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. Measure of the amplitude of a longitudinal wave






2. Discrete incremental distinctions made between the value of one sample and the next; Breaks down bit depth into a series of evenly spaced intervals






3. Samples are duplicated and the playback sampling rate correspondingly increased; Significantly raises the Nyquist limit to a range well beyond human hearing; Processing 'pushes' the distortion resulting from quantization error into these higher frequ






4. Softest sound that can be heard by the average human ear (0 dB)






5. Same as 'aliasing'






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






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






8. Method of representing an acoustic quantity with a series of binary numbers; Can have only specific individually distinct values






9. (Time Based) Frequency: Aliasing; Anti-Aliasing Filter; Sample Rate; Nyquist Limit






10. Digital and analog processing capability is combined on a single microchip allowing for 1- bit resolution at high sample rates






11. ABR; Codecs that encode data by determining how dense or sparse areas of the audio are while also keeping bit rate within specified limits to avoid rebuffering






12. 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'






13. Ratio of magnitude of the analytical signal to the magnitude of the background noise signal






14. The mathematics - algorithms - and the techniques used to manipulate signals after they have been converted to digital form






15. Uses entropy coding as the basis; Computer data compression algorithm that packages files such as .ZIP & .RAR






16. The number of compressions or rarefactions in one second; The higher the frequency the more compressions & rarefactions per second; Measured in Hertz






17. Eliminates frequencies above the Nyquist limit from becoming samples; Occurs prior to quantization






18. The frequency above or below which attenuation begins in a filter circuit






19. Root Mean Square; Refers to taking the square root of all instantaneous amplitudes; Takes the average of those squares; (-6 Peak Level is approximately equal to -20 RMS)






20. Roughly around 1 -130 ft/s






21. Based on Full Scale (dB/FS); -6dB represents a loss of one bit so account for this when calculating






22. In order to play multiple channels at one time data is buffered as read to disk; Latency happens between play command & beginning of playback






23. The difference between the analog value and the approximated digital value due to the 'rounding' that occurs while converting the analog signal to digital






24. Found that aliasing was always a problem no matter how fast you sample; Less data recorded but more accurate; 2 samples per wave length.






25. Contains all even and odd harmonics associated with a fundamental tone - making it a rich source for modeling other sounds; Amplitude of each overtone decreases exponentially as a ratio of the harmonic's frequency to that of the fundamental






26. A drive that can read and write on optical media that hold up to 50 GB on two layers; 24- bit/96 kHz for 8-Channel; 24- bit/192 kHz for 6-Channel






27. Level above which audible sounds are painful (125 - 130 db)






28. 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






29. Very quiet digital amplifier that produces a series of output pulses with the audio signal coded the same as the width of the output pulses; Pulses are used to represent wave forms and are either on or off; Intense signals have long pulses with short






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






31. Overtones that contribute to the timbre of a sound and make up a complex waveform's physical characteristics






32. Stores only one copy of a stereo signal and assigns it to both channels in order to save 50% of original bandwidth






33. 15.9 GB; DS/DL






34. Have odd numbered harmonics






35. Accuracy with which an electronic system reproduces the sound or image of its input signal






36. 'Reconstructing' part of digital audio






37. A situation where a calculated value cannot fit into the number of digits reserved for it






38. A network communications protocol that specifies how machines will exchange data; Uses a broadcast system in which one machine transmits its message on the communication medium and the other machines listen for messages directed to them






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






40. The continuous loss of signal strengths as a signal travels through a medium






41. Reference voltage determined by summing the voltage values of a predetermined number of previous samples; Numbers of 1 in row = waveform peak; Numbers of 0 in row = waveform trough; Basis of Sony's Direct Stream Digital (DSD)






42. Eight channel digital surround sound system by Dolby






43. RAM holds in memory audio data before it is transferred to the memory controller; Certain amount of data is processed before large amounts of data are streamed to prevent latency






44. A digital filter's time domain output sequence when the input is a single sample is input






45. The ability of a digital system to perform complex DSP without running into problems with overflow or loss of resolution






46. More aggressive lossy data reduction techniques that require further manipulation of the stereo field; Examples are 'Intensity' & 'M-S'






47. 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






48. Measure of sound pressure over the frequency spectrum - for which a listener perceives a constant loudness when presented with pure steady tones






49. Visual graph that shows how loud a sound is at different frequencies






50. Apple Lossless; Windows Media Lossless; DTS HD Master Audio; Dolby True HD; FLAC