Potential Reading Quiz 4/6/26

Monitor

a device that acts as a subjective professionals standard or reference by which program material can be critically evaluated

Far Field Monitors

involes large, multi-driver loudspeakers that are capable of delivering relatively accurate sound at moderate to high volume levels

not very common

Near Field Monitors

more realistically represents the listenin environment the general public will use

Near Field

refers to the placement of small to medium sized bookshelf speakers on each side of a desktop working environment

more direct sound, less room sound

Small Speakers

mimics nonlinearities, distortion, and poor bass response in radio, TV, computer and cellphone playback

Spectral Analyser

a visual cue to an audio program’s overall frequency at any given time

gives a graphic readout of a signal’s level at various frequencies throughout the audible band

Enclosures

incorporates an air suspension or a bass reflex design

Air Suspension

an airtight system that seals the air in its interior from the outside environment

tight bass response

Bass Reflex Design

uses a tuned bass porthole that’s designed into the front or rear of the speaker enclosure

allows the air mass inside the enclosure to mix freely with the outside air to act as a tuned resonator

Active speakers

has the amplifier built-in to the speaker

Power cable plugs right into the rear of the speaker providing power to the amplifier and speaker

Passive Speakers

requires an external amplifier

Proper Grounding

helps reduce electrical noise by providing a dedicated path for unwanted current to flow back to the source (earth) instead of through the audio equipment

Power Quality Affects…

▸ Preamp headroom and dynamics

▸ Converter accuracy and jitter performance

▸ Equipment reliability and lifespan

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)

a fast acting circuit breaker that will shut off power if there is a ground fault

Noise Filtering

Reduces unwanted electrical noise from radio frequencies and power supply issues. This improves audio signal clarity

High-quality surge protection

Protects against damaging voltage spikes caused by lightning or power line faults

Single-Phase Power

the simplest form of AC electricity. It uses a single, wave-like current that alternates between positive and negative. This type of power is delivered through two main wires: the "hot" (or phase) wire carrying the energy and the neutral wire providing the return path

Three-Phase Power

a more sophisticated AC system using three separate electrical waveforms, each precisely timed (offset by 120 degrees). Think of it as having three synchronized power deliveries happening at slightly different times. This system typically uses three "hot" wires (one for each phase) and sometimes includes a neutral wire.

Power Conditioning

keeping the purity and isloation of a room’s power from the outside world

Power Conditioner

obtains power from a single source, can regulate, isolatem and protect voltage supply

Pros of a Power Conditioner

1. Voltage Regulations

2. Keeping the lines quiet

UPS

uses a regulated power supply to constantly change a rechargeable battery or bank of batteries

used to feed sensitive studio equipment a clean and constant voltage supply

Balanced Power

makes use of a power transformer that has 2 secondary windings with a potential to ground on each side of 60 V

each side is out of phase with each other→120V supply is maintained

Hums

noises that occurs as a result of improper grounding or shielding

Electromagnetic Interference

noise from radio and cell phone transmissions, lights, or other electrically induced signals

TS Cables

used to plug ininstruments like guitars, basses, older synths and keyboards, drum machines, etc

TRS Cables

most often used to carry mono balanced audio as well as stereo signals

also the standard for carrying stereo unbalanced audio like headphones

Amplifiers

boosts electrical signals, turning a low-power signal into a similar signal of much

higher power

Just as a small valve movement controls massive water flow, a small guitar signal controls a large speaker movement

ex: A guitar pickup outputs ~100mV, but speakers require several volts — amplification bridges this gap

Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp)

a tiny integrated circuit (IC) acting as a versatile, high-gain voltage amplifier. Think of it as a fundamental building block for audio circuits

Extremely versatile for amplification, filtering, buffering, summing signals, and more in audio consoles, interfaces, pedals, etc

an integrated circuit that amplifies the difference between two input voltages

Vacuum Tube

a glass or metal component that acts as an electronic valve to increase the power or amplitude of a weak audio signal

Transistor

a semiconductor device that controls a large output current using a small input signal, boosting weak electrical signals

Amplifier Saturation

results when the input signal is so large that its DC output supply isn’t large enough to produce the required, corresponding output signal

Negative Feedback

applies a portion of the output signal through a limiting resistor back into the negative or phase inverted inpiut terminal

the device’s output signal level is reduced

reduces distortion

Preamp

used to boost a mic’s signal to line level, provides variable gain for various signal types and isolates input signals and EQ etc

sets the tone of how a deivce or system will sound

Summing Amp

designed to combine any number of discrete inputs into a single output signal bus while providing a high degree of isolation between them

Distribution Amp

takes an input signal and splits it into multiple, identical amplified outputs

Power Amps

used to boost the audio output to a level that can drive one or more loudspeakers at their rated volume levels

sensitive to high temperatures

designed to work with speaker impedance loads ranging from 4 to 16 ohms

Timecode

essential for keeping multiple audio, video, or music technology devices synchronized. It ensures all devices run in perfect timing, which is crucial when working with media like audio tracks and video recordings

is the technology that allows synchronization without needing constant transport speeds. It maintains relative speed and position throughout media production

