Audio Processing Final

Match the 'process' (right) to its related definition or mastering tool (left). 1. Gain adjustment (clip gain) 2. Dynamics processors 3. Rhythmic expression 4. Loudness differences between song sections micro dynamiocs, macro dynamics

1.marco 2.micro 3.micro 4.macro

match A combination of direct sound, early reflections and 'ambience' (late reflections) that makes up the acoustic sound of a space. A staple sound in early recordings from the 50's to the 80's. Generated by projecting sound into a large reflective space and capturing it with a microphone for mixing back into the recording. A system for generating artificial reverb involving a large sheet of metal suspended in a box. A type of digital reverb that uses elaborate networks of interconnected re-circulating, modulating and filter delays. Utilizes the impulse response of a room derived from a single instantaneous spike of sound to generate a pattern of reverb Applying aux sends and returns structure allowing use of a single reverb for multiple tracks. reverberation, chamber reverb, plate reverb, algorthmic reverb, convolution reverb, effects loop

A combination of direct sound, early reflections and 'ambience' (late reflections) that makes up the acoustic sound of a space.- reverb A staple sound in early recordings from the 50's to the 80's. Generated by projecting sound into a large reflective space and capturing it with a microphone for mixing back into the recording- chamber reverb A system for generating artificial reverb involving a large sheet of metal suspended in a box- plate reverb A type of digital reverb that uses elaborate networks of interconnected re-circulating, modulating and filter delays. - algorthmic reverb Utilizes the impulse response of a room derived from a single instantaneous spike of sound to generate a pattern of reverb- convolution reverb Applying aux sends and returns structure allowing use of a single reverb for multiple tracks. - effects loop

The 'last' plugin in the mix bus should be a: a. limiter b. de-esser c. compressor d. EQ

a

What delay times are typical for 'flanging'? a. 0-20ms b. 20-40ms c. 40-60ms d. 60-80ms

a

Where does 'mastering' fit into the production of media? a. It is the last artistic/esthetic/technical step prior to manufacture and release. b. It is simply a transfer process required prior to manufacture and release. c. It is mostly a technical process, with little artistic/esthetic responsibilities, required prior to manufacturing and release.

a

In a standardized digital system, -18 dBFS is equivalent to: a. 0 dBu b. +4 dBu c. +20 dBu d. +24 dBu e. -4dBu

b

What are the implications for use of EQ in music mixing presented in this chart (titled 'Masking as a Function of Frequency') and class discussion (EQ-IQ:Fit)? a. Our hearing threshold changes in the presence of 'distracting tones', however these 'distracting tones' will only mask nearby frequencies in the mid-range. b. Our hearing threshold changes in the presence of 'distracting tones', and these 'distracting tones' will mask nearby frequencies. c. Our hearing threshold changes in the presence of 'distracting tones', however these 'distracting tones' will NOT mask nearby frequencies. d. None of these e. Our hearing threshold does not changes in the presence of 'distracting tones'.

b

With a Threshold set to -20db and a ratio of 2:1, and the input signal is at -5db, what is the output level? a. -20db b. -12.5db c. -10db d. -5db

b

In order to properly 'master' audio, it is necessary to listen in a proper monitoring environment. The key characteristics that ARE essential to this, include: *select all that apply* a. large, esoteric speakers to impress clients b. a well-designed acoustical space c. high-quality A-D/D-A converter d. high-quality full-range loudspeakers that you are familiar with e. a pair of Mackie HR824's or similar

b,c,d

There are multiple 'delivery' formats for modern audio recordings, and mastering engineers need to understand and be able to generate appropriate masters for each. This may include: a. Streaming: b. CD c. LP d. Downloads

all

The 'wah-wah' pedal creates a distinctive effect, which is supposed to mimic a _. It was originally intended to imitate the sound produced by a _. a. human voice; baby crying b. student crying; muted trumpet c. human voice; muted trumpet d. baby crying; human voice e. muted trumpet; human voice

c

match continous functioning, operates on descrete data, time domain, freq domain analog, digital, analong & digital

continous functioning- analog operates on discrete data- digital time domain- digital freq domain- analog

match continuous/tonal, implosive, continuous broadband feedback/hum/buzz, ticks/pops/clicks, white noise/pink noise

continuos- feedback/hum/buzz implosive- ticks/pops/clicks continuous broadband- white noise, pink noise,

According to Sabine's Equation, the Reverb Time or RT60 of an acoustic space is based mostly on ___ and ____ ,and ____ with frequency.

