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






2. 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






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






4. 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






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






6. 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






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






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






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






10. 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






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






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






13. MPEG; Standardizing body of audio coding






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






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






16. The loudest point of a Full Scale system






17. Circuit that seizes voltage values with each tick of an A/D device's internal clock






18. 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






19. 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






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






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






22. 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






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






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






25. 'Capturing' part of digital audio; Never captures a signal perfectly






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






27. (Amplitude Based) Amplitude: Voltage; Quantization; Bit Depth; Quantization Intervals; Quantization Noise; [Signal:Quantization Noise Ratio]; Dither; Dynamic Range






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






29. 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






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






31. Smallest interval measurable by a scientific instrument; Defined by bit rate (sample rate x bit depth)






32. Number or variable that represents the number of times the base of a power is used as a factor; Defines magnitude






33. Eliminates frequencies above the Nyquist limit from becoming samples; Occurs prior to quantization






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






35. 'Reconstructing' part of digital audio






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






37. 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






38. Describes acceptable data - performances both offered and essential for a disc player - and the complete user experience






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






40. Lossless Format; Can hold up to 25GB on a single- layer disc and 50GB on a dual- layer disc






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






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






43. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






44. 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






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






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






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






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






49. 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.






50. Pertaining to hearing or sound; Combination of the intensity of air pressure molecules with amplitude