Compiled Survey of Audio Engineering FINAL REVIEW *Q&A* (100% Correct) 2025/2026 |VERIFIED|

Compiled Survey of Audio Engineering FINAL REVIEW *Q&A* (100% Correct) 2025/2026 |VERIFIED| Giving the microphone some distance from the sound source can be beneficial because it allows the sound to develop more naturally, enhancing its overall clarity and tonal quality, which results in a better recording experience. What is this concept often referred to as in audio recording? Depth When recording in a studio, especially with a full band or group of musicians, it's important to have as many performers as possible during the basic tracking session. Why is this beneficial to the overall sound and vibe of the recording? The vibe and sound In the process of setting up a recording session, certain conditions need to be met to ensure the best quality sound from the drum kit. What is one crucial element that the best recording drum kits are free of to avoid interference with the sound? Buzzes, sympathetic vibrations When working with a group of musicians, particularly during tracking sessions, one aspect is often overlooked but is essential for ensuring good sight lines between all the players. How important is it to maintain clear sight lines when tracking with a full rhythm section or group? When tracking with a group of players, or rhythm section, this is one of the more important aspects The sound in the performers' headphones is critical for a successful recording, and it is derived from specific channels of the mixer. Which part of the audio mixing process contributes to creating the headphone mix during a recording session? The aux sends 1 Pre-production for live sound events involves several steps that ensure a smooth setup for a performance. Which of the following best describes the parts that need to be prepared during pre production for a live sound event? System prep, stage plot, input list, and system diagram, and assess the needs of the venue During the setup process for a live performance, there is a critical step where the sound engineers test the system and the audio equipment to make sure everything works as intended before the show. At which point in the setup does the band typically perform their "sound check"? Load-in It is a common practice to use a special type of cable setup to connect all microphones and audio equipment from the stage to the mixing console during live sound performances. What is the name of this commonly used audio connection tool? True: An audio "snake" is the typical connection method used for microphones and cables from the stage to the mixing console. In a live performance, especially for musicians, there is someone responsible for adjusting the sound specifically for the performers on stage so that they can hear themselves and each other clearly. Who is responsible for mixing the sound for the performers on stage? The monitor mixer In film and video production, certain sounds are incorporated to enhance the realism of the scene, even though they are not directly part of the narrative or dialogue. What are these sounds called when they are used to give realism to the sound design, even though they are "non-fictional"? Diegetic sounds In certain media, background sounds such as music or audio from objects like a jukebox or a car radio are used to add ambiance and help convey the setting of a scene. What term refers to these types of background sounds used in films and TV shows? Source music In video games, sounds are triggered based on the player’s actions and the events taking place within the game. What is the term used to describe a sound that occurs only once and is triggered by the player's actions, such as when an action is performed in the game? 2 One-Shot sound When creating sound for film or video, there is a process where sound designers find and place specific sound effects in sync with visual elements. What is this process called, which is key to creating the desired atmosphere for a scene? Spotting Actors sometimes need to re-record their lines to ensure the audio matches the scene perfectly or to improve clarity. What does the abbreviation ADR stand for in film production, and what is its purpose in the sound production process? Actors/actresses re-record their dialog in a studio while watching themselves on video During the process of enhancing the sound quality of a recording, certain techniques and effects are applied to improve the overall listening experience. What techniques are included in the category of "sound quality enhancement"? Compression, tone correction, amplitude adjustment, fade in/out, and crossfade When restoring old or damaged audio files, the final version should be saved in a particular file format that preserves high quality. Which file format is commonly recommended when saving restored audio to ensure compatibility and maintain quality? BWF (Wav) In audio restoration, removing various types of unwanted sounds or interference is essential to ensure the clarity and quality of the final audio. Which category of noise removal would include sounds such as hums, buzzes, and hiss that typically interfere with recordings? Hum and buzz, broadband, hiss In the field of audio forensics, one of the primary goals is to determine whether a recording accurately represents the events that occurred at a specific time and place. What is the purpose of conducting the "authenticity examination" in audio forensics? True: The objective is to establish that the recording is a true "acoustic representation" of events made at a specific time and place. 