ESTË Live · ESTË Studio
Glossary
Quick reference of terms used in ESTË Live and ESTË Studio.
Audio & Mixer
| Term |
Definition |
| Bus (Output Bus) |
An independent output mix. Bus 0 is FOH (main PA). Buses 1+ are individual IEM mixes for musicians. |
| Channel |
An audio source in the mixer: mic/instrument input, file track, or click track. Has volume, pan, mute, solo, effects, and per-bus sends. |
| Channel Strip |
The vertical UI control for a single channel: fader, VU meter, pan knob, and M/S/FX/Eye buttons. |
| Clip LED |
A sticky red indicator on the channel strip that lights when the signal clips (exceeds 0 dBFS). Click to reset. |
| dB (Decibel) |
Logarithmic unit for signal level. 0 dB = unity gain. -6 dB ≈ half perceived loudness. |
| Fader |
Vertical slider controlling a channel's volume. Double-click to reset to -6 dB. |
| FOH (Front of House) |
The main stereo mix sent to the PA speakers. Always Bus 0. |
| Hidden |
A channel hidden from a specific bus by the engineer. Invisible in that musician's view and produces no audio on that bus. Independent from mute. |
| IEM (In-Ear Monitor) |
A personal headphone mix for a performer. Each output bus (1+) is one musician's IEM. |
| Mute |
Silences a channel on all buses simultaneously. |
| Pan |
Stereo positioning: -1 (left), 0 (center), +1 (right). Mono sources use equal-power panning; stereo sources use balance. |
| Pre-Pan Routing |
IEM buses receive the signal before the channel pan is applied, preserving the original stereo image. FOH receives post-pan. |
| Send |
Independent volume, pan, and mute for routing a channel to a specific bus. Each musician controls their own sends. |
| Send Mute |
Mute a channel on one specific bus only, without affecting other buses. |
| Solo |
Isolates one or more channels — only soloed channels produce audio. |
| VU Meter |
Visual signal level indicator with L/R bars and peak hold line (white line that holds for 1.5s then decays). |
Effects
| Term |
Definition |
| Compressor |
Reduces gain above a threshold. Parameters: threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee, makeup gain. |
| Effects Chain |
Processing order: EQ → Compressor → Reverb. Each can be enabled/disabled independently. |
| EQ (Parametric Equalizer) |
3-band equalizer: Low Shelf, Mid Peak, High Shelf. Each band has frequency, gain, and Q (bandwidth). |
| Preset |
A saved set of effect parameters for quick recall (e.g., "Tight Vocal Comp", "Bright Plate Reverb"). |
| Q (Bandwidth) |
Width of an EQ band. Higher Q = narrower/surgical. Lower Q = wider/gentler. |
| Reverb |
Simulates room reflections. Parameters: room size, damping, wet/dry mix, width. |
Transport & Tempo
| Term |
Definition |
| Auto-Advance |
Automatically loads the next song when playback reaches the end of the current song. |
| Bar / Beat |
Musical position. Bar = one measure. Beat = subdivision within a bar (e.g., 4 beats in 4/4 time). |
| BPM (Beats Per Minute) |
Tempo speed. Range: 1–300. |
| Click Track |
Synthesized metronome routed through a mixer channel. Each musician controls click volume independently. |
| Click Sound |
Waveform type: Digital (sine wave), Woodblock (bright), or Rim (snappy). Downbeats are louder. |
| Pre-Roll |
A 2-bar countdown before recording starts when recording from a seeked position. |
| Seek |
Jump to a specific playback position. |
| Tempo Source |
Where timing info comes from: None, Manual (fixed BPM), or MIDI File (variable tempo). |
| Time Signature |
Meter: beats per bar / note value. Examples: 4/4, 3/4, 6/8. |
| Transport |
Playback control system: Play, Stop, Record, position, and duration. |
Songs & Projects
| Term |
Definition |
| File Track |
A WAV or MP3 backing track in the mixer (drums, bass, click guide, etc.). Stored in the song's backtracks/ folder. |
| MIDI Track |
A sequence of MIDI events (Program Changes, Control Changes) sent to external devices in sync with the transport. |
| Region |
A named, colored section of a song (Intro, Verse, Chorus, etc.). Imported from CSV or created in ESTË Studio. |
| Setlist |
An ordered list of songs for an event. Multiple setlists can reference the same songs. |
| Song |
A complete snapshot: mixer state, channel/bus topology, file tracks, MIDI tracks, effects, tempo, and regions. |
| Preload |
Automatic decoding of all audio files when switching setlists. Shows progress overlay. |
MIDI
| Term |
Definition |
| CC (Control Change) |
MIDI message sending a controller value (0–127) for continuous control (volume, expression, etc.). |
| Channel Mode |
Remap (all events to one MIDI channel) or Passthrough (preserve original channels from the file). |
| MIDI Port |
A system MIDI destination where events are sent (e.g., MainStage, lighting controller). |
| PC (Program Change) |
MIDI message to select a sound/preset (0–127) on the receiving device. |
| Tempo Map |
Tempo and time signature changes extracted from a MIDI file for variable-tempo songs. |
Views
| Term |
Definition |
| Engineer View |
Main control surface on the macOS app. Full mixer, setlist, transport, effects, and settings. Not accessible from phones. |
| Musician View |
Mobile interface for musicians at /musician/{name}. Shows only their personal IEM mix with faders, mute, and favorites. |
| Stage View |
Mobile interface for stage technicians at /stage. Transport controls, read-only setlist, and region navigation. |
Access Control
| Term |
Definition |
| Access Control |
Opt-in system where new musician/stage connections require engineer approval. |
| Token |
HMAC-SHA256 credential issued after approval. Stored on the device for auto-reconnection. |
| Token TTL |
How long a token remains valid (1h, 4h, 8h, or 24h). Expired tokens require re-approval. |
Audio Configuration
| Term |
Definition |
| Audio Interface |
External USB or Thunderbolt device providing audio inputs/outputs to the Mac. |
| Buffer Size |
Samples processed per audio callback (32–1024). Smaller = lower latency, higher CPU. |
| CoreAudio |
macOS native audio system for low-latency audio I/O. |
| Sample Rate |
Audio sampling frequency: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, or 96 kHz. Must match the audio interface. |