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






2. Sum of all harmonics; Sum of sine and cosine waves which have frequencies f - 2f - 3f - 4f...






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






4. A method of representing real numbers using a mantissa and an exponent






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






6. 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






7. Measure of the amplitude of a longitudinal wave






8. The difference in volume between the loudest and quietest sounds of a source






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






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






11. Reduces the percieved distortion due to quantization error; Low level white noise source is introduced to make the profile of the quantization 'noise' more irregular; Useful when reducing the number of bits per word in a signal (i.e. when converting






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






14. Eight channel digital surround sound system by Dolby






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






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






17. 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






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






19. The process of reducing the space required to store data by efficiently encoding the content.






20. 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






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






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






23. 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






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






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






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






27. 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






28. 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)






29. Mixing data and control characters in a single operation






30. Governs the frequency response of a digital system; The highest- frequency component that can be captured with a sampling rate; always 1/2 of sampling rate; Also called the limiting frequency






31. Unit of measurement that is equal to one billionth of a meter






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






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






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






35. Each bit in the bit depth is equal to a _____ increase in dynamic range






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






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






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






39. The amount of energy at each wavelength






40. Have odd numbered harmonics






41. 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






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






43. 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






44. 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






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






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






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






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






49. 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






50. Sample Rate x Bit Depth x # of Channels