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






2. 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






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






4. VBR; Most common & best data reduction technique; Codecs that encode data by determining how dense or sparse areas of the audio are; Can result in buffering issues






5. Same as 'aliasing'






6. Roughly around 1 -130 ft/s






7. Six channel (five speakers and one subwoofer for bass) digital surround sound system by Dolby






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






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






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






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






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






13. 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






14. 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






15. 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






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






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






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






19. Circuit that interprets the meaning of the symbols as they were chosen and arranged by the encode






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






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






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






23. Based on psychoacoustics - these are the basis of frequency analysis for a perceptual codec;






24. Data reduction technique that does not effect quality of original audio; No effect on original quality; Typically around 50% reduction; Exact reconstruction of digital code for the audio signal






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






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






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






28. 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






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






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






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






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






33. The set of rules that computers use to move files from one computer to another on an internet






34. A digital filter's time domain output sequence when the input is a single sample is input






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






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






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. 1.) Bit Rate x Sample Rate (you'll get b/sec) 2.) Multiply by 60 if converting seconds to minutes 3.) Divide by 8 to convert bits to Bytes and get B/min 4.) Divide by 1 -024 to get KB/min and keep doing it until you get desired bit rate specification






39. The frequency range that is allowed through a filter






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






41. The more bits allocated during quantization - the more accurate the measurement






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






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






44. (AES/EBU); 110O - 2- channel balanced digital audio cable with an XLR connection; NOT a mic cable!!






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






46. The loudest point of a Full Scale system






47. 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






48. 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






49. 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






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