NLE System

Acronym for "Non-Linear Editing System".

Non-Linear Editing systems employ digital editing technology that supports immediate random access to multiple media clips, and immediate random access to any point within any given clip. When editing on an NLE system, there is no need to "rewind" or "fast forward" to gain access to different points in media clips, as is the case with linear editing systems where the footage is on analog tape. Thus, "non-linear".

Most Non-Linear Editing Systems consist of an NLE editing application that runs on a computer, and peripheral hardware that attaches to the computer (such as a peripheral for digitizing analog footage, for example).