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AMP 4 > Midterms > Flashcards

Midterms Flashcards

Covers EQ, Signal chains, Basic Control Room Acoustics, and Dynamic Processing

1
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What is a signal chain?

A

It is the sequence of audio components and processes through which an audio signal passes from its source to the output.

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2
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

The signal chain is essential in maintaining what?

A

The integrity of the audio signal.

The quality of each component and how they interact determines the clarity, tone, and overall quality of the final sound.

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3
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

Which different medias can you find signal chains?

A

Music production, film and television, radio & podcast, gaming

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4
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What is the typical signal flow?

SIGNAL CHAIN

A

INPUT STAGE - PROCESSING STAGE - OUTPUT STAGE

  • Source
  • Preamp
  • Processing units
  • Mixer/console
  • DAW
  • Output device
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5
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What are two things that can help mainin the integrity of the signal?

A

Balanced cables with the right length & proper grounding and proper gain staging because it ensures the levels of each component is balanced.

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6
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

Key roles in audio production

A
  • Producer
  • Audio engineer
  • Mixing engineer
  • Master engineer
  • Sound designer
  • Talent
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7
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What are invisible energies?

A

Electrical signals & acoustic signals

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8
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What are electrical signals?

A

Electrical signals are the representation of sound waves in electrical form. They start as sound waves captured by microphones and are then converted into electrical signals.

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9
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What are the two main different types of microphones?

A
  • Dynamic Microphones: Use an electromagnetic induction process.
  • Condenser Microphones: Use a capacitor to convert sound into electrical signals.
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10
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What do pre-amplifiers do?

A

Boost the low-level signals from the microphone to a stronger, usable level.

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11
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What do equalizers do?

A

Adjust frequency levels to shape the sound.

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12
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What do compressors do?

A

Control the dynamic range by adjusting the volume of the signal.

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13
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What do effects units do?

A

Add reverb, delay, or other effects to shape the sound.

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14
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

How can you solve EMI or Electromagnetic Interferance?

A

Use shielded cables and proper grounding to minimize interference.

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15
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

How do you maintain signal integrity?

A

Monitor levels carefully and avoid overloading any part of the signal path to prevent distortion.

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16
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What is acoustic energy?

A

It refers to the sound waves traveling through the air and how they interact with the environment. It involves how sound waves propagate, reflect, and absorb within a space.

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17
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What is direct sound?

A

The sound that travels directly from the source to the receiver.

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18
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

What is reflected sound?

A

The sound that bounces off surfaces (walls, floors, ceilings) and reaches the receiver after the direct sound.

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19
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

How can room size and shape affect room acoustics?

A

Larger rooms can create more echoes, while smaller rooms might lead to excessive reflections.

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20
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

How can materials affect room acoustics?

A

Hard surfaces (like glass or concrete) reflect sound, while soft materials (like curtains or carpets) absorb sound.

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21
Q

SIGNAL CHAIN

How can acoustic treatment affect room acoustics?

A

Using bass traps, diffusers, and absorbers can help control unwanted reflections and improve clarity.

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22
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

Why is good room acoustics important?

A

Because they are essential for accurate monitoring, allowing audio professionals to create good mixes on any playback system.

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23
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are standing waves?

A

Low-frequency resonances that can cause certain bass frequencies to be exaggerated or diminished.

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24
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are reflections?

A

Early reflections from walls, ceilings, or floors can interfere with the direct sound from the monitors, causing phase issues.

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25
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are flutter echoes?

A

They occur when sound bounces back and forth between parallel surfaces, leading to a ringing sound that can obscure detail in the mix.

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26
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are three key acoustic concepts?

A

Absorption, reflection, diffusion

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27
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What is absorption?

A

Sound energy being absorbed by materials, reducing reflections.

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28
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are reflections?

A

Sound bouncing off surfaces like walls or ceilings.

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29
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What is diffusion?

A

Scattering of sound in different directions, preventing echoes and dead spots.

30
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What is RT60?

A

RT60 is the time it takes for sound to bounce around in a room and fade away by 60 decibels after the sound source has stopped.

31
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What is the typical RT60 of a studio?

A

0.2 to 0.4

32
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What is the typical RT60 of a concert hall?

A

1.5 to 2.5

33
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are absorbers and where do you place them?

A

Absorbers reduce sound reflections by converting sound energy into heat. They reduce flutter echoes and excessive reverberation.

Typically placed at first reflection points. These are often behind and beside the mixing position, as well as on the ceiling.

34
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are two kinds of absorbers?

A

Broadband & narrowband

35
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are bass traps and where do you place them?

A

Bass traps are designed to absorb low-frequency sound waves, which tend to build up in corners and cause issues like boomy or muddy low-end.

Typically placed in the corners of the room

36
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are two types of bass traps?

A

Panel bass traps & corner bass traps

37
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are diffusers and where do you place them?

A

Diffusers scatter sound waves in different directions, helping to control reflections without deadening the room.

Often placed on the rear wall behind the listening position or on the ceiling to break up sound waves that would otherwise create harsh reflections.

38
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are two types of diffusers?

A

Quadratic residue diffuser & skyline diffuser

39
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What are ceiling clouds and where do you place them?

A

Ceiling clouds are absorbers designed to reduce reflections from the ceiling, which can interfere with the direct sound from studio monitors.

Mounted on the ceiling above the mixing position, usually where the first reflection points are identified.