cubic volume absorbtion of materials varies

A limiter that buffers the incoming signal is considered: a. clipper b. a brickwall limiter c. all the above d. look-ahead limiter

d

De-essing of speech and vocals is typically needed in this frequency range: a. 10 - 12k b. 1k - 3k c. 2k - 4k d. 5k - 8k

d

Mastering DAW's contain specialized applications that have features and tasks that are specific to audio mastering. Which of the following DAW's would be LEAST capable for this type of work? a. Wavelab b. Sequoia c. Pyramix d. ProTools

d

The 'dynamic range' possible using a 24 bit digital system is: a. 96 dB b. 48 dB c. 192 dB d. 144 dB

d

match loudness you hear now (averaged over 400 ms) Loudness Units before Full Scale average loudness loudness over 3 seconds Momentary, LUFS, Integrated, short term

loudness you hear now (averaged over 400 ms)- momentary Loudness Units before Full Scale- LUFS average loudness- Integrated loudness over 3 seconds- Short term

Match Each EQ to Its Charactor istics Mannley massive passive, pultec eqp-1, API 550b proportional Q, switchable to tube or jfet operation, small bump just ahead of the corner freq

mannley massive passive - small bump just ahead of the corner freq API 550b- proportional Q Pultect- switchable to tube or jfet operation

Match the operation of a air fuzz wah to its definition Modulation, Filter, petal min/max freq, mix controls the rate of the wah and sweeps the freq up and down , selects type of filter, sets the limit of the wah filters freq sweep, balances the amount of processed signal

modulation- controls the rate of the wah and sweeps the freq up and down filter metal min/max-sets the limit of the wah filters freq sweep filter- selects type of filter mix- balances the amount of processed signal

What is 'non-linear reverb'? How might it be used

non linear reverb is reverb that doesn't follow its normal properties so that it wont decay the same or act the same as a linear reverb. This can be used on the drums to give a swelling feeling with building energy.

We discussed three basic (general) categories of USES for which spectral processing can be applied in music recording/mixing, which are reinforced in the EQ-IQ video. These are (IN SEQUENCE): overcome dificiancies, affect a better blend, alter for creative reasons fix, fit, feature

overcome dificiancies- fix affect a better blend- fit alter for creative reasons- feature

match to definition soft clipping, intermodulation distoriton, noise distoriton 'gentle' change at maximum output, energy at frequencies related to sum & difference components, anything that is NOT part of the intended, particular artifact that is correlated with the signal

soft clipping- 'gentle' change at maximum output, intermodulaiton distortion- energy at frequencies related to sum & difference components noise - anything that is NOT part of the intended distortion- particular artifact that is correlated with the signal

match solid-state electronic device (e.g. VCA) changes the gain algorithms influence gain light source & light sensitive resistor influence gain level detector drives the gain of the tube tube, didital, optical, fet

solid-state electronic device (e.g. VCA) changes the gain- fet algorithms influence gain- digital light source & light sensitive resistor influence gain- optical level detector drives the gain of the tube- tube

match delay' prior to onset of dynamic adjustment point in signal level at which dynamic adjustment begins rate of 'change' after reaching threshold 'delay' following dynamic adjustment to return to normal level attack, ratio, threshold, release time

delay' prior to onset of dynamic adjustment - attack point in signal level at which dynamic adjustment begins- ratio ate of 'change' after reaching threshold- threshold 'delay' following dynamic adjustment to return to normal level- release time

In EQ- IQ, Alex Case refers to the 'VOLUME CONTROL' as a(n): a. volume control b. literal EQ c. all of these d. none of these e. perceptual EQ f. subjective EQ

e

Mastering or 'pre-mastering' may include: *select all that apply* a. putting the songs in order (sequencing) b. dynamics processing c. adjusting levels d. equalization e. all of these

e

Not all frequencies are present in all genres of music. The range of the acoustic piano represents the 'fundamentals' of most instruments, which include the frequencies from approx. _ Hz to _ Hz. a. 20 Hz - 20000 Hz b. 50 Hz - 5000 Hz c. 2 kHz - 5 kHz d. 100 Hz - 10000 Hz e. 30 Hz - 4000 Hz

e

The 'phase response' of a spectral processor will affect the sonic character of the signal passed through it. ANALOG spectral processors are ALWAYS _ phase type. DIGITAL spectral processors may either emulate such analog devices OR they may also be designed to be _ phase. a. maximum; minimum b. minimum; minimum c. linear; minimum d. linear; linear e. minimum; linear f. linear; maximum g. maximum; linear

