Noise Terms

Numeric

• $5:
  • The best increment to use for selling merch at shows. When talking about vinyl it has been said that it should be a dollar per inch but since making change at a show is a pain round up to the next 5 dollar increment.
• 14k:
  • Unwisely spending a large amount of borrowed money on a noise release.

A

• Anti-Record:
  • Anti-Records are more art object than an actual playable audio recording. The most common anti-record is made by destroying the grooves of an existing record to the point of them the original sounds being unrecognizable. Anti-Records could also be a piece of tar paper with a hole drilled in the middle. Anti-Records are not to be played on your audiophile turntable.
• Artist copies:
  • These are copies of a release that are given to the artist. Sometimes these copies have special art or sometimes the artist never receives them at all.

B

• Bearpussy:
  • A certain type of noise forum user who gets upset by non serious noise posting.
• Blackboard:
  • Nickname for the old Tronixs forum because it had a black color scheme
• BRVTAL:
  • An overused adjective for describing noise in nosie reviews

C

• Clamshell:
  • A type of cassette or CHA tape enclosure usually for holding two or more tapes.
• Contact Mic:
  • Otherwise known as a piezo transducer and a common tool in the noise makers arsenal. They are used to capture sounds from all sorts of objects that are not necessarily instruments. They put the electro in electro-acoustic music
• C10:
  • A cassette tape with a total running time of 10 minutes

D

• Death Metal Pedal:
  • Instant HNW noise in a box.. the only better that one DMP is multiple DMP. There are several different version of this pedal. This pedal has become a meme.
• DOD:
  • A manufacturer of guitar pedals

F

• Floop:
  • Short for feedback loop

G

• Grip:
  • How one expresses interest in buying a noise release when posting online

H

• Hipster:
  • It's almost impossible to define who is a hipster but many have tried. The noise scene has a love/hate relationship with them.
• HNW:
  • Harsh Noise Walls

K

• Krell patch
• KVLT

L

• Lazernoise:
  • A type of floop noise that utilizes digital delay with lots of repeats with decay, Stimbox was well known for this type of noise.
• Limited Release:
  • A release where the number of copies is more than 1 but less than 12. The number is usually dictated by poverty rather than demand. Although in some cases the number is so absurdly low that the label can say it's sold out the same day they post about it after selling a few copies.

M

• Matrix Mixer:
  • A type of mixer (usually DIY and passive) where there are two sets of inputs placed in a grid and any input can be combined with any other input using poteniometers
• Merch:
  • Short for merchandise, you can tell someone is a seasoned noiser when they say they got merch for sale
• Merzbutt:
  • A derogatory term for Merzbow
• Merz___:
  • Putting Merz in front of another word in order to express a high level of excess

N

• NG:
  • Short for Noise Guide, used to reference http://forums.noiseguide.com
• No Input:
  • No input audio mixer feedback
• Noiser:
  • A person who makes noise, sometimes used in a derogatory fashion
• Noisecoin:
  • A type of currency. The trading noise merch is it's own economy. CDRs used to be the defacto noisecoin.

O

• One Sided Record:
  • Typically an LP that only has audio on side as a way to reduce cost of putting out a vinyl recording

R

• Record Collector Scum:
  • These are the type of collectors who drive price upward in the market and thrive on paying ridiculous amounts for obscure records. RCS are closely related to hipsters.

P

• Passive Mixer:
  • A type of audio mixer that only uses passive components to mix audio signals. They can also be used as a mult in order to send one signal to multiple devices.
• Polycase/Softcase
• Prison Cassette:
  • A clear cassette that are often used in prison because you can't as easily hide contraband inside them

S

• Serious Noise:
  • A derogatory term for anybody but especially people who make noise and post on forums who do not have a sense of humor. These people typically belong to the maniacs only secret forum. They sometimes pull a 14k.
• Shaker Box:
  • Any kind of container filled with loose objects with a contact mix contained
• Shitnoise:
  • Lo-Fi noise
• Special Packaging:
  • A brick that you have glued your latest C10 release to.
• Special Interests:
  • A short list of common themes for noise releases include: True Crime, Nazi's, misogyny, Serial killers, Pedos, Pedo serial killers, Sharks, Nylons
• Side Project:
  • Doing the same thing you usually do but this time with a new name and its about a different serial killer than your last project

T

• Tape Loop:
  • Before sampling delays people made tape loop, these days if you want to be KVLT you make tape loops even if they are time consuming and a pain in the ass

Y

• Y-Adapter:
  • Y adapters typically are audio cables with two connector on one end that merge into one connector on the other. They are a poorman's passive mixer. They can also be used as a mult in order to send one signal to multiple devices.