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






2. Used when the reference pressure of a sound is 20 microPa (0.00002); Sound Pressure Level; Measure of amplitude






3. Computer program or device capable of encoding and/or decoding a digital data stream with the end result being a reduced file size






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






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






6. Eight channel digital surround sound system by Dolby






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






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






9. Increases or decreases the digital signal so that the loudest sample is brought up to 0dBfs; Uses all bits from dynamic range and makes it even from track to track






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






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






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






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






14. 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)






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






16. Having a repeated succession of waves or curves as in a sound waveform






17. Waveform of a pure tone showing simple harmonic motion






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






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






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






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






22. 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.






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






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






25. EDL; Final list of samples used in the audio editing process; Identified by time code






26. Difference in brightness between land and pit on a CD Physical Format






27. Toshiba developed digital audio interface utilizes fiber optics as a transmission medium.






28. The art of deciding where to place a processor in signal flow based on how that processor will be influenced by the other processors in the path






29. 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






30. Series of dots and dashes representing the letters of the alphabet; Most common letters are represented by the shortest dots and dashes; Example of entropy coding






31. Represents the amplitude component of the digital sampling process; Technique of incrementing a continuous analog event into a discrete set of binary digits (bits)






32. The amount of energy at each wavelength






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






34. Used as the main disc from which other discs are made; Composed of ground glass with a very fine photoresistor layer; An imaging laser burns pit and land patterns in preparation for duplication






35. AES






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. Inner ear component that attaches to the stapes and helps to decrease the amplitude of vibrations; Causes the masking phenomenon






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






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






40. 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






41. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






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






43. Electromagnetic receptor that detects the radiation known as visible light






44. Digital (binary) measurements of how long each pulse is either on or off; Width of increasing voltage or decreasing voltage is assigned a 1 or 0 respectively






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






46. 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






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






48. MPEG; Standardizing body of audio coding






49. 8- in/8- out on one cable; 25- pin D- sub connector






50. Removes high frequency images and noise and smoothes the stair case output coming from of the sample and hold circuit; Also called a SMOOTHING FILTER