e

Typical applications for using dynamic processing include: a. prevent overload b. overcome 'noise' (allow overall volume increase) c. increase perceived loudness d. improve intelligibility (smooth performance) e. all of these f. ONLY a, b, and c

e

The 'law' that relates the above phenomenon (with time delay on one side) is called the ____, which also refers to the ____ effect and the____ effect. a. Law of the First Wavefront, Precedence, Delay b. Delay Time Principle, Pre-Delay, Decay c. Principle of Delay, Reverb, Delay d. Law of the First Delay, Haas, Reverb e. Law of Pre-Delay, Precedence, Haas f. Law of the First Wavefront, Precedence, Haas

f

match 1. fundamental, overtones, harmonics, timbre lowest frequency present in a musical tone, all other frequencies present, whole number multiples only, relative intensities that are key to an instruments sound

fundemental- lowest freq present overtones- all other frequencies present harmonics- whole number multiples only timbre-relative intensities that are key to an instruments sound

what filter (shelving, peak, low pass, high pass) is the best soulution for plosives analog tape hiss sibilence dull sounding vocals

high pass low pass peak shelf

match 'peaks and troughs' ARE NOT related harmonically peaks and troughs' ARE related harmonically phasing, flanging

'peaks and troughs' ARE NOT related harmonically- phasing peaks and troughs' ARE related harmonically- flanging

Match the specific tasks (on left) with the primary steps of the mastering process (on right). 1. audition critically all sources / correct any issues 2. EQ/dynamics 3. preliminary sequence/edit 4. create output medium ('premaster') 5. fades/crossfades 6. Quality Control (QC) prep, process, dilivery

1. prep 2.process 3. prep 4. dilivery 5. process 6. dilivery

match Adds natural ambience that is linked to the direct sound Will add back in realism to tracks that have been close-miced and robbed of their realism Can be used to reshape the timbre of a reverb, such as extending highs or removing lows Use different types of reverbs on various instrument groups to minimize competition between tracks. makes it easier to hear the reverb itself and prevents the dry signal from obscuring the reverb sound. using room mics, adding early reflections, EQ, To create contrast and separate various instruments in the mix, stretching the predelay longer in time

Adds natural ambience that is linked to the direct sound- room mic Will add back in realism to tracks that have been close-miced and robbed of their realism - adding early refelctions Can be used to reshape the timbre of a reverb, such as extending highs or removing lows- EQ Use different types of reverbs on various instrument groups to minimize competition between tracks.- To create contrast and separate various instruments in the mix makes it easier to hear the reverb itself and prevents the dry signal from obscuring the reverb sound- stretching the predelay longer in time

Match the following characteristics to the type of metering. (VU, PPM, RMS) 1. displays a 'peak' then holds for period of time 2. similar in response to the human ear 3. emulate VU meters in a digital system 4. good for continuous duration sounds (i.e. music) 5. good for evaluating peaks to avoid overload 6. does NOT register 'peaks' or 'transients' 7. poor for monitoring continuous duration sounds (i.e. music) 8. give better impression of perceived loudness

PPM VU RMS VU PPM VU PPM RMS

Detail an idea or concept about 'level & metering' or 'spectral processing' that you have discovered this semester from class discussions, readings, videos, labs, or your own work, AND explain how it has or will influence your recording/mixing of music.

Something that I have learned from this class that I can use in my own mixes is the effects of delay. I learned that having a very short delay time around 0-5ms will give a perceived larger stereo effect on the instrument used on. This will help my mixes because it can help things seem more big in the mix with less recording difficulties to deal with. This also is a cool creative touch to give to a sound that can give it an artistic touch giving a more complex sounding mix.

match The original impulse of sound in an environment The first echoes that bounce back in a space, indicating the size of the space The series of diminishing late reflections in a space The amount of time it takes for the reverb to decay by 60dB The gap in time between the direct sound and the onset of the reverb tail. The blending parameter the engineer can use to balance the amount of direct signal versus the reverberant signal Drive the build up of complexity within the reverb sound Determines how much longer the low frequencies linger in the reverb algorithm. direct sound, early reflecitons, reverb tail, RT60, predelay, wet/dry mix, diffusion and density, bass ratio

The original impulse of sound in an environment- direct sound The first echoes that bounce back in a space, indicating the size of the space- early reflections The series of diminishing late reflections in a space- reverb tail The amount of time it takes for the reverb to decay by 60dB- RT60 The gap in time between the direct sound and the onset of the reverb tail - predelay The blending parameter the engineer can use to balance the amount of direct signal versus the reverberant signal- wet dry mix Drive the build up of complexity within the reverb sound- diffusion Determines how much longer the low frequencies linger in the reverb algorithm.- bass ratio

