Details Title: Audio Engineering-Beginning Description: Beginning of semester Total Flash Cards: 92 Created: 12/10/2008 20:07:46		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Engineering Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term What are the 4 steps of the recording process? Definition Preparation, Recording, Overdubbing, Mixing Down Term What are tie lines usually made of? Definition Copper Term What is preproduction? Definition Goals, budget, writing songs, practice, hiring, target audience, timeline, lawyer, advertising Term What is production? Definition Recording/Mixing Term What is mastering? Definition high end audio equipment, final tweaking and editing, levels, audio or visual Term Sound arrives at the ear in the form of periodic variations called _____ ________ ______. Definition Sound Pressure Waves Term What are some waveform characteristics? (7) Definition amplitude, frequency, velocity, wavelength, phase, harmonic content, envelope Term What is frequency? Definition The rate at which an acoustic generator, electrical signal or vibrating mass repeats within a cycle of positive and negative amplitude Term What is velocity? Definition Distance over time @ 68 deg. F Term V=? Definition 1130 ft/sec Term What is wavelength? Definition Physical distance in a medium between the beginning and end of a cycle Term Wavelength=? Definition v/f v=velocity f=frequency Term What is diffraction of sound? Definition Sound bending around an object in a manner that reconstructs the signal back to it's original form in both FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE Term What is frequency response? Definition The charted output of an audio device Term What is phase? Definition How waveforms start in relativity to one another Term What is harmonic content? Definition Overtone frequencies that are whole-number multiples of the fundamental frequency Term What does an envelope consist of? Definition Attack Sustain Decay Release Term What is a log? Definition Expression of differences in intensities between 2 levels Term dB SPL=? Definition 20logSPL/SPLref SPLref=.0002 dynes/cm2 Term What is the threshold of hearing? Definition .0002 dynes/cm2 Term When distance is doubled..... Definition SPL is reduced by 6 Term What is voltage? Definition Pressure behind electrons in a wire Term dBv=? Definition 20logV/Vref Vref=.775 volts Term What is power? Definition Flow of electrons along a line over time Term dBm=? Definition 10logP/Pref Pref=1 milliwatt or .001 watt Term Microbars= Definition dynes/cm2 Term What is the threshold of hearing? Definition .0002 dynes/cm2 Term What is the threshold of feeling? Definition About 118 dB SPL and between 200Hz and 10kHz Term What is psycho-acoustics? Definition How and why the brain interperates a particular sound stimulus a certain way Term What is auditory perception? Definition The ear producing harmonic distortion that doesn't exist in the original signal whenever it is subjected to sound waves above a certain loundess level. This results in: -beats -combination tones Term What are beats? Definition what you hear when two tones differ only slightly in frequency and have approximately the same amplitude Term What are combination tones? Definition They result when two loud tones differ by more than 50Hz Term What is masking? Definition Phenomenon by which loud signals prevent the ear from hearing softer sounds Term What are 3 reflections telling the perception of space? Definition -Direct Sound -Early Reflections -Reverberation Term What is reverberation? Definition Randomly decaying set of sounds often heard after the source stops Term What is doubling? Definition Repeating a signal using a short delay of 4-20 ms, making you think there are 2 signal sources Term What are acoustics? Definition A science dealing with the production and effects of sound waves Term What is acoustic isolation? Definition Preventing sound from moving in or out of a space Term What is frequency balance in a room? Definition Allowing the room to not alter sound at all. Term What is acoustic separation? Definition Separating louder and softer instruments Term What do you want to keep in mind when dealing with studio acoustics? Definition Acoustic Isolation Frequency Balance Acoustic Separation Reverberation Cost Term What are 4 types of studios? Definition Professional Audio-For-Visual Project Portable Term What factors do you need to deal with in a control room? Definition Acoustic Isolation Symmetry Frequency Balance Transition Loss Absorbtion Reflection Reverberation Equipment Noise Power Conditioning Grounding Techniques Term What is the best and most solid material for building a studio? Definition Concrete Term What are 2 cost effective and efficient materials when building a studio? Definition Bricks, Gypsum Term What could you do to a studio floor to help acoustics? Definition Use hockey puck isolation mounts or rubber underlay Term What frequencies travel through barriers most easily? Definition Low Frequencies Term Reflective=_______, Absorbative=____ Definition Live, Dead Term What could you do to regulate excess machine noise in your control room? Definition Replace fans Regulate fan speeds Install Hard Drive enclosures Put computer in isolated alcove Remote machinery Term Room should have flat frequency response and add no color to the sound. True or False? Definition True Term What is a quarter wavelength trap? Definition An enclosure with a depth that is 1/4 the wavelength of the offending frequencies fundamental frequency Term What is a pressure-zone trap? Definition Works on principle that sound pressure is doubled at large boundary points that are at 90 degree angles Term What is a functional trap? Definition Uses material generally formed into a tube or half-tube structure that is rigidly supported so as to reduce structural vibrations Term What are 3 components of reverberation? Definition Direct Signal Early Reflection Reverberation Term What are acoustic echo chambers? Definition Isolated room with highly reflective surfaces Term Wavelength=? Definition velocity(ft/sec)/frequency(hertz) Term How much does velocity increase with each degree in temperature? Definition 1.1 foot/second Term What is velocity sometimes labeled instead of "v"? Definition C Term When frequency is doubled..... Definition ...octave increases once Term Define deciBel Definition A logarhythmic value that expresses differences in intensities between two levels Term Define dBSPL. Definition Acoustic pressure that builds up within a defined atmospheric area Term What is timbre? Definition How harmonics affect the fundamental frequency Term What is high-transient? Definition Quick attack and release Term When one power is twice another, how much deciBel increase do you get? Definition 6 Term What is RMS? Definition Root Mean Square, the relative average of a complex waveform Term What is the peak of a waveform? Definition Top of wave x .707 Term What is VU? Definition Volume Unit Term What is DBFS? Definition DeciBel Full Scale, Common meters in ProTools Term What is white noise? Definition All frequencies playing at equal intensities Term What is pink noise? Definition All frequencies playing at equal volume Term What is a Fletcher-Munson Curve? Definition Represents what our hearing is perceiving (SPL and frequency) at 83-85 dB Term A loudness level is also referred to as a ____ or a ____. Definition Sone, Phon Term What are the components of a channel? Definition Mic Pre EQ Fader Routing Matrix Output Aux's Term What are the components of a mic pre? Definition Gain/Trim Knob PAD Phase Button Phantom Power (Mic/Line Switch) Term What is a dynamic microphone? Definition Piece is surrounded by wire that lays in magnet. Utelizes magnetic flux Term What are 3 types of microphones? Definition Dynamