Quiz 1 Flashcards
Audio and Signal Flow
Signal path refers to the route a particular signal takes through
a chain of equipment and/or electronic components on the way to
its destination.
Vocal/instrument ->
Microphone->
Pre amp (gain stage)->
AD converter->
DAW software
Digital Audio Sampling Rate
Sampling frequency IS the
sampling rate (commonplace
is CD quality audio which has
a sampling rate of 44.1KHz
or 44100 samples per
second
MIDI
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s a technical standard that describes a protocol, digital interface, and connectors that allow various electronic musical instruments, computers, and other related devices to communicate with each other.
DAW
DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation. It refers to a software application or suite of software applications used for recording, editing, mixing, and producing audio files. DAWs are central to modern music production and are widely used in recording studios, home studios, and professional environments
Microphone Placement
A peculiarity of the pressure-gradient microphone is that it has a different frequency response in the near and far field. Cardioid and hypercardioid microphones experience low-frequency buildup the closer you get to the mic, which is known as proximity effect. In many cases this can be used to good effect, adding warmth and fullness to the source, but it can also make the frequency response seem out of balance if it is not taken into account.
Microphone Polarity
Microphone polarity refers to the directionality or orientation of the microphone’s diaphragm in relation to its electrical output. It is typically categorized into two types: positive polarity and negative polarity.
Monitoring
Monitoring in recording refers to the process of listening to audio signals during the recording, mixing, or mastering stages. It involves using specialized equipment such as headphones, studio monitors, or in-ear monitors to assess the quality, balance, and characteristics of the audio being recorded or manipulated.
Basic Editing
Adjusting Timing and Pitchdding Fades and Crossfades
Applying Basic Effects
Mixing Levels
Exporting Your MixBackup Your Project
Basic Mixing
Set Up Your Mixing
Environment
Import Audio Tracks
Gain Staging
Panning
EQ (Equalization)
Compression
Reverb and Effects
Balance and Levels
Reference and A/B Testing
Final Tweaks
Export Your Mix
Basic Room Acoustics
Reflections and Reverberation: The way sound waves bounce off surfaces in a room affects its acoustics. Excessive reflections can create unwanted reverberation, leading to muddiness and poor clarity in recordings.
Absorption: Materials like acoustic panels, foam, and bass traps are used to absorb sound energy and minimize reflections. Strategic placement of these materials helps in controlling the room’s reverberation characteristics.
Diffusion: Diffusers scatter sound waves to reduce the buildup of standing waves and flutter echoes. They’re often used in conjunction with absorptive materials to create a balanced acoustic environment.
Standing Waves: These are resonant frequencies that occur between parallel surfaces in a room, such as walls. Standing waves can cause peaks and nulls in the frequency response, leading to uneven sound reproduction.
Room Size and Shape: The dimensions and shape of a room influence its acoustic properties. Rectangular rooms, for example, can exacerbate standing waves, while irregularly shaped rooms can help diffuse sound more naturally.
Dynamic Microphone
In a moving-coil (more commonly called dynamic) microphone, sound waves cause movement of a thin metallic diaphragm and an attached coil of wire that is located inside a permanent magnet.
When sound waves make the diaphragm vibrate, the connected coils also vibrate in the mag- netic field, causing current to flow. Since the current is produced by the motion of the diaphragm, and the amount of current is determined by the speed of that motion, this kind of microphone is known as velocity sensitive
Advantages: Robust and durable, can be relatively inexpensive, insensi- tive to changes in humidity, needs no external or internal power to operate, can be made fairly small.
Disadvantages: Resonant peak in the frequency response, typically weak high-frequency response beyond 10 kHz or so.
Ribbon Microphone
The transducer is a strip of extremely thin aluminum foil, wide enough and light enough to be vibrated directly by the moving molecules of air of the sound wave, so no separate diaphragm is necessary. However, the electrical signal generated is very small compared to that of a moving-coil microphone, so an output transformer is needed to boost the signal to a usable level
Advantages: Relatively flat frequency response, extended high-frequency response as compared to dynamics, needs no external or internal power to operate.
Disadvantages: Fragile—requires care during operation and handling, moderately expensive.
Condenser Microphone
The condenser microphone has two electrically charged plates—one that can move, which acts as a diaphragm, and one that is fixed, called a back- plate. This is, in effect, a capacitor (or condenser) with a positively and negatively charged electrode and an air space in between. Sound depresses the diaphragm, causing a change in the spacing between it and the back- plate.
Digital Audio bit depth
The Bit Depth is equivalent to
the dynamic range. The
higher the bit depth, the
lower the noise floor due to
noise introduced in the
digitisation process.
Sound isolation
Soundproofing: Soundproofing involves blocking external noise from entering the room and preventing sound from escaping. Techniques include adding mass to walls, ceilings, and floors, using materials like mass-loaded vinyl, acoustic caulking, and resilient channels.
Decoupling: Decoupling involves physically isolating structural elements to prevent the transmission of vibrations. This can be achieved by using resilient mounts or installing floating floors and ceilings.
Sealing: Proper sealing of doors, windows, and gaps in walls is essential to prevent sound leakage. Weather stripping, acoustic caulk, and door sweeps are commonly used to seal openings effectively.
Double-Wall Construction: Building a room within a room, separated by an air gap, can significantly improve sound isolation by providing an additional barrier to sound transmission.
Mass and Airspace: Increasing the mass of walls and using airspace between layers helps attenuate sound transmission. Thicker walls with insulation between layers are effective in blocking sound.
