Test your basic knowledge |

Digital Audio

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Describes various optical disc characteristics including the size and shape of the disc - the size of pits - the speed at which the disc spins - and a multitude of aspects regarding the specifications of the player itself






2. Number or variable that represents the number of times the base of a power is used as a factor; Defines magnitude






3. Have odd numbered harmonics






4. Measuring equipment in A/D conversion that processes voltage and provides a value for that voltage






5. Improper (false) sampling of high frequencies that cause much lower frequencies to be produced when the audio is reconstructed; Foldover happens at higher frequencies as harmonics reach levels that exceed the Nyquist limit.






6. EBU






7. Take up half as many bits (50%); Algorithm can keep same quality by lossing the stereo track






8. DAW's and software must buffer when converting or bouncing and this latency can add up if not monitored






9. Multi-Bit Words; (Pulse Code Modulation)






10. Rate at which energy is drawn from a source that produces a flow of electricity in a circuit; Expressed in volts






11. Roughly around 1 -130 ft/s






12. CobraNet; EtherSound; Dante; AVB (currently under development)






13. A frequency specified for a filter (digital or electronic) the marks the point at which the frequency content of a signal is altered +/- 3dB






14. Unit of measurement that is equal to one billionth of a meter






15. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






16. Six channel (five speakers and one subwoofer for bass) digital surround sound system by Dolby






17. Subtract place values from the decimal number and place ones or zeros in the correct places






18. Serial Copy Management System; main difference between AES3 & S/PIDF






19. More accuracy in low amplitudes and less in higher amplitudes






20. Lossless Format; Can hold up to 25GB on a single- layer disc and 50GB on a dual- layer disc






21. Mixing data and control characters in a single operation






22. Number of bits per second processed when sampling sound; (Sampling Rate x Bit Depth) = Resolution






23. Method used in digital recording and reproduction in which a signal is sampled at various points and the resulting value is translated into binary numbers






24. Circuit that seizes voltage values with each tick of an A/D device's internal clock






25. The elapsed time it takes for a packet of data to arrive at its destination; Lagging or pause of an audio signal as digital processing occurs; Can be managed utilizing several forms of 'audio monitoring'






26. Father of modern information theory; Solidified the Nyquist Theory by adding the concept that bits per second (binary representation of audio signals) must be at equal intervals to accurately represent data






27. Measure of the amplitude of a longitudinal wave






28. The act of a frequency swinging back and forth with a steady - uninterrupted rhythm






29. Also known as equal loudness curves; Graph that indicates the average ear sensitivity to different frequencies at different SPL levels (as volume increases - these curves flatten out)






30. HD Audio format; Lossless Compression; 24- bit/96 kHz; 5.1 Surround or 24- bit / 192 kHz stereo sound






31. Perceptual coding technique that uses louder sounds of a similar frequency to decide what information is to be saved during data reduction






32. Single- pin RCA cable or fiber- optic TOSLINK connector used for digital transfer; 75O coaxial - 2- channel unbalanced; 'Consumer' format of AES3






33. Sum of all harmonics; Sum of sine and cosine waves which have frequencies f - 2f - 3f - 4f...






34. Data is transmitted over fiber optic lines; Uses a TOSLINK connecter instead of an RCA type; Can transmit multi- channel audio; Not susceptible to ground hum and loops; Able to support far higher rates of data transfer over greater distances than coa






35. Unit of measurement that is equal to one millionth of a meter






36. Anytime bit depth is reduced the gap gets bigger so more dithering is required






37. VBR; Most common & best data reduction technique; Codecs that encode data by determining how dense or sparse areas of the audio are; Can result in buffering issues






38. Signal conversions are mixed with playback tracks resulting in near-zero latency






39. Data transmission protocol over which computer network traffic travels; Poorly suited to real- time transmission but numerous attempts have been made to harness the technology because of its flexible routing; Uses simple Cat5 cabling; Resists interfe






40. If a signal is sampled at a rate higher than twice the highest significant signal frequency and at evenly spaced intervals - then the samples contain all the information of the original signal






41. Twice as many samples as the highest frequency at minimum; Sampling rate totally controls frequency response






42. Decibels Full Scale






43. Splits the input signal and mixes it with an analog copy so that no latency is present






44. Full Scale; Type of metering that measures level in digital recording system; Recording and Mixing levels should NEVER exceed 0dB FS in digital audio or clipping will occur






45. Pertaining to hearing or sound; Combination of the intensity of air pressure molecules with amplitude






46. 1.) Taking a series of evenly- spaced measurements 2.) Signal contains no frequency components higher than half the sample rate






47. Playback; I/O Connections; CPU (Streaming); Conversion from DAW or Software






48. Sony sigma- delta modulation based technology that bypasses the decimation and interpolation steps found in PCM converters






49. Number of bits used to represent the smallest unit of information in an audio file; Greater bit depth = better quality audio






50. Deviation from a normal - steady pulse or tick of a clock that contributes to misrepresentation of a signal; Result of small timing irregularities that become magnified during the transmission of digital signals as the signals are passed from one dev