3 There is a misconception that digital storage mediums, like the CD-R, can store data indefinitely without risk of degradation. Which of the following statements is true regarding this belief about CD-R technology? False: The CD-R was not designed to store data forever without risk of loss. Audio restoration involves carefully repairing and improving audio tracks to preserve both the historical integrity and the artistic intent of the original creators. What is the main goal of the process of audio restoration? The process of removing imperfections, maintaining the vision of the original producers/artists, and preserving the historical aspect of the audio There are several types of investigations that are carried out in the field of audio forensics to examine and analyze audio recordings. Which of the following are the three main categories of audio forensics investigations? Authenticity, enhancement, interpretation When dealing with audio restoration, sometimes certain types of noises, such as clicks, pops, and crackles, need to be removed to improve the listening experience. Which category does this kind of noise fall under in the context of audio cleanup? Transient noise removal It is essential to back up digital files and not rely solely on one storage medium. What is the common misconception about backing up digital work, especially regarding hard drives, and why is it false? False: Storing work on a hard drive does not eliminate the need to back it up because hard drives can fail. The McKeever case of 1958 was a pivotal moment in the history of audio and its use in legal proceedings. What was the significance of this case in the context of recorded conversation in the United States? The first legal case in the U.S. that dealt with recorded conversation Audio equipment is often developed by manufacturers who cater to specific markets, especially smaller or more specialized ones. What are some characteristics of boutique or niche audio manufacturing companies that differentiate them from large-scale manufacturers? 4 Niche markets, hand-made, small manufacturer The process of designing and building audio equipment follows several critical steps to ensure quality and functionality. Which of the following is the correct order of steps involved in the development of audio equipment, from concept to manufacturing? Design the concept, build the mock-up, lab testing, designing the PCB, manufacturing, assembly --- Digital signal processing (DSP) is an important field that involves modifying and enhancing audio signals through mathematical techniques. What does the term "digital signal processing" refer to in audio engineering? Applied mathematics to change a signal --- When discussing the technical aspects of audio, sample rates are often compared to determine how accurately a sound can be captured. What is the key difference between the 48 kHz and 44.1 kHz sample rates, and how does this impact audio quality? 48 kHz will more accurately reproduce the recorded soundwave than 44.1 kHz --- In audio processing, the bit rate determines how many discrete steps are available to represent the amplitude of a sound. How many discrete steps are available in a 16-bit system for coding the amplitude of the sound? 65,000 --- 5 When converting a large audio file into a compressed format like MP3, the file size is significantly reduced. How many bytes would a 50 megabyte stereo sound file typically be reduced to in a 128K MP3 f ile format? 5,000,000 bytes or 5 megabytes --- The sample rate of an audio file determines how frequently the audio is sampled per second. What aspect of an audio file is most affected when the sample rate is changed? The bandwidth --- In digital audio, the Nyquist theorem is crucial for understanding how high a frequency can be captured in a digital file. If the highest frequency that can be captured is 10 kHz, what sample rate would be necessary according to the Nyquist limit? 20 kHz --- Lossless compression algorithms are designed to retain the original quality of the audio while reducing the file size. What does "lossless compression" mean in the context of audio files? No data is discarded --- The bit depth of an audio file plays a critical role in determining both the file size and the quality of sound. What is the standard bit depth used for CD-quality audio? 16 bit --- 6 Changing the bit depth of an audio file affects both its dynamic range and the file size. What does adjusting the bit depth of an audio file do to the overall sound? Changes the dynamic range and the file size --- When recording or processing audio, the quantization level plays a significant role in how accurately the sound is captured. What happens when the quantization level is increased in an audio system? The more accurate the measurement --- The sample rate is an important factor in digital audio, as it determines how often a signal is measured. What does the sample rate refer to in the context of audio recording? The number of measurements taken per second Lower frequencies have longer wavelengths Timbre is determined largely by Waveform overtones The graphic representation of a sound wave's compression and rarefaction patterns, usually shown as amplitude and time The speed of sound is 1130 fps Which of these is closest to the length of a 1kHz sound wave in physical space? 