Sound Design Quiz Highlighted Terms Questions
and Verified Answers
Reinforcement Correct Answer: Amplifying sounds and making them audible to an audience
Ambient Sound Correct Answer: The soundscape. Sounds that, combined, transport the audience into an
environment.
Events Correct Answer: Scripted or rehearsed moments that need audible reinforcing in order to help
drive the story forward.
Diegetic Sound Correct Answer: Anything the characters can hear that comes naturally from the world
of the play.
Non-diegetic sound Correct Answer: Sound that is only for the audience's ears/only audible to a select
character or characters.
Pitch Correct Answer: How high or low a note is, or, the notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)
Scales Correct Answer: Any set of musical notes ordered by pitch
Rythm Correct Answer: The pattern of a sound
Melody Correct Answer: A group of notes of various pitches which are played one after the other
Dynamics Correct Answer: How loudly or quietly a sound is played. In other words, the volume.
Timbre Correct Answer: The quality of a musical note (Round, Brassy, Sharp, or Bright)
Expression Correct Answer: How a piece of music is expressed (a specific combination of dynamics,
phrasing, timber, and articulation)
Genre Correct Answer: Conventional styles of music that share similar attributes in form, style, or
subject matter
Samples Correct Answer: Including a pre-existing recording by someone else in your composition
Composition Correct Answer: An original piece of music in both form and lyrics
, Preshow music Correct Answer: A series of songs that is played for the audience before the show begins
while they're being seated.
Sound Pressure Level Correct Answer: Also referred to as SPL or amplitude: how powerful the wave is.
The bigger the wave, the more powerful in sound
Measurement for SPL Correct Answer: Decibles
Frequency Correct Answer: The speed of change in sound pressure
Measurement for frequency Correct Answer: Hertz
Equalization Correct Answer: The process of adjusting the level or amplitude of specific frequencies to
achieve a clear and balanced mix
Signal Correct Answer: When sound enters a sound system and is translated to electrical energy.
How many links in a signal chain? Correct Answer: Five
The source Correct Answer: where the sound originates from and where the signal begins (link one of
the signal chain)
The mixer Correct Answer: An electronic device used for mixing, balancing, and combining different
sounds and audio signals (link two of the signal chain)
Processing Correct Answer: Manipulating audio signals to enhance their quality, synchronize them, and
adapt them to specific requirements (link three of the signal chain)
Amplification Correct Answer: A unit that takes the output from the mixer and pumps it up to a strong
enough level for the speakers (link four of the signal chain)
Output Correct Answer: The speakers: units that take the sound out of the unit and reproduce it for
people to hear (link five of the signal chain)
Signal levels Correct Answer: The strength of the signal as it passes through the signal chain (includes
mic levels, line levels, and speaker levels)
Microphones Correct Answer: A device that translates sound vibrations in the air into electronic signals
Diaphragm Correct Answer: A strip of metal within a microphone that vibrates when struck by pressure
waves in the air
and Verified Answers
Reinforcement Correct Answer: Amplifying sounds and making them audible to an audience
Ambient Sound Correct Answer: The soundscape. Sounds that, combined, transport the audience into an
environment.
Events Correct Answer: Scripted or rehearsed moments that need audible reinforcing in order to help
drive the story forward.
Diegetic Sound Correct Answer: Anything the characters can hear that comes naturally from the world
of the play.
Non-diegetic sound Correct Answer: Sound that is only for the audience's ears/only audible to a select
character or characters.
Pitch Correct Answer: How high or low a note is, or, the notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G)
Scales Correct Answer: Any set of musical notes ordered by pitch
Rythm Correct Answer: The pattern of a sound
Melody Correct Answer: A group of notes of various pitches which are played one after the other
Dynamics Correct Answer: How loudly or quietly a sound is played. In other words, the volume.
Timbre Correct Answer: The quality of a musical note (Round, Brassy, Sharp, or Bright)
Expression Correct Answer: How a piece of music is expressed (a specific combination of dynamics,
phrasing, timber, and articulation)
Genre Correct Answer: Conventional styles of music that share similar attributes in form, style, or
subject matter
Samples Correct Answer: Including a pre-existing recording by someone else in your composition
Composition Correct Answer: An original piece of music in both form and lyrics
, Preshow music Correct Answer: A series of songs that is played for the audience before the show begins
while they're being seated.
Sound Pressure Level Correct Answer: Also referred to as SPL or amplitude: how powerful the wave is.
The bigger the wave, the more powerful in sound
Measurement for SPL Correct Answer: Decibles
Frequency Correct Answer: The speed of change in sound pressure
Measurement for frequency Correct Answer: Hertz
Equalization Correct Answer: The process of adjusting the level or amplitude of specific frequencies to
achieve a clear and balanced mix
Signal Correct Answer: When sound enters a sound system and is translated to electrical energy.
How many links in a signal chain? Correct Answer: Five
The source Correct Answer: where the sound originates from and where the signal begins (link one of
the signal chain)
The mixer Correct Answer: An electronic device used for mixing, balancing, and combining different
sounds and audio signals (link two of the signal chain)
Processing Correct Answer: Manipulating audio signals to enhance their quality, synchronize them, and
adapt them to specific requirements (link three of the signal chain)
Amplification Correct Answer: A unit that takes the output from the mixer and pumps it up to a strong
enough level for the speakers (link four of the signal chain)
Output Correct Answer: The speakers: units that take the sound out of the unit and reproduce it for
people to hear (link five of the signal chain)
Signal levels Correct Answer: The strength of the signal as it passes through the signal chain (includes
mic levels, line levels, and speaker levels)
Microphones Correct Answer: A device that translates sound vibrations in the air into electronic signals
Diaphragm Correct Answer: A strip of metal within a microphone that vibrates when struck by pressure
waves in the air
