Audio Engineering Final Exam Review

Speaker Sandwich!!

What is the unit of measurement of a frequency?

hertz

What is the number of cycles of a sound wave in a second called?

Audio Frequency

What is the peak of a waveform called?

Crest

What is the unit of measurement for sound level?

Decibel (dB)

What is the frequency if a sine wave completes 100 cycles in 2 seconds?

50 Hz

What is the visible part of your ear called?

Pinna

What is another name for the ear drum?

Tympanic Membrane

What is the typical range of human hearing?

20 Hz to 20 kHz

On a mixer or console, channels can be routed to a...?

Mixbus or Aux

What is the knob on a console or interface that boosts the signal of the microphone?

Gain knob

What is the device that boosts the signal from the microphone to a line level output?

Preamp

What is the primary cable for connecting audio equipment in home entertainment systems?

RCA

What is professional line level equipment measured at?

+4 dBv

What is the definition of acoustics?

Understanding the relationship of a room construction; dealing with sound waves; researching reverberations.

What happens when a wave length hits a surface and changes direction?

Reflection

Material that reduces room reflections is referred to as?

Absorbing and absorptive

What happens when a wavelength hits a surface, but is reflected into many different wavelengths?

Diffusion

What happens when a wavelength travels into a different medium , but the direction is altered?

Refraction

What does DAW stand for?

Digital Audio Workstation

Analog to digital can also be called...?

A to D

What tool would you use to move an entire clip on protools?

Move Tool

What tool is shown in the green box (the middle of the tritool)?

Selector Tool

What mode allows you to move clips in protools behind one another by snapping them together?

Shuffle Mode

What are the 4 types of the audio envelope?

Attack, Sustain, Decay, and Release

When a track is moved from the left or the right output of a mix is called what?

Panning

The cable used to connect most microphones to a console or interface is called what?

XLR

What a signal produces red marks and starts distorting _______ occurs.

Clipping

What is the compressor setting that tells the compressor when to engage based on the level coming in?

Threshold

What only allows frequencies to be heard above a set frequency setting and cuts everything below the line?

High pass filter

What is the overall tone quality of a pitch called?

Timbre

What is it called when you get closer to a mic or produce louder base frequencies?

Proximity Effect

What happens when a waveform travels through a opening and changes altitudes?

Diffraction

The total height of a sound wave is referred to as...?

amplitude

What is a device or plugin used to mute a signal when it passes below a point, but allow the entire signal through when it passes over?

Noise Gate

What is the shortcut for play/stop in protools?

Space Bar

What is the track view that allows you to see other clips in the same track at the same point on the timeline?

Playlist View

What button should blink red to make sure you will record audio?

Record Enable

What shortcut is used to cut in protools?

Command E

Using what editing mode allows you to move clips to a very specific point on the timeline?

Spot Mode

Polar pattern that picks up the sound in a 360 degree field?

Omnidirectional

What is a heart shaped polar pattern that only picks up sound from one side?

Cardioid

What polar pattern rejects the sides but collects sound from the front and back?

Bi-directional

What type of polar pattern picks up a more narrow area in the front and a just a little in the back?

Hyper Cardioid

What is the diagram that is used to display all the frequencies that can be recorded by a specific microphone?

Frequency Response Curve

What mic requires phantom power?

Condenser

This mic has a moving coil that move like the human ear.

Dynamic

What type of mic uses a piece of foil between two magnets?

Ribbon

This mic will break if it receives too much phantom power.

Ribbon

What can be used during a recording session to keep everyone on beat.

Click Track

What is it called when frequencies are boosted and cut to correct timbre problems?

Equalization

What is the part of the device that only lets frequencies below a point pass?

Low pass filter

What is the main track in protools that is used to monitor all other tracks called?

Master Fader

What is the type of plugin that allows you to move frequencies up and down called?

Pitch Shift

What is the setting that allows you to change the bandwidth curve of an EQ?

Q - Size

What is the cable used to connect guitars to amps and to connect speakers?

1/4 inch

What is the connector for speakers with a lockable connector?

Speakon

What is the primary cable used to connect audio equipment to in home entertainment systems called?

RCA

What are the 3 types of connectors that are used to carry multiple channels of audio with one cable?

USB, ethernet, and optical

What does MIDI stand for?

Music Instrument Digital Interface

What track is mainly used for recording in protools?

Audio Track

What type of track is used to write and record midi?

Instrument Track

What is the tool to only select a section of a clip in protools?

Selector Tool

What is the protools editing mode that makes clips lock on or snap to tiny marks on the timeline?

Grid Mode

What is the shortcut to switch between Mix and Edit windows?

Command =

When the amplitude is changed, what hearing phenomenon is also changed?

Loudness

What is a room with many reflective surfaces called?

Hall

What is the part of the ear that transduces the sound wave into mechanical energy?

Tympanic Membrane (Eardrum)

What is the sample rate of a CD?

44.1 kHz

What value is changed to affect the attack of midi notes?

Velocity