Audio Tech paper 1

Question 1

A high-shelving filter is equivalent to which control typically found on hi-fi equipment?

Answer 1

Treble

Question 2

In terms of audio filters, a higher “Q” factor leads to what?

Answer 2

Higher frequencies are attenuated

Question 3

In what circumstances might a sound be perceived at a lower level, when it is panned to the centre rather than panned left or right?

Answer 3

When linear panning is used

Question 4

What is the formula for working out the bit rate?

Answer 4

frequency x bit depth x channels = bit rate

Question 5

How do you work out the size (in mb) of an audio file?

Answer 5

frequency x bit depth x channels x seconds / 8 x 1024 squared.

Question 6

Give an example of a ‘lossless’ audio file format

Answer 6

WAV

Question 7

What is the ‘Nyquist’ frequency?

Answer 7

Equal to half the sampling rate of the system

Question 8

What is the standard sample rate for an audio cd?

Answer 8

44.1kHz

Question 9

What happens when a signal exceeds the maximum amplitude supported by a digital system?

Answer 9

Clipping

Question 10

What is the transmission rate of MIDI data along a standard MIDI cable?

Answer 10

31250bps

Question 11

Which early electronic instrument transmitted its sound along telephone lines?

Answer 11

Telharmonium

Question 12

Who was one of the founders of ‘musique concrète’?

Answer 12

Pierre Schaeffer

Question 13

Give 3 examples of audio file formats.

Answer 13

FLAC, AAC, OPUS

Question 14

Give 3 examples of encoding audio samples in a digital audio file.

Answer 14

PCM, ADC, ADPCM

Question 15

What is the primary purpose of the biquad~ object in max?

Answer 15

To filter a sound.

Question 16

Give 3 examples of Max objects that use delay.

Answer 16

svf~
delay~
comb~

Question 17

The unit “cycles per second” or CPS is equivalent to what?

Answer 17

Hz

Question 18

The human ear canal accentuates approximately which frequency range?

Answer 18

2-5kHz

Question 19

What frequency ratio is equivalent to the musical interval of 25 cents?

Answer 19

1.0145

Question 20

An increase in amplitude by a factor of 2 is equivalent to what?

Answer 20

6dB change

Question 21

0 db SPL is known as what?

Answer 21

Threshold of hearing

Question 22

Sound travels through air at approximately which speed?

Answer 22

340m/s

Question 23

With reference to the relative phase of waveforms, which of the following is equivalent to 180 degrees.

Answer 23

π

Question 24

What is a complex tone containing frequencies in non-integer relationships known as?

Answer 24

Inharmonic

Question 25

What plot would you use to analyse the frequency of a sound that varies over time?

Answer 25

Sonogram

Question 26

Vibrato in musical performance is equivalent to which kind of modulation?

Answer 26

Frequency modulation

Question 27

Give 3 uses for multi-sampling in sample-based synthesis.

Answer 27

• Making multi-channel recordings of instruments
• Capturing variations of timbre across pitch and velocity
• Representing different playing styles

Question 28

Give an example of resynthesis.

Answer 28

Vocoding

Question 29

Give 3 examples of uses to communicate note data between musical devices.

Answer 29

MIDI
CV
OSC

Question 30

In sound synthesis, what term describes the evolution of a particular sound parameter over the duration of sound or musical note?

Answer 30

Envelope