40
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

Explain the equalateral triangle method

A
  1. Place your monitors and listening position so they form an equilateral triangle, where each side of the triangle is of equal length.
  2. The distance between each monitor should be the same as the distance from each monitor to your ears.
  3. The tweeters (high- frequency drivers) of the monitors should be at ear level when you’re in the listening position. This ensures that you hear the full frequency spectrum as intended.
41
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

Expain the mirror method

A

The mirror technique is a way to identify reflection points in a studio and place acoustic panels to cover them. The goal is to create a reflection-free zone in front of the listening position.

  1. Sit in your listening position.
  2. Have someone move a mirror along the side walls. The point where you can see the monitors in the mirror is a reflection point where sound reflects directly toward you.
  3. Treat these spots with absorptive materials (like acoustic panels) to reduce early reflections and improve clarity.
42
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

Whats an SPL meter and what does it do?

A

It is a sound pressure level (SPL) meter and is used to measure the loudness of your monitors.

43
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What noise do you play to calibrate your monitors?

A

Pink noise. Each monitor should be outputting at the same level, typically around 75-85 dB SPL.

43
Q

BASIC CONTROL ROOM ACOUSTICS

What kind of response are you aiming for when adjusting the EQ frequency response of your monitors?

A

A flat frequency response, where all frequencies are represented equally.

44
Q

EQ BASICS

What are frequencies?

A

The rate at which sound waves vibrate, measured in hertz. The X axis talks about time and the Y axis talks about energy.

45
Q

EQ BASICS

What is the range of frequencies the human ear can hear?

A

20-20,000 hertz

46
Q

EQ BASICS

What is equalization?

A

Its the process of adjusting the volume of different frequencies within an audio signal.

47
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a low cut/highpass filter do?

A

It removes all frequencies below a specified cut off point.

48
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a high cut/low pass

A

It removes all frequencies above a specified cut off point.

49
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a low shelf filter do?

A

Attenuates or boosts frequencies below a specific frequency point.

50
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a high shelf filter do?

A

Attenuates or boosts frequencies above a specific frequency point.

51
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a bell curve filter do?

A

Attenuates or boosts frequencies around a specific frequency point.

52
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a bandpass filter do?

A

Cuts the range of frequencies around a specified center frequency point.

53
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a notch filter do?

A

Cuts the range of frequencies around a specific point. Its like a bandpass filter but inverted.

54
Q

EQ BASICS

What does a frequency knob do?

PARAMETER

A

Selects the central frequency of a filter

55
Q

EQ BASICS

What does gain do?

PARAMETER

A

It controls how loud or soft a specific sound frequency is.

56
Q

EQ BASICS

What does resonance/q factor do?

PARAMETER

A

It controls how narrow or wide the boost or cut is around a specific frequency.

High Q (narrow): A small range around the frequency is affected, making it more focused and pronounced. This can create a more noticeable effect.

Low Q (wide): A larger range of frequencies is affected, creating a smoother, more subtle change.

57
Q

EQ BASICS

What does filter slope do?

PARAMETER

A

Filter slope refers to how quickly the low cut or high cut filter reduces the volume of frequencies outside of its target range.

58
Q

EQ BASICS

What does filter type do?

PARAMETER

A

Allows you to choose the filter shape.

59
Q

EQ BASICS

What are the characteristics of a semi-parametric EQ?

TYPES OF EQ

A
  1. Fixed resonance
  2. Fixed bandwith curves which do a good job of boosting or attenuating wide frequency range.
  3. Most don’t have an interactive display with an analyzer.
60
Q

EQ BASICS

What are the characteristics of a graphic EQ?

TYPES OF EQ

A
  1. It can boost or attenuate a range of fixed evenly spaced frequencies.
  2. Has sliders
  3. Can have up-to 31 or more bands for higher accuracy.
61
Q

EQ BASICS

What are the characteristics of a parametric EQ?

TYPES OF EQ

A
  1. Most common and versatile type of EQ used in music production.
  2. Multiband equalizers offer more accurate and adjustable frequency bands.
  3. Excellent at surgical EQ because every parameter is customizable.
61
Q

EQ BASICS

What are the characteristics of a shelving EQ?

TYPES OF EQ

A
  1. Most basic type of EQ
  2. Usually has a fixed wide Q
  3. Good at sweetening and deepening full mixes
62
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are low-end rumbles?

A

20-80 hz

Often due to the proximity effect & unwanted artifacts.

63
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are core vocals?

A

100-300 hz

Too much leads to boominess, too little thins out the sound.

64
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are the “box” region?

A

350-600 hz

Too much can sound boxy and too little can sound hollow.

65
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are the mid-bite range?

A

1-4k hz

Busy area where guitars and synths usually are. Pay attention to harshness.

66
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are the sibilance zone?

A

5-8k hz

Its suggested to try broader Q curves to have better control of the brightness in this area.

67
Q

EQ BASICS

What frequencies are considered the air zone?

A

10-20k hz

68
Q

EQ BASICS

What is the fletcher munson curve?

A

The Fletcher-Munson curve shows how our ears perceive loudness across different frequencies. At low volumes, we hear low (bass) and high (treble) sounds less clearly, while mid-range sounds are more noticeable.

This means that to hear all frequencies equally, we need to adjust the volume.

69
Q

EQ BASICS

What is the proximity effect?

A

When a sound source, like a voice, is closer to the mic, the lower frequencies become more pronounced, making the sound fuller and warmer. This can be useful for adding depth, but it can also cause distortion if you’re too close.

AMP 4 (2 decks)

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