1) Tempo, Grid & Groove §

• BPM: beats per minute; overall speed of the track.

• Grid: rhythmic subdivision reference (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, triplets).

• Quantize: snap notes to the grid; tighter, less human.

• Humanize: add small timing/velocity variations for realism.

• Swing: delay every second 1/8 or 1/16 for lilt; % controls amount.

• Shuffle: stronger, genre‑specific swing feel (garage/drum & bass).

• Off‑grid: intentionally unquantized hits for looseness.

• Microtiming: tiny offsets ahead/behind the beat for groove.

• Halftime: drums feel half as fast at same BPM (e.g., 170→85 feel).

• Double‑time: drums feel twice as fast at same BPM.

• Triplet feel: grid divided by three; “ta‑ta‑ta” phrasing.

• Polyrhythm: two different grids layered (e.g., 3 vs 4).

• Polymeter: different bar lengths layered (e.g., 5/4 over 4/4).

• Two‑step: skipping kick pattern with off‑beat snare (UKG/DnB).

2) Structure & Arrangement §

• Intro: opening section; sets motif/texture.

• Build: rising energy section before a drop.

• Riser: upward sweep/noise signaling a build.

• Fake‑out (fakeout): intentional drop cancellation; brief silence or minimal hit.

• Drop: peak energy section; main hook and bass hit.

• Breakdown: reduced energy section after a drop.

• Bridge: contrasting section connecting parts (often harmonic shift).

• B‑section: alternate version of main idea with new variation.

• Switch‑up: sudden pattern/sound change mid‑phrase.

• Stop‑down: abrupt full‑band stop for impact.

• Turnaround: short fill/phrase that loops back to start.

• Outro: ending section; energy tapers.

• Call‑and‑response: motif A answered by motif B.

• Tag (stinger): short closing hit or phrase.

3) Drums & Percussion Language §

• Kick: low drum; “thump” (low), “knock” (mid), “click” (high attack).

• Snare: backbeat drum; “rimshot” is sharp crack on the rim.

• Clap: bright, wide snare layer; often stacked.

• Ghost note: very quiet in‑between hit adding groove.

• Hat (closed/open): high‑frequency timekeeper; open = sustained.

• Shaker: soft, wide high‑mid tick for movement.

• Ride: sustained metallic cymbal texture on top.

• Tom fill: pitched drum run before transitions.

• Flam: two hits very close together for accent.

• Drag (ruff): rapid pre‑notes leading into a hit.

• Roll: fast repeated notes (16ths, 32nds, triplets).

• Two‑step pattern: kick on 1, snare on 2 & 4, skipping/off‑beat kicks.

• Breakbeat: sampled drum loop with syncopation (e.g., Amen break).

• Perc foley: non‑drum objects as percussion (coins, paper, clicks).

4) Bass & Low‑End §

• Sub: pure low fundamentals (30–80 Hz); keep mono for stability.

• 808: long sine‑like sub with pitch slide; trap staple.

• Reese: detuned layered bass creating moving phasing; DnB/halftime.

• FM growl: frequency‑modulated bass with vocal‑like grit.

• Wub/wobble: LFO‑modulated filter or volume rhythm on bass.

• Portamento (glide): smooth pitch slides between notes.

• Mono‑locked sub: centered, identical in both channels.

• Sidechain ducking: kick or lead reduces bass volume for clarity.

• Sub drop: descending sine/boom to mark transitions.

• Notch sweep: moving narrow EQ dip creating “talking” motion.

• Distortion/saturation: harmonics added; light = warm, heavy = aggressive.

• Wavefolding: folding waveform peaks for metallic harmonics.

5) Synthesis & Modulation §

• Subtractive: start with rich wave → sculpt with filters.

• Wavetable: morph between stored waves for evolving tone.

• FM (frequency modulation): one oscillator modulates another; bright/clangy.

• AM/Ring mod: volume‑rate modulation; bell/metal sidebands.

• Hard sync: reset one oscillator by another; sharp harmonic sweep.

• Filter (LPF/HPF/BPF/Notch): frequency cutters shaping tone; resonance adds peak.

• LFO: slow repeating modulator for wobble/pulses.

• Envelope (ADSR): attack, decay, sustain, release shape over time.

• Key‑track: filter/pitch follows played note for consistency.

• Mod matrix: routing section linking sources (LFO) to targets (filter).

• Unison/detune: duplicate voices slightly off‑tune for width.

• Noise oscillator: broadband hiss/grit layer for presence.

• Macro: single control affecting multiple parameters at once.

