Study for Final Flashcards
Amplitude
The intensity of a signal. Distance above or below the center of a waveform
Frequency
The rate at which signal completes its period cycle. Gives sound unique quality.
Phase
Time delay between two waveforms
Envelope
Amplitude over time. Attack, sustain, decay.
Attack
Time delay to build to sustained level/threshold
Decay
Time it takes for sound to diminish to silence.
Threshold
Maximum capacity a signal level can reach
Limiter is ___ on steroids
Compressor. Having a ratio that is 10:1.
Compressor
Reduces signal ABOVE a threshold. For a 3:1 ratio, for every 3 dbs going into the threshold, only one is going out.
Midi
Communications protocol. Effective if routing is done properly to an instrument.
Three components of Synthesizer
- Oscillator - Supplies basic sound form
- Filter - Changes timbre
- Amplifier -Applies envelope generator to affect articulation.
What is an LFO?
Low-Frequency Oscillator Effect on: - Oscillator: Vibrato - Filter: modulates between bright/dark timbre - Amplifier: Tremolo
What are the two most common secondary building blocks?
- LFO
2. Envelope generator
Sampler vs. Synthesizer?
Sampler records, synthesizer generates sound using basic waveforms. This is important because samplers won’t work unless they have their samples.
In 1600, there was the emancipation of ___
Dissonance
In 1920, there was the emancipation of ___
All dissonance with atonal music (organized)
What does driving Miss Daisy and Paula Abdul have in common?
The use of samplers. Both were generated 100 percent through electronically processed means (samplers/synths).
What is the difference between Miss Daisy and Paula Abdul?
Miss Daisy intends on using sampling to substitute for live instruments while Paula Abdul intends to make it sound electronically made up.
What is a subtractive Synthesizer?
Start with harmonically rich oscillators and subtracting from them to make the final sound. They go through a filter (high pass, low pass, bandpass)
Goldfinger is an example of ___ remix
Additive. Recorded Live, different microphones set up. Masking and adding to an already made piece.
Repurposed Remix
Making something that is structurally new. Taking existing materials, bending it to do something different.
What is sample rate?
When you measure something a certain number of times. Example is 44.1 Khz is SR for CD.
Bit Depth
Higher it is, the more volume can be applied. Higher = better resolution. Normal bit depth is about 24.
What is the downside to larger bit depth?
Larger files
What is an adaptive limiter?
Compression that occurs when we have a 10:1 ratio or higher.
Why do we set an adaptive limiter to -0.2?
No matter what we do to the gain, it can never distort.
What is dithering?
Rounds off little bits of errors when bouncing at smaller rate than what you mixed on.
Side Chain Compression
Compresses according to what other instruments are doing. Can clear out moments of high energy.
What effect is done on the drums for “In the Air Tonight”?
Noise gate is applied.
What is a noise gate?
Expander. Anything below a threshold will be reduced.
What is Dynamic Mic good for?
Loud sources. It uses an electromagnetic field and is darker in sound than condenser mics.
Ribbon Mics
- Smooth and warm sound
- Dark, great on male vocalists
- Creamy sound
Condenser Mics
- Bluebird
- 2 metal plates, back is static and front moves based on sound pressure level
- Voltage is created when metal plates are pushed in and out towards each other
- High amplitude/voltage the closer they are
Preamps
Boost electrical signal. Needed for condenser mics. Not required for Ribbon mics and Dynamic mics.
What effect does delay have < 15 ms?
Combing effect. There is a modulation of upper partials, a swishing sound.
What effect does delay have > 15 ms?
Thickening of the sound, chorus effect.
What are the three stages of reverb?
1) Direct signal of the voice
2) Early reflections. This gives us the psyhoacoustic impressions.
3) Actual reverb. Many delays on top of each other., that we aren’t perceiving echo but a perception of space.
What does Dynamics Processing refer to?
• Various ways of manipulating the overall dynamic range of the audio
• Dynamic range = loudest part - quietest part
Most common dynamic processor = compressor
What is EQ?
• Equalization allows you to adjust the amount of energy in various regions of the spectrum, changing the timbral quality of the audio
• Graphic and parametric EQ
- Can Compensate for deficiencies
Flanging vs. Phasing effect
• Phasing uses an all-pass filter to create uneven peaks and notches, whereas flanging uses delay lines to create even peaks and notches although the results are similar
What are Midi CC’s?
Midi Continuous Controllers. This is the act of giving midi data that is continuously ongoing. Examples of this are volume, pan, modulation, sustain, and expression.
What are midi 1,7,10,11, 64?
Modulation, volume, panning, expression, sustain pedal
What is the frame rate for theatres and HD video?
24 and 23.98. These are important to know when we are syncing music to movies.
What are the different portions of a reverb signal?
Direct signal: The signal itself
Early reflections: The echoes of a signal that arrive at the microphone within a stretch of about 30ms after the direct sound.
How do analog and digital audio differ?
Digital audio refers to taking samples of the frequencies at a specified rate.
Analog refers to recording methods that attempt to replicate the original sound waves. It has an infinite number of states.
What is bit rate?
When saving a file in lossy format, you can choose a bit rate, a certain amount of bits per second that you choose to keep from your original file.
Quantization, transposition, humanization time adjustment
?
Difference between Peaking and Band Pass Filter and Band stop filter.
Band pass filter allows a band of freqs to pass and cuts off all other freqs. A peaking filter passes freqs outside the peaking band with no change. Band stop (notch) lets all pass except for a band of frequencies that are cut.
Explain the transposition problem
When a sample is keymapped to a root key and designated a key zone, transposing the keys upwards makes the notes play faster and short and downards makes them play slower and longer. This is not at all realistic sounding.
