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. 8- in/8- out on one cable; 25- pin D- sub connector






2. Industry Standards: -6 dB Peak = -20 RMS Meter






3. EBU






4. Built into DAWs; Bits are added when signals are mixed together to avoid clipping






5. As sample rate is increased more room is created for a smoother slope of the attenuation band because Nyquist limit extends well beyond range of hearing with each increase






6. 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






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






8. Channels are processed one at a time and the results are stored on multiple CPU buffers that alternately send data as DAW requests the data for playback; First few seconds are relayed to the buffer prior to processing and playback and it continuously






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






10. MPEG; Standardizing body of audio coding






11. 16-Bit; 44.1 kHz; PCM; Stereo






12. 4.38 GB; SS/SL






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






14. 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






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






16. Allows for an internal sample rate at multiples of the input and output rates; Alleviates the need for steep 'brickwall' filters; Often combined with internal '1- bit' processing; Increases smoothing effect






17. Data reduction technique that does not effect quality of original audio; No effect on original quality; Typically around 50% reduction; Exact reconstruction of digital code for the audio signal






18. Waveform of a pure tone showing simple harmonic motion






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






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






21. (AES/EBU); 110O - 2- channel balanced digital audio cable with an XLR connection; NOT a mic cable!!






22. The set of rules that computers use to move files from one computer to another on an internet






23. Signal that uses variable voltage to create continuous waves resulting in an inexact transmission






24. Voltage -> Dither -> Anti-Aliasing (Low Pass Filter) -> Sample & Hold Circuit -> Successive Approximation/Quantizer --) 100111010 (PCM Audio File)






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






26. Joint-Stereo Technique; Since the human brain is unable to localize sounds at high frequencies well sounds above 9 kHz threshold are encoded in mono






27. Specific set of instructions for carrying out a data reduction technique that determines how to 'save' binary data information efficiently






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






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






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






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






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






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






34. Have odd numbered harmonics






35. Data reduction technique that selectively removes original information in order to significantly reduce the file size; Some data is lost; Files can be reduced up to 99% in size (90% with no perceived sound quality loss); Bit rate effects the perceive






36. Psychoacoustic model of data reduction used for general audio compression that aims to transmit only features perceptible to the human ear; Useful for mastering streaming media






37. 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






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






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






40. Process of building a complex tone by starting with the fundamental frequency and adding pure tone harmonics






41. 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






42. 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






43. 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






44. (Amplitude Based) Amplitude: Voltage; Quantization; Bit Depth; Quantization Intervals; Quantization Noise; [Signal:Quantization Noise Ratio]; Dither; Dynamic Range






45. Low Pressure; Part in a longitudinal wave where the particles are spread apart






46. Method of sampling data at a higher resolution (higher sample rate) as a means of reducing harmonic content during D/A conversion; (x2) oversampling gets rid of all odd harmonic content






47. 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






48. Ultra low- latency - 512- channel (on a gigabit network) - less flexible AoE format; Routed like audio cables...not network cables






49. Decibels Full Scale






50. 8.75 GB; DS/SL