Match (time marker on the right side) The sound will appear to first come out of the right speaker with a delayed repetition coming from the left speaker The sound will appear to come from the right speaker first with a fused sound widening out to the left. The sound will appear to come from the center of the two speakers ('phantom center') in front >35, .5-30, 0

The sound will appear to first come out of the right speaker with a delayed repetition coming from the left speaker - >35 The sound will appear to come from the right speaker first with a fused sound widening out to the left.- .5-30 the sound will appear to come from the center of the two speakers ('phantom center') in front- 0

Match Typically set in milliseconds, controls the amount of time the signal is held before output Attenuates high frequencies, creating the illusion of distance The amount of delayed signal sent back into the delay input for additional repeats Allows us to shift the spectral impact of the effect to different frequencies Low frequency wave that modulates the audio Adjusts the spread between minimum and maximum delay times delay time, lowpass filter, feedback, polar reverseing, LFO, depth

Typically set in milliseconds, controls the amount of time the signal is held before output- delay time Attenuates high frequencies, creating the illusion of distance- lowpass filter The amount of delayed signal sent back into the delay input for additional repeats -feedback Allows us to shift the spectral impact of the effect to different frequencies- polar reversing Low frequency wave that modulates the audio - LFO Adjusts the spread between minimum and maximum delay times- depth

According to EQ-IQ, the PROCEDURE for using an equalizer has the following three steps (IN ORDER): a. boost, search, set b. boost, set, search c. seek; search; set d. cut, search, set e. search, boost, set f. boost; search; seek

a

Based on the formula we discussed in class, the appropriate musical 'slap back echo' delay time for an quarter note at a tempo of 120 bpm (assuming 4/4 time) is ... a. 500 ms b. 200 ms c. 400 ms d. 600 ms e. 300 ms f. 250 ms

a

match rooms, processors, plate, chambers, plugins, spring acoustal, digita, mechanical

acoustical digital mechanical acoustical digital mechanical

Briefly describe/compare the 'sound character' of acoustic chambers vs. spring reverb vs. plate reverb.

an acoustic chamber will sound more real than a spring and plate reverb. the spring reverb adds resonates longer in the lower frequencies around 250hz while the plate reverb resonates more around 1-8khz. the spring reverb will sound more metallic than the other two reverbs.

A 'dynamic' EQ differs from a 'standard' EQ in that it... a. alters amount of boost/cut based on amplitude of signal (rather than fixed change) b. alter dynamics based on changing EQ settings (rather than fixed settings) c. divides the signal into different bands based on the type of signal (rather than single band) d. alters amount of boost/cut based on frequency of signal (rather than fixed signal)

aq

A brickwall limiter would typically have a ratio of: a. 2:1 b. 10:1 c. infinite d. 20:1

c

Maximizing loudness can be achieved by using a: a. expander b. compressor with a fast attack and slow release c. brickwall limiter d. compressor

c

What are the implications for use of EQ in music mixing presented in this chart (titled 'Masking as a Function of Amplitude') and class discussion (EQ-IQ:Fit)? a. Increasing the level of 'distraction' does not change anything. b. None of these c. As level of 'distraction' increases, so does the range of frequencies increase (upward spread effect), resulting in loud low frequency events (bass/kick) 'masking' mid-frequency events (vocal). d. As level of 'distraction' increases, so does the range of frequencies increase (upward spread effect), however loud low frequency events (bass/kick) will NOT 'mask' mid-frequency events (vocal). e. As level of 'distraction' increases, the range of frequencies affected remains constant

c

______ delay (e.g. _______ ) uses a physical means to 'hold back' a signal, whereas ______ delay (e.g. _______ ) uses a buffer to 'hold back' a signal a. analog, plug-ins ; digital, plug-ins b. digital, tape delay ; analog, tape delay c. analog, tape delay ; digital, plug-ins d. digital, plug-ins ; analog, tape delay

c

match change tambre of sound, change acoustic envelope of sound, change acoustic enviorment of sound, affect the time relationship of signals affects the freq/amplitude reponse pattern, affects the dynamic range spectrum, dynamics, temporal

change tambre of sound- spectrum change acoustic envelope of sound- dynamics change acoustic enviorment of sound- temporal affect the time relationship of signals- temporal affects the freq/amplitude reponse pattern- spectrum effects dynamic range- dynamics

