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






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






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






4. EBU






5. Decibels Full Scale






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






7. 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






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






9. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






10. Signal voltage is relayed to a register from sample- and - hold circuit; Holds reference frequencies in binary form that decrease in value; Finds approximated value & assigns binary number accordingly






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






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






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






14. In order to play multiple channels at one time data is buffered as read to disk; Latency happens between play command & beginning of playback






15. 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






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






17. 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






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






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






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






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






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






23. Very quiet digital amplifier that produces a series of output pulses with the audio signal coded the same as the width of the output pulses; Pulses are used to represent wave forms and are either on or off; Intense signals have long pulses with short






24. Roughly around 1 -130 ft/s






25. 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)






26. MPEG; Standardizing body of audio coding






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






28. 12cm plastic disc; 1.2mm thick; One- sided; Red Laser; 1.6 microns between tracks; 125 nanometer pits






29. Twice as many samples as the highest frequency at minimum; Sampling rate totally controls frequency response






30. Describes various optical disc characteristics including the size and shape of the disc - the size of pits - the speed at which the disc spins - and a multitude of aspects regarding the specifications of the player itself






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






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






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






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. 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'






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






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






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






40. 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






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






42. Cable used to transmit data; Inner cable is surrounded by a plastic insulator - which is surrounded by a wire mesh conductor that insulates the internal signal wire from external interference and an outer casing that functions as a ground






43. 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






44. Eight channel digital surround sound system by Dolby






45. ABR; Codecs that encode data by determining how dense or sparse areas of the audio are while also keeping bit rate within specified limits to avoid rebuffering






46. Single- pin RCA cable or fiber- optic TOSLINK connector used for digital transfer; 75O coaxial - 2- channel unbalanced; 'Consumer' format of AES3






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






48. 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)






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






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