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. A sample- by- sample operation on two signals






2. 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






3. Algorithm uses matrix of a mid/side microphone pair to determine a side signal & that signal is reduced then distributed as code in stereo






4. 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






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






6. Only 2 digits used; The value of each place (ones - hundreds - etc.) are as follows from greatest to least: 128 - 64 - 32 - 16 - 8 - 4 - 2 - 1






7. 12.33 GB; DS/ML






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






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






10. Based on psychoacoustics - these are the basis of frequency analysis for a perceptual codec;






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






12. Measure of the amplitude of a longitudinal wave






13. ADPCM; Pulse code modulation that produces a digital signal with a lower bit rate than standard PCM; Records only the difference between samples






14. Have odd numbered harmonics






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






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






17. CBR; Codecs encodes data at a constant rate regardless of density of the audio file






18. 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






19. ADAT Optcal; 8- in/8- out on two cables; Fiber- optic - TOSLINK connector






20. Amplitude meter that takes the square root of all instantaneous amplitudes and averages them to find a mean and squares that value; Useful with particularly complex waveforms






21. High Pressure - Part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together






22. AAC (Advanced Audio Coding); MP3; RA; WMA; OGG Vorbis; Dolby Digital/AC-3; DTS; ADPCM






23. 1.) Bit Rate x Sample Rate (you'll get b/sec) 2.) Multiply by 60 if converting seconds to minutes 3.) Divide by 8 to convert bits to Bytes and get B/min 4.) Divide by 1 -024 to get KB/min and keep doing it until you get desired bit rate specification






24. A time regulator that makes all samples and bits to align when working with interconnected digital devices; Basically a signal that all of the digital devices refer to when operating.






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






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






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






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






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






30. Allowance of noise floor below that which is required for the final product






31. Measures the highest levels of a signal being recorded or mixed; Monitors for clipping - which occurs at 0dBFS); Does not always reflect perceived volume of signal






32. 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






33. 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






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






35. Very selective method of lowering buffer levels by halting different levels of audio processing






36. Most significant lossless coding technique in current use; Measure of disorder in which long strings of data are represented by short symbols and uses the shortest symbols to represent the most common repetitive audio data maximizing data reduction






37. 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






38. 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






39. 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






40. French mathematician that noted that any complex sound can be broken down into a series of component pure tones






41. Sony and Philips optical disc format; Utilizes sigma delta DSD to offer higher resolution; 1- bit; 2.8224 MHz; 6-Channel






42. When recording you want the smallest buffer available; When mixing you want the largest buffer available






43. 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






44. 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






45. 8.75 GB; DS/SL






46. The loudest point of a Full Scale system






47. Leaving space at beginning and ending of song for data crunching during mastering; Last step in mastering process






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






49. Fractional part of a floating- point number; Also called the mantissa; Defines precision






50. 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