Frequency
Frequency refers to the pitch or tone of a sound and is determined by the number of sound waves, or cycles, occurring per second. It is typically measured in kilohertz (kHz). A higher-pitched sound has a higher frequency, with more wave cycles packed into each second.
Frequency modulated (FM)
A call that sweeps through a range of frequencies; usually dropping from a high frequency down to a lower frequency. Some genera make entirely frequency modulated calls, others make calls that have constant frequency plus frequency modulated components such as a tail. Frequency modulated calls are sometimes described as steep because they cover a large […]
FS
Full Spectrum recording (.wav), see Full Spectrum
FStart
The frequency at the start of the pulse. In the case of ZC, the frequency of the first ZC dot of the pulse.
Full spectrum
Full spectrum is one of the main recording formats used for bat files, typically saved as .wav files. Unlike zero-crossing analysis, full spectrum files record all the spectral/intensity information within a sound, similar to a music file. For more information see our FAQ full spectrum vs. zero crossing.
GUANO
Grand Unified Acoustic Notation Ontology (GUANO) is a standardised format for metadata in bat recordings; these includes both full spectrum and zero crossing. See GUANO Metadata All of Titley Scientific’s current product and software range read and store metadata using GUANO.
GUANO Metadata
Grand Unified Acoustic Notation Ontology for bat metadata. This is a global format for metadata on sound files that ensures compability between different detectors, softwares and brands.
Harmonics
Multiple, parallel components of a call repeated in consistent divisible patterns at different frequencies. Harmonics are labelled in order from H1 (the lowest or ‘fundamental’ frequency) upwards. The dominant harmonic is the one with the most amplitude, and is usually H1 or H2.
hr
Hour
Initial section
The initial section of a call pulse before the body.