In this 'typical hydrid system' used in recording and mixing, which device(s) would be LEAST likely to contribute to the overall system 'noise' level? **select all that apply** a. headphone amp b. A/D convertor c. DAW software d. computer e. mic preamp f. D/A convertor

d c

what is the function or purpose of audio metering

display the measured level in an objective manner show specific audio characteristics

Briefly explain how you made use of 'gates' in your recent lab work, and any difficulty that you encountered in setting properly.

i made use of gates to reduce bleed in the different tracks. i used it to cut things like the cymbals out of the snare track when it wasn't playing. the difficulty i had with gating was on the vocal because of all the instrument bleed into the mic. i couldn't set the threshold to low otherwise the vocal wouldn't come through.

match the name with the number image effect, comb filter/flanging, chorus/doubling, slap/bounce echo, discrete/ping pong echo 0-5, 0-20, 20-50, 50-150, 150-400

image effect- 0-5 comb filtering/ flanging 0-20 chorus/doubling- 20-50 slap- 50-150 discrete ping pong- 150-400

Match The music's rhythmic expression Loudness differences between sections of a 'track' Use manual gain-riding/clip gain to manipulate this Use dynamics processors to manipulate this. microdynamics, macrodynamics

micro macro macro micro

Briefly explain 'parallel compression', and how & why you applied it in your lab work for this class.

parallel compression is having two identical signals but one of the signals is heavily compressed. you then mix in the compressed signal to the uncompressed signal. this keeps the dynamic range of the signal but can add more thickness to the sound and make it louder. i put it on my vocals bus to make them stand out more and have more width to them. i applied it by sending my vocals bus to a aux track thats heavily compressed then mixing that into the original signal.

A unique spectral processing device, called _____ EQ, was proposed in an AES paper in 1972 by inventor ____ . It allowed for ____ control of ____ , gain, and bandwidth.

parametirc george massenburg continuous center freq

Match the dynamics device to its function. 1. passes signal above threshold, stops a signal when it drops below 2. acts to increase the dynamic range 3. decreases gain below threshold, increases gain above threshold 4. acts like an 'on-off' switch gate, expander, dynamic EQ,

passes signal above threshold, stops a signal when it drops below- gate acts to increase the dynamic range expander decreases gain below threshold, increases gain above threshold- expander acts like an 'on-off' switch- gate

According to our class discussion, the goal of modern mastering is to always strive to __________________.

please the artist/listeners

Match Pre-Delay, direct sound, wet/dry mix, early reflections The gap in time between the direct sound and the onset of the reverb tail The original impulse of sound that is created The blending parameter the engineer can use to balance the amount of direct signal versus the reverberant signal The first echoes that 'bounce back' in a space, indicating the size of the space.

pre-delay - The gap in time between the direct sound and the onset of the reverb tail direct sound - The original impulse of sound that is created wet/dry mix - The blending parameter the engineer can use to balance the amount of direct signal versus the reverberant signal early reflections - The first echoes that 'bounce back' in a space, indicating the size of the space.

EQ-IQ: SPECTRAL. Alex Case reminds us to create ____ NOT ____ in order to properly adjust spectral content.

stratagies recepies

match talkbox, kill EQ, vintage filter, enhancer adds a voice-like resonance filters out low, mid, high broadband frequency applies a modulating, resonant filter generates harmonics

talkbox- adds a voice-like resonance Kill EQ- filters out low, mid, high broadband frequency Vintage filter- applies a modulating, resonant filter enhancer- generates harmocnics

there are many methods that may be used to effect spectral content in recording or mixing WITHOUT using 'EQ'. Select from this list those that would LEAST likely do this a. using a different DAWThis answer is correct. b. instrument selection c. changing from smaller to larger control room monitors d. composition/arrangement e. mic selection / placement f. changing bit depth of recorded filesThis is the correct answer. g. room acoustics h. adding reverb

using a different daw changing from smaller to larger control room monitors changing bit depth of recording files

Name two benefits of using a 'send/return' procedure for adding 'reverb'.

using the send return procedure allows one to put the same reverb on multiple instruments keeping a more consistent reverb sound than if one were to put a different reverb on each instrument. Also this saves you CPU in your project.

'Pitch shifting' relies on ___ the amount of delay in specific controlled ways in order to raise or lower the original pitch by musical intervals. This 'effect' was first made possible using ___ , which changed both the pitch and the ___ simultaneously.

varrying analog tape tempo

According to one of our class Listening Exercises, the human auditory system acts as a ______Using it, we can 'hear out' the harmonics of a complex sound until we reach the point where two of these higher harmonics are within the ______which is about 15 -20 % of the frequency being considered.

wave analyzer critical bandwidth