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






2. 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






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






4. 12cm plastic disc; 1.2mm thick; One- sided; Red Laser; 1.6 microns between tracks; 125 nanometer pits






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






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






7. Reduces A/D sample rate from the oversampled rate to nominal rate by turning series of one- bit samples into a series of multi- bit PCM samples; (ex. => 2.8MHz sample rate converted to 44.1kHz and simultaneously converts 1-Bit samples to multi- bit);






8. Roughly around 1 -130 ft/s






9. 4.38 GB; SS/SL






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






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






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






13. 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






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






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






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






17. Mixing data and control characters in a single operation






18. 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






19. High channel count; 64 channels on one cable; Coaxial cable with BNC connector or fiber optic with ST1 connector






20. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






21. Measurement at regular intervals of the amplitude of a varying waveform (in order to convert it to digital form); There must be a minimum of 2 samples for each cycle in a waveform






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






23. The amount of energy at each wavelength






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






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






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






27. 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






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






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






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






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






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






33. 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






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






35. Defines the number of sample per second taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal; Governs the frequency response of digital audio






36. Occurs as data is assembled into meaningful bits or information and as left & right channels are separated






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






38. 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






39. 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






40. 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






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






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






43. 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)






44. Snippets of time in which frequency analysis takes place in a perceptual codec






45. 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)






46. Branch of psychology concerned with the subjective perception of sound






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






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






49. 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.






50. 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