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63 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How would you set a compressor to provide gentle compression?
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Set a low threshold with a quick attack and release, with a low ratio. Set the ratio off, turn the threshold way down, slowly turn up the ratio as needed.
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Why does compressed material seem to have an overall higher level of loudness?
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Compression uses psycho-acoustics to simulate the way our ears react to loud sounds. It also pushes the noise floor up so the volume is at a constant.
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Describe the difference between compression and peak limiting.
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A peak limiter sets a ceiling for a sound but doesn't effected anything else, while a compressor sets a ceiling and increases the loudness and effects the sound of everything below it.
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If you wanted a more "punchy sound" from a compressor, how would you set the attack time and why?
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Moderate attack times, quickly sucking out the transients and throwing some back in.
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Describe what side-chaining is
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A daisy chain - a second source controls the compression. A voice causes the audio behind it to drop in volume etc.
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Describe the digital audio process
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A sample rate must be chosen. The sample is a snapshot of an analog waveform. The sample rate must be at least twice the recorded frequency. Quantization and an anti-aliasing filter must be applied to remove aliased frequency. Dither can remove quantization errors.
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What is SR and what does it affect?
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Sample rate, the time component of digital audio. Sample rate effects bandwidth.
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What is flanging
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a time based effect that is modulated, creating 1-15 second peaks and dips.
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How is chorusing different from flanging
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Chorusing modulates the actual delay time rather than just modulating the peaks or dips created by the filter.
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Why might phase shifting not be considered a time effect?
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Phasing could be a spectral effect as it effects the frequency response of the sound it is applied to.
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Running a signal through an allpass filter and recombining it with the original creates delays in the micro-second range. In your own words, describe what this causes.
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It creates nothces in the frequency spectrum, or a combing filter.
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A 12-stage phase shifter will create
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6 notches -- half of the phases.
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Why is the concept of LFO circuits important when dealing with time based effects?
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The LFO oscillates at low frequencies and is responsible for the rate of modulation. Without it, there would be no phasers, flangers or chorusers.
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What is EQ?
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The adjustment of the amplitude of a slect amount of frequencies, or the amplitude function in relation to frequency.
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Describe what the slope of a filter refers to
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The steepness of the EQ curve
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Why is it a bad idea to keep adding EQ to a signal or mix?
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Less is more. Adding too much EQ is counter-intuitive.
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When an EQ is used to cut or boost a given frequency, other frequencies are affected as well. What are three elements that determine which other frequencies are affected and by how much?
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A. Slope
B. Bandwidth, or "Q" C. Type of EQ |
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Describe a peaking EQ
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A peaking EQ provides or boost or cut in the vicinity of a selected center frequency -- more specific than slope.
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Describe a shelving EQ
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Derived from a low-pass filter, shelving EQ shifts the balance between one end of the spectrum. EQ band is shaped like a slope.
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Which type of curve will affect less frequencies around the center frequency of the peaking EQ?
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A high-Q curve.
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In a peaking EQ, what section of the frequency range determines the bandwidth?
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half power points, or 3dB specifically
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How do we express bandwidth?
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in decibels and octaves. The 3dB mark is the half power point.
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The terms "Q," and bandwidth are
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Inversely proportional, different, and used synonymously.
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What is the main aspect of the cutoff frequency of an LP or HP filter.
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The cutoff is when the attenuation is down 3dB.
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If you run a signal through both a LPF and an HPF, you get what
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A bandpass filter
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Why might an EQ designer specify a lower order filter (with a shallower slope) than a higher order filter (with a steeper slope)
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Higher order filters can get ringing artifacts, and the project might need a serious boost to many low end or higher end frequencies rather than a specific bamd.
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What is Quantization and what does it effect
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is the amplitude component. It determines the strength or volume of the samples. It effects the resolution.
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What is the sample rate and bit depth of a standard CD?
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44.1k, 16 bit.
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What is dither and why is it used?
