Audio Engineering

Wider tape generally means that ?

the more tracks it will hold

The Nyquist Theorm-

the selected sample rate must be at least twice as high as the highest frequency to be recorded.

Explain what the Harmonic content of sound is.

those 'things' that combine together to make a sound unique.

The device that converts one form of energy to another is?

transducer

Define the concept of a transducer. How is this device utilized in recording?

IT converts one energy into another. It is the weakest link in the recording process

What mic pattern would be best suited to mic or record a trumpet solo?

Cardioid

The device that allows for digital audio recording and manipulation is?

DAW

What mic set ups would be best suited to record a symphony orchestra on a stage?

Decca Tree

Dither-the addition of a small amount of noise-

Increase resolution of the conversion process Increase resolution of the conversion process Increase resolution of the conversion process

What mic set ups would be best suited to record an acoustic guitar in the studio?

M/S

Why was it determined that acoustically "dead" recording spaces are not necessarily good for audio recording purposes?

No reverbations and high frequencies have a lot of continuation

Is there a "perfect" recording studio design? Why or why not?

No, each recording studio is designed by a certain layout and feel to the designer

Audio Waveforms consist of ?

Phase, Harmonic, Amplitude, Velocity, Envelop, Harmonic Content, Velocity

Wordclock-

a device used to synchronize digital devices.

Jitter-

a time-based error when digital data is transmitted between devices.

A microphone that has been placed within a reasonably close range to an instrument or section within a larger ensemble is known as a

accent

What is isolating a recording space from outside sounds and vice versa.

acoustic isolation

What that the acoustic environment does not interfere with intelligibility and should also provide sufficient isolation between instruments/voices being recorded to minimize interference.

acoustic seperation

The person responsible for all session documentation and notes is the?

assistant engineer

An audio recording on tape can be played literally to the point where the 'data' is?

blank?

Mono at first, modern stereophonic ATR technology was invented in the 1930s by British engineer ?

by Alan Blumlein

The Analog Tape Recorder was introduced into the United States in 1947 ?

by Jack Mullin

When two identical waveforms combine out of phase the result is:

cancel

Close microphone ?

creates a tight, present sound quality and effectively excludes the acoustic environment

The unit of measure for SPL is ?

decibel

What kinds of materials work best to absorb high frequency sounds?

dense materials

When placing a pair of microphones to record a concert band on a stage, placing the mics up high will help reduce?

direct sounds from the musicians at the front of the ensemble

The best mic placement for a large ensemble, say a symphony orchestra, is ?

distant miking

Which kind of miking technique would be used to pick the 'room effect' in a recording space?

distant miking

A Dynamic microphone works on the principle of?

electromagnetic induction

What kind of monitors are those use to listen to sounds at real-world, or concert performance levels.

far field

A large number of discrete echos is called ?

flutter echo

What ensures a recording space does not alter the sounds that are being recorded.

frequency balance

What is paramount in a recording studio.

functionality

The lowest sounds any instrument can create is called a ?

fundamental

Bit Depth-binary word length-

higher bit rates = longer words=higher quality-16 bit is the most common for audio

Faster tape speed is similar to a

higher sampling rate and higher bit depth in the digital world.

Distant microphone placement minimizes what?

how much of the rooms acoustic environment that will be picked up

Tape Speed is commonly stated in ?

inches or ips

When two identical waveforms combine in phase the result is:

increased output

Signal-to-error Ratio-

indicates the degree of accuracy that's used to capture a sampled level.

Whenever an instrument's mic also picks up the sound of a nearby instrument, a condition known as ________________ occurs.

leakage

_________ impedance mics are more prone to noise.

low

The person who tweaks aspects of the final recording including level and equalization is the?

mastering engineer

What are the two main types of transducers in the audio world?

microphone and speaker

The weakest link in the recording process is the?

microphones

What mic technique requires a decoder or processor some type to yield both a left and right signal?

midside

Another method to reduce the problem described in question #9 is to?

move the mic closer to their sources

What kind of monitors are those used to listen to sounds at moderate levels.

near field

Sampling Rate =

number of times per second the sample is taken.

Whole number multiples of a fundamental frequency are termed____________. As an example, the note called 'A', just below middle-C on the piano has a frequency of 440Hz. The next whole-number multiple going up is 880Hz

octaves

What mic pattern would be best suited to mic or record audience sounds at a live concert?

omnidirectional

Which of the following microphone pickup patterns would pick up sounds fairly equally all around the mic?

omnidirectional

Explain how our perception of space is relevant to mixing a group of instruments, each of which was recorded separately in the studio (what we commonly call 'tracking', when trying to achieve a realistic sound stage in the final mix. As an example, imagine you have recorded all the instruments and vocals of the average country band.

placing instruments and vocals in the right place so that it doesn't sound like things are at different places, like the drums in the front instead of back.

What kinds of materials work best to absorb low frequency sounds?

pliable materials

Microphone response patterns are called ?

polaroid

The person often hired to guide an artist throughout the recording process is the?

producer

Quantization-the signal-level component-

refers to the resolution (overall quality and distortion characteristics) of an encoded signal compared to the original.

Multiple early reflections of sound create what is known as ?

reverbation

Oversampling-

sampling with a frequency higher than the Nyquist rate.

SPL is short for ?

sound pressure level

Sound arrives at the ear in the form of periodic variations in atmospheric pressure called?

sound pressure waves

24. When attempting to capture a coherent stereo image, the common mic technique is called ___________.

stereo miking

When placing mics for a distant mic recording, you should try to ?

strike a balance between direct sounds and the room's acoustics

Generally speaking, faster the tape speeds ?

the better it is

Sampling-

the component of time-affects the overall bandwidth (frequency range) that can be encode

Distant microphone placement means?

the mic is usually a minimum of 3' from the audio source being recorded

All transducers have inherent limitations, which include?

Frequency response dynamic input or output limitations characteristics range

The Analog Tape Recorder, or ATR, dates back to the 1920s in ?

Germany

The first microphone was invented by ?

Alecander Graham Bell

The recording or playback process known as 'mono' utilizes how many channels?

1

The recording process known as 'multi-track' utilizes up to how many channels?

16

The recording or playback process known as 'stereo' utilize how many channels?

2

The range of human hearing is:

20 - 2000 Hz

The fastest professional standard tape speed is ?

3"

The professional recording standard width was ?

30 ips

To standard method used to reduce the problem described in question #9 is the ?

3:1 distance rule

A sampling rate of 44.1kHz + 44,100 samples taken per second.

44.1kHz is the audio industry standard.

Higher sampling rates

= better quality samples.