TUNEMENTGlossary

Glossary

The terms that come up most in audio branding.

A
ATTUNEMENT
To attune is to bring into harmony, and keep it there. Instruments drift out of tune over time, and so do brands. TUNEMENT's ongoing service: your audio branding team on call, with edits and adaptations included and guidelines kept up to date.
Audio audit
A review of how a brand sounds today across its touchpoints, and how consistent that sound is.
Audio brand
A brand's recognisable sound as a whole: how it sounds across ads, content, products and places, and what that sound says about it.
Audio brand book
Guidelines for a brand's sound: what it is, why it sounds the way it does, and how to use it in each channel. Also called audio guidelines.
Audio branding
The strategic use of sound to express a brand and make it recognisable. Covers everything from audio logos to the sound of spaces and products. Also called sonic branding or sound branding.
Audio identity
The complete sound system of a brand: audio logo, brand music, voice, soundscapes and the rules for using them. The audio counterpart of a visual identity.
Audio library
A set of original tracks in one sound world, with different moods and intensities. Gives a brand a toolkit instead of a single track.
Audio strategy
The plan behind the sound: what the brand should sound like, where it should be heard, and why.
B
Brand track
A longer piece of music built from the same musical idea as the audio logo. Used in videos, ads, events and spaces, and cut into shorter versions. Also called a brand theme or brand anthem.
C
Catalogue music
Ready-made music licensed from a library. Fast and affordable, but anyone else can use the same track. Also called stock or production music.
Cutdown
A shorter edit of a longer track, for example 6, 10 or 15 seconds, made to fit a specific ad or format.
I
Identity
In music and design alike, an identity is a consistent set: the same character, recognisable in every situation. TUNEMENT's T2 package: the full audio identity with audio logo, brand track, versions and channel adaptations.
Immersive audio
Sound mixed in three dimensions, for example in Dolby Atmos, so it moves around and above the listener. Used in installations and spaces.
Implicit association testing
A research method that measures people's unconscious reactions instead of asking their opinion. Used in the Sound Effects: Suomi study.
J
Jingle
A short, catchy song, often with lyrics, written for an ad or campaign. Unlike an audio logo, a jingle is usually tied to one campaign rather than the whole brand.
M
Motif
The shortest musical idea that still makes a piece recognisable, like the four notes that open Beethoven's Fifth. TUNEMENT's T1 package: one core asset, an audio logo or a brand track, with usage guidelines.
Music supervision
Choosing and clearing music for a project, such as a campaign, film or series.
P
Perpetual licence
The right to use music commercially with no expiry, no renewals and no usage-term fees.
Prelude
In music, the short piece before the main work that sets the key and mood. TUNEMENT's starting point: an audit, a workshop, an audio strategy and the first version of the audio brand book.
Presence
Being there, felt rather than announced. TUNEMENT's T3 package: the full identity plus an audio library and rollout across every touchpoint.
S
Sonic touchpoint
Any moment where people hear a brand: ads, videos, social, apps, phone lines, stores, events, spaces.
Sound design
Creating and shaping individual sounds, such as UI sounds, effects and textures, rather than music.
Soundscape
A designed sound environment for a physical space: music, ambience and texture that shape how a place feels.
Sync
Short for synchronisation: licensing music to be used together with picture, for example in an ad, film or video.
U
UI sounds
Short sounds in apps and devices, such as notifications, confirmations and start-up sounds. Part of a brand's audio identity in digital products.
V
Voice
The human voice a brand uses in ads, phone lines and content. Choosing a consistent voice is part of audio identity.

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