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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is a Mixer? |
electronic device for combining, routing and changing level, timbre and or dynamics of audio signals |
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True or False: A mixer mix digital and analog signals |
True: modified signals are summed to produce combined output signals |
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What are the three sections of the mixer? |
Channel inputs Master controls Audio level metering |
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What does each section of the mixer do? |
Channel Inputs: Determines the channel the signal is on and if its mono or stereo Master Controls: Controls the audio Audio level Metering: Shows the level of the audio |
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What are the minimum functions of mixer? |
Amplify (pre-amplification) Mix Route audio signal |
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What is Pre-amplification? |
Take low voltage signals and turns it into a strong enough signal to process. This ensures good quality signal This happens mostly in the input gain or pre-amplifier stage. |
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what is the Audio chain's noise floor? |
noise generated by equipment that is amplified with the signal though each section. Pre-amplification must be high above the noise floor |
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True or False: You can boost the output ig the input gain levels are too low |
False: This can lead to Sound to Noise ratio shrinkage |
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What is a clip/peak indicator? |
It is an LED that shows if a signal is present or it it's exceeding pre-amplifier's clipping threshold |
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What is Clipping? |
Signal wave's peaks will be "Clipped" or flattened if the signal exceeds channel's amplification capacity. Produces unpleasant or distorted sound. |
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How do you correctly adjust input gain? |
Simply increase the gain level until red clip-indicator blinks. no flash = too low Steady = too high |
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What is a potentiometers? |
adjusts the resistance, therefore the output voltage. Linear potentiometers are called faders or sliders. Gradually in/decrease in level of an audio signal. |
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What does a fader do? |
Reduces signal level to a suitable testening recording level. Fully up = no attenuation Fully down = infinite attenuation |
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What is a Level Indicator? |
Provides information about the output level. Usually in dB. |
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What are transients? |
short spikes in level |
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What are the various ways meter level scales can be marked? |
Volume Unit (VU meter) Percent of modulation meter Decibel Meter digits (0-10) |
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What is RMS? |
Root mean square is a statistical measurement of effective power of a complex waveform |
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What is Headroom and what does it have to do with the Margin of safety? |
Headroom is to provide a margin of safety in case signals exceed 0 VU. This helps for no distortion. |
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What is equalization (EQ)? |
separately attenuates or boots a range of frequencies in a signal (bass, midrange, treble) Too much can override the channel |
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True or false: Routing is when the mixer drives a car. |
False: they can't drive. The mixer's routing function is to direct the signal out of the console and into its next destination |
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What is a master fader? |
Is is a fader (same as normal faders) but controls the level of the overall signal instead of individual channels |
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What are Alternative Buses or Sends? |
path in which you can route one or more audio signals to a particular destination. Headphones, monitors or other devices. |
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What does Pre and Post mean when sending a signal to an auxiliary bus? |
Pre: signals are unaffected by equalizer or channel faders Post: signals will pass through equalizer and fader first |
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What are multi-track recording consoles? |
a console that has several inputs to receive/ record and store multiple sounds. |
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What are software-based mixers? |
A mixer on the computer |
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How are digital mixers better than analog mixers? |
1.more versatile 2.save multiple mute groups, multiple voltage controlled amplifier groups and channel settings into a scene 3.reconfigure signal routing w/ 1 button 4.Faders can be swapped/ flipped 5.variety of special effects |
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Some more advantages |
6.Support third party features (plugins) 7.some include Spirograph and real time analyzer functions 8.few have loudspeaker managment tools 9.Support dps to perform automatic mixing 10.quieter 11. more resistant to outside iterference |
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What are some advantages of analog mixers? |
1.Rapid response to changing performance conditions from one knob/fader/button per function 2.Simpler understanding of hardware routing |
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True or false: The sound quality from digital mixers are the same as analog. If false explain. |
True:They are the same because both rely on analog microphone preamps |
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Automatic consoles. what is it used for? |
Large convention and meeting facilities where several micorphones are connected to a sound system. NOT automated |
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what are differences when it comes to Broadcast Consoles? |
1. don't have user-adjustable input gain levels 2. no need for a lot of output buses 3.simple control surface 4.Routing assignemnt and level controls are hardwired 5.main output is sent as chain via distrubution aplifier 6. Cue function - route to amplifier or speaker to preview before broadcasting 7. |
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What are field mixers/ Portable Mixers? |
Mixers that you can move around. Used to suit needs of location sound recordist. |
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What is a wave editor? |
multi-function editing tool used to perform precise microscopic sound (audio file) edits. In other words, allows you to see the waveforms |
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Things you can do with the wave-editor |
Cut and fade a waveform Change volume Fade the beginning and end of sound Add real-time effects etc... |
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What is a software synthesizer? |
Computer program that can reproduce/create sounds |
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what are two forms of a software synthesizer? |
Stand alone programs: suite of synthesizer and audio devices. Can be used by other programs and controlled externally Plug-in instruments: must exist within a host program |
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Are hardware synthesizers better than software synthesizers? |
Hardware: sounds are thick and more robust, broader frequency ranges, filter frequencies is need too. Software: easy to use, cheaper and getting better Neither one better than other. |
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What is sampler? |
musical device that uses raw audio as its source rather than pure tones, as synthesizers do. example, Takes sound puts in on a keyboard, have different sounds on different keys or one on the whole keyboard. GigaStudio. |
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Some additional terms |
Pitch: perceptual equivalent to frequency Loudness: perceptual equivalent to intensity Fletch-Munson curves of equal loudness: difficult to hear low freq. sot sounds, ear extra sensitive at 1-6kHz Timbre: quality of musical note or sound, distinguishes different type of sound production or musical instruments |
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What is time Stretching? |
the ability to take a sound that plays at a certain length and sonically stretch the audio with set parameters without changing the pitch |
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What is Time compression? |
The ability to speed-up how quickly a sound plays without changing the pitch |
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What is pitch shifting? |
The ability to change the pitch of a sound without changing its length |
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What is pitch bending? |
Allows you to "pitch up" a sound and have either a gradual or serious upward and downward swing in the pitch after the bend |
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What is fade in / fade out? |
Gradual volume reduction (or increase) of audio rather than an abrupt cut in the volume. |