1 foot 7 An octave above 125 Hz is 250 Hz Two identical sound waves that are exactly "180 degrees out-of-phase" will How we perceive amplitude is called A sound wave is made up of a series of loudness cancel Compressions and rarefactions and increased and decreased air pressure dB Pitch The ratio unit we use for measuring amplitude The human perception of frequency is called Sine wave A singular, pure tone that contains no harmonics or overtones Hz is a measure of frequency If sound bends or spreads around a surface, it is said to be The diffusion of sound is Diffracted scattering of sound in all directions Acoustics is the study of sound, its generation, transmission, reception, and effects What does NOT having parallel surfaces in a room accomplish? frequencies and sounds between the surfaces It helps prevent the buildup of If I am trying to completely get rid of or greately reduce the reflections in a room (for example, off of hard surfaces in a room), I would want to use Absorption 8 The bandwidth of human hearing ranges from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz Pinnae The external structure of the ear The "threshold of hearing" is defined as The cochlea 0 dB SPL The part of the ear where sound becomes electricity in the human head Our ears can tolerate up to 140dB, which is considered the threshold of pain T/F: More people suffer from hearing loss than from heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and kidney disease combined. True Direct sound tells us the location, size, and timbre of the source. T/F: The best way to listen to a binaural head recording is by sitting directly between 2 loudspeakers. False When localizing a sound (determining the direction the sound is coming from), our two ears use THREE mechanisms to localize the sound source. What are these mechanisms? intensity RT60 is defined as Lifecycle of sound the amount of time for sound to "die away" by 60 dB Pinna reflection, timbre, "Direct Sound", "Early Reflections", and "Reverberation" Close miking is often used with multitrack recording, allows for a higher level of control of different instruments in a mix, and may allow for effects to be placed on individual sound sources. 9 is carried by the mic cable, 48-volts, and is used to power condenser Phantom power microphones. Capacitor (or condenser) Two electrically charged metal plates with one fixed and one suspended, allowed to move in response to changing air pressure. Three-to-one ratio When using multiple microphones, they must be at least three times further away from each other than the sources they are recording. The microphone and loudspeaker are similar, in that they are both Moving coil microphone transducers A coil of wire attached to a receiving mechanism suspended within a magnetic field. The most rugged and durable microphones are moving coil/dynamic What microphone technique results in a natural blend of space with the direct sound? miking Distant T/F: The advantage of using loudspeakers to monitor with is that you don't have to worry about the room influencing what you hear False The ".1" in a "5.1" surround system refers to Frequency response in audio is defined as the subwoofer the measure of an audio system's ability to reproduce a range of frequencies with the same relative loudness. The most common type of loudspeaker is A "crossover" in a loudspeaker design moving coil divides the frequency range into lows, highs, and sometimes mids, to go to different speakers for reproduction. 10 T/F: In loudspeaker design, tweeters have smaller cones than woofers, and can produce higher frequencies than woofers. True A chamber reverb uses Reverb a speaker and a microphone Repeated delays, creating closely spaced echoes, that are perceived as continuous sound. A digital delay is a t ime/spatial processor In general, amplitude processors alter the In general, time/spatial processors alter the dynamic range and volume characteristics of a signal perceived room or spatial characteristics of a signal What tames peaks of loud tracks and helps pull an instrument or vocal into a mix by controlling its dynamic range? compressor A low-pass filter is A filter is a a device that attenuates all frequencies above a given frequency spectrum processor If I alter the timbre of a sound by boosting or attenuating the amplitude of a selected range of frequencies based upon a center frequency, I am using Limiter a parametric EQ A compressor whose output level stays below a preset point regardless of input level Great drum sounds = Talkback mic Great recordings An important communication element between the musicians and the control room 11 Using microphones, if the sound isn't quite right, change When recording vocals, to prevent reflections, the mic position use a rug on the floor When overdubbing vocals, screens and gobos should be placed around the singer if too big The first rule of microphone placement is listen to the instrument in the room the room is For overdubs, finding the most complimentary place in the room is crucial. The best way to find a good place to record is walk around and clap your hands Click tracks facilitate constant tempo, groove, and editing 12