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It adds a small amount of random noise to the signal, which can mask quantization errors or increase resolution.
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What is the Nyquist Theorem?
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Nyquist Theorem states that the sampling rate must be at least double the highest frequency recorded or else their will be aliasing issues.
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Describe how LPF differs from a low shelf EQ?
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A low pass filter would cut off higher frequencies, while a shelf just boosts or cuts the lows and leaves the less of the spectrum alone.
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Describe what electric voltage is
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Pressure, or the potential to do work
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Describe what electric current is
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The "flow" of electricity, similar to water through a pipe.
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Describe what resistance in an electric circuit is
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The opposition to the current of energy - the opposite of conductance.
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State Ohm's law
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V=IR
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True or false: Resistance is inversely proportional to conductance
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True
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When voltages are in series:
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The voltages add, current stays the same
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When voltages are in parallel:
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The voltage stays the same, the currents add.
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When resistances are in series, tehy:
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Add together with the same current across each, but different voltage
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What are "beat frequencies"
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Two frequencies that are very similar create a wavering effect, but sound as though they are the same frequency.
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When two loud and similar sounds that differ by more than 50hz are played together, we hear additional tones consisting of sum and difference frequencies of the two signals. What are they called
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Combination tones
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Early reflections are waves that bounce off of reflective surfaces, having to travel farther than the direct sound, and therefore reaching the listener later. What cues do these ERs give the listener? What information do they give the listener?
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Distance cues. They tell us how far away the sound is, and the size of the room.
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Why is the timbre of reverbant energy often quite different from that of the direct signal?
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The room naturally equalizes the sound via the coefficient of absorption of the reflective materials in it.
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Perceived intervals are based on percentages, not absolute values. What does this mean?
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They are a ratio, not direct frequencies. Absolute values do not always sound the same.
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What is the harmonic structure of a sound referring tones
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The overtones, fundamentals and make-up of the sound and how it changes over time.
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When describing an interval as being "consonant" or "dissonant," what do you think that means?
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Consonant sounds pleasant, while dissonant sounds clash.
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What do we mean by saying something is a "point source?"
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It's the point in which the sound originates.
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Why is the standard pan pot on a board effective mainly only when centered or at extreme settings?
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It deals with amplitude differences rather than time differences, which we are more sensitive to.
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In one sentence, without BS, describe a sound wave.
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The compression and rarefaction of sound as it propagates through the air.
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The outward motion of a sound wave is called
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propagation.
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In one sentence and without BS, describe what we mean by saying "waveform."
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A visual representation of a sound that makes sound easier to work with.
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The five elements of a soundwave are frequency, amplitude, wavelength and phase. Name the two additional elements introduced this semester.
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harmonic content and envelope.
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What is one of the main reasons to become aware of issues with phase when placing mics and dealing with multiple tracks of audio from the same source?
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If the phase is different, the recordings will be out of time, and if they are conflicting, they won't be heard at all.
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Simple waveforms are
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consistent in harmonic structure, continuous in nature, repetitive
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Acoustic sound pressure level is measured logarithmically because:
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It's needed to compress loudness measurements into manageable figures.
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True or false: Any complex sound can be broken down into nothing but a collection of sine waves.
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True
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The time it takes for a sound to build up to its full volume when a note is initially sounded
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Attack
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True or false: Increasing a sound by 20dBv will result in a hundredfold increase
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True
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The measure of how much sound a material absorbs is callled:
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Coefficient of absorption
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Name one of the three important acoustic effects or issues that occur when setting up a room to be a listening environment?
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Rooms can have a frequency response, meaning that sounds around a certain frequency might be louder or quieter than they actually are.
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What does tuning a monitor system mean?
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Changing the response of a speaker to compensate for a room.
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Brefierly explain what symmetry in placement of monitors and the layout of a listening environment most strongly effects
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Symmetry will have an effect on the angle of reflection as well as where the phantom image can be located
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What are the two principle types of monitor design?
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Sealed and ported
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