6) Sampling, Editing & Resampling §

• Sample: recorded audio snippet used as source.

• Resample: render then re‑use audio for further processing.

• Time‑stretch: change length without changing pitch.

• Pitch‑shift: change pitch without length change.

• Formant shift: change perceived vowel/voice size separate from pitch.

• Chop/slice: cut sample into playable pieces.

• Stutter: rapid repeats for glitch rhythm.

• Glitch: micro‑edits, dropouts, reverses for digital texture.

• Reverse: play audio backward for swell or texture.

• Crossfade: overlap fades to avoid clicks between clips.

• Onsets/transients: detection points for slicing at attack moments.

• Comping: choosing best takes from multiple passes.

• Warping: elastic timing alignment to grid/groove.

7) FX & Transitions §

• Granular FX: tiny grains of audio reassembled; clouds, sprays, shimmers.

• Spectral freeze: hold the spectrum of a sound as a sustained pad.

• Shimmer: reverb/delay pitched up for glittery tails.

• Convolution reverb: impulse‑based space; realistic rooms.

• Plate/Hall/Room/Spring: reverb types; plate = bright, hall = wide.

• Pre‑delay: gap between dry sound and reverb start; depth cue.

• Delay (slapback/ping‑pong/dotted 1/8): short echo, bouncing stereo, rhythmic echo.

• Chorus: detuned copies for width; subtle and lush.

• Flanger: short moving delay; jet‑like sweep.

• Phaser: moving notches; hollow, sweeping tone.

• Tremolo: periodic volume modulation; rhythmic pulsing.

• Auto‑pan: L/R movement of a sound.

• Filter sweep (sweep): moving filter cutoff for lift/transition.

• Tape stop (tapestop): quick pitch‑down/slowdown like a deck stopping.

• Vinyl stop: slower, more lo‑fi version of tape stop.

• Impact: big hit/noise + sub boom at transitions.

• Downlifter: falling noise sweep signaling release.

• Riser stack: layered noises/tones rising toward the drop.

8) Harmony, Melody & Writing §

• Key: tonal center (e.g., D minor).

• Scale/mode: note set (natural minor, Dorian, Lydian, Phrygian).

• Chord extension: add9, 11, 13 for color; b2/b6 for darkness.

• Sus2/Sus4: chords replacing 3rd with 2nd/4th for openness.

• Pedal tone: constant bass note under changing chords.

• Ostinato: repeating short pattern (piano/string riff).

• Arp (arpeggio): broken chord pattern up/down.

• Motif: short, identifiable melodic cell.

• Counterpoint: independent melody against main line.

• Tension/release: dissonance resolving to consonance.

• Modal interchange: borrowing chords from parallel mode for mood.

• Harmonics: overtones played on strings; glassy, bell‑like color.

• Glissando: continuous slide between notes.

9) Vocals & Voice Processing §

• Lead vocal: main lyrical line.

• Double: duplicate take layered under lead for thickening.

• Harmony stack: voices at 3rds/5ths etc., widening the hook.

• Ad‑lib: improvised vocal fills between lines.

• Chop: sliced vocal bits used rhythmically or melodically.

• Autotune/pitch‑correct: snap pitches to scale; light for polish, heavy for effect.

• Formant shift: change voice size/gender tone without pitch shift.

• Vocoder: synth carrier shaped by vocal; robotic chords.

• Talkbox: tube‑shaped vocal synth effect; analog vocoder flavor.

• Whisper/air layer: breathy highs for shimmer.

• Sibilance: harsh “s” energy; control with de‑esser.

• Plosive: explosive “p/b” low thumps; often filtered.

10) Space, Imaging & Depth §

• Stereo width: perceived left‑right size; avoid widening the sub.

• Mid/Side (M/S): process center vs sides separately.

• Mono compatibility: mix still works when summed to mono.

• Haas effect: tiny L/R delays for width; too much = phase issues.

• LCR panning: elements hard left/center/right for clarity.

• Front‑back depth: dry/bright = front; wet/dark = back.

• Early reflections: first reverb bounces; place source in room.

• Send/return: route to shared FX; consistent space.

• Room tone: subtle ambience bed gluing elements.

• Imaging anchor: keep kick, snare, bass centered.

11) Dynamics, Punch & Loudness §

• Transient: initial attack of a sound; defines punch.

• Transient shaper: boost/cut attack and sustain separately.

• Compressor: evens dynamics; fast = clamp transients, slow = preserve.

• Sidechain compression: compressor triggered by another track (kick).

