponds with the amount of information that can be read.
Bit Rate
The amount of information, in binary digits, that is transferred in a unit of time, usually a second. For Example an MP3 audio file may have rates of 64kbps (kilo bits per second), 96kbps, 128kbps etc.
CD (Compact Disc)
A plastic disc containing optical digital audio information. Audio CDs ( or Red Book CDs) are typically a stereo file using a 44.1kHz sampling rate with 16 bits of data. Uses Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) to convert analog information into digital information. Other formats have developed along with this standard including Orange Book ( Recordable discs), White Book ( Video CD) to Blue Book ( Enhanced cd – a hybrid of audio and data) and others including the latest developments of DVD, DVD Audio and HD DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
CD-ROM (Compact Disc, Read-Only-Memory (or Read-Only-Media) ( Yellow Book Discs)
A compact disc containing interactive data that can be read by a computer.
CD or Digital Remastering
The transferring of audio to a digital format, used as the new "master" for duplication. Digital Remastering can involve "cleaning" the original audio (removing pops, hiss, and other unwanted noise), boosting or cutting high, low and mid signals (AKA Equalisation), and re-mixing the separate tracks. The quality of the new master is often dependent on the quality of the original recording.