Synchronization

The process of aligning multiple devices to ensure they operate in tandem

30 fps

Original black-and-white U.S. TV frame rate (no longer used since the advent of color TV)

29.97 fps

Standard for NTSC color television and video (also known as drop-frame timecode)

24 fps

Universal frame rate for film production worldwide

25 fps

Standard for PAL color television and video (also called EBU, used in European broadcasting)

BWF

is largely compatible with the standard Microsoft WAV format but includes embedded metadata

also stores SMPTE timecode data directly within the file, ensuring precise synchronization.

allows audio files imported into video or audio editing software to automatically align with their correct timecode position.

Genlock

Synchronizes video signals by locking devices to a common reference

is a method used to keep video devices synchronized by using a reference signal (such as blackburst or tri-level sync).

ensures that all devices in a system know exactly when each frame starts and ends

Frame-by-frame manual alignment

Manually adjusting media to ensure proper sync

Frame Synchronizer

helps adjust the timing of video signals during playback to ensure everything stays in sync

LTC

encodes SMPTE timecode data into an audio signal using a system called biphase mark code. This method translates changes in the audio signal into binary 0’s and 1’s, which can be read by computers

most common form of timecode

Timecode Generators

produces a signal—usually an audio track—that marks key events in recorded footage. These signals can be a consistent pulse, like a metronome, and are often used in situations with multiple speakers or busy events. They can also mark specific points, such as the start and end of interview questions or other important moments

Jam Sync Mode

a timecode reader/generator receives an incoming external timecode signal and "jams" or generates new timecode that matches the original

2 primary reasons for using Jam Sync

1. To replace degraded or defective timecode.

2. When copying a timecode track from one tape to another—especially

with analog tape, where each copy results in signal degradation.

Black Burst or House Sync,

helps keep video and audio devices in sync. This ensures that all video and timecode signals are aligned, which helps prevent sync issues

Synchronizer

a device or integrated system that manages synchronization. This device ensures that everything runs in perfect alignment, preventing drift or misalignment in the timecode

Multiport MIDI Interface

which can lock an analog audio or video transport to a digital audio, MIDI, or electronic music

system. This is done by translating LTC (Longitudinal Timecode) into MIDI Timecode (MTC)

Time Code Address

a unique identifying number that every frame has

eight digit address represents hours:minutes:seconds:frames or HH:MM:SS:FF

used to locate a position on the recorded medium

Timecord Word

the total of all time-encoded information that’s encoded within each audio or video sync frame

each word is divided into 80 equal bits numbered consecutively from 0 to 79

one word covers an entire audio or video frame

Bi Phase Modulation

an SMPTE signal is electronically encoded in the forma of a modulated square wave

detection relies on shifts within the pulse

1

a voltage or bit transition in the middle of a half cycle of a square wave

0

no transition within this same period

Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)

ranges from 0-9, each segment has one

when the full frame is scanned, all these groupings read out as a single SMPTE frame number

Sync Data

16 bits at the end of each timecode address word

used to define the end of each frame

3:2 Pulldown

a telecine film playback device used to add a third video field to these exisiting 2 fields

can’t be seen by the untrained eye

when combined with a speed slowdown of 1/1,000th, TC translation process is as accurate as possible

Quarter Frame Messages

transmitted only while the system is running in real or variable speed time

4 quarter frame messages are generated for each timecode frame

the complete SMPTE address time is updated every 2 frames

contains 2 bytes

Full Messages

used to encode a complete timecode address

after a fast shuttle mode is entered, the system generates a full address message and places itself in a pause mode until the timecoded followers have located the correct position

once playback resumes, MTC will again begin sending incremental quarter frame messages

MIDI Cueing Messages

designed to address individual devices or programs within a system

13 bit messages

possible 128 cueing event types

Variable Speed Timecode Readers

often able to decode timecode information at shuttle rates ranging from 1/10th to 100 times normal playing speed

necessary when monitoring videotape at slow or near still speeds

Freewheeling

the receipt of timecode causes the generator’s output to initialize when a valid address number is detected. The generator then begins to count in an ascending order on its own, ignoring any deterioration or discontinuity in code and producing fresh, uninterrupted SMPTE address numbers

Continuous

used in cases where the original address numbers must remain intact and shouldn’t be regenerated as a continuously ascending count. After the reader has been activated, the generator updates the address count for each frame in accordance with incoming address numbers and outputs an identical, regenerated copy

Crosstalk

happens when high level signal leaks into adjacent signal paths or analog tape tracks

ATR Optimum Recording Level

-5 to -10 VU

Digital Device Optimum Recording Level

-20 dB