• Multiband compression: different bands compressed independently.

• OTT: heavy up/down multiband compression; bright, dense sound.

• Parallel compression: blend heavily compressed copy under dry signal.

• Limiter: prevents peaks; final loudness stage.

• Soft clipper: rounds peaks for loudness without harshness.

• Gate: mutes below threshold; tightens ambience.

• Headroom: volume space before clipping.

• LUFS: integrated loudness measure; modern streaming target ~‑14 to ‑9 LUFS.

• Crest factor: ratio of peaks to average; punch vs squash.

12) Tone, Texture & Material Words §

• Bright/Dark: more highs / more lows and fewer highs.

• Warm/Clinical: gentle harmonics / clean, precise.

• Gritty/Clean: distorted/noisy vs pristine.

• Airy: extended highs with soft transients.

• Glassy: smooth, high‑end sheen; bell‑like clarity.

• Metallic: resonant, bell/steel character.

• Wooden: mid‑forward, natural resonance.

• Dusty/Lo‑fi: tape hiss, vinyl crackle, reduced bandwidth.

• Satin/Silky: smooth highs without harshness.

• Crunchy: audible distortion texture on transients.

13) Orchestral & Acoustic Articulations §

• Staccato: short, detached notes.

• Legato: smooth connected notes; often with glide transitions.

• Pizzicato: plucked strings.

• Tremolo: rapid repeated bowing for shimmer.

• Sul ponticello: near the bridge; nasal, tense tone.

• Sul tasto: over the fingerboard; soft, wooly tone.

• Natural harmonics: light touch over nodes; bell‑like.

• Artificial harmonics: stopped note + touch node; higher bell tones.

• Spiccato: bouncy short bow strokes; agile.

• Col legno: strike strings with bow wood; percussive.

• Con sordino: with mute; softer, darker.

• Felt piano: muted hammers; intimate, soft attack.

• Prepared piano: objects on strings; percussive, experimental.

14) Genre & Pattern Shorthand §

• Four‑on‑the‑floor: kick on every beat (house/techno).

• Two‑step DnB: kick on 1 & “and”, snare on 2 & 4.

• Breakcore edits: extreme micro‑chops, reverses, time warps.

• Trap triplets: rapid 1/24–1/32 hat rolls with accents.

• Garage swing: heavy shuffle, ghost hats, off‑beat skippy kicks.

• Halftime DnB: 170 BPM drums phrased like 85 BPM.

• Neuro: complex modulated bass design, precise edits, dark palette.

• Future bass: detuned saw chords, sidechained pads, lush lifts.

• Industrial: metallic hits, distortion, mechanical rhythms.

15) Prompt‑Focused Control Tags §

• Dry/Wet: amount of reverb/delay; “dry drums, wet pads.”

• Wide/Narrow: stereo spread directive; “wide pads, narrow lead.”

• Mono sub: force low frequencies to center.

• Transient‑forward: sharp attacks prioritized; minimal smearing.

• Edit‑heavy: frequent micro‑cuts, stutters, switch‑ups.

• Minimal arrangement: sparse parts, negative space emphasis.

• Negative tags: “avoid: cheesy EDM risers, generic snare rolls, muddy low‑mids.”

• No vocals/Instrumental: prevent sung lead; allow chops/textures if specified.

• Second‑drop variation: new bass pattern/sound on drop 2.

• Call‑response bass: alternating motifs between two timbres.

• Tape/analog sheen: soft saturation, gentle roll‑off highs.

• Clean digital: crisp highs, low noise, precise transients.

16) Quick “must‑know” dictionary from your examples §

• Granular FX: reassembled micro‑grains forming lush clouds or sprays.

• Fake‑out: muted/teased drop to heighten impact later.

• Sweep: filtered noise/tonal rise or fall for transitions.

• Tape stop: rapid pitched slowdown; deck‑power‑off effect.

• Transient: initial hit that gives a sound its impact.

17) Micro‑recipes (how to deploy terms in prompts) §

• Lift into drop: “riser stack, dotted‑8th ping‑pong delay, filter sweep up, fake‑out, impact + sub drop.”

• Tight drums, wide music: “transient‑forward dry drums, mono sub, wide chorus pads, long hall on granular vox.”

• IMANU‑style edits: “edit‑heavy halftime, glitch stutters, tape stops at bar ends, notch‑sweep reese, switch‑up B‑section.”

Use these terms as precise tags. Combine category words to specify rhythm, bass design, FX transitions, spatial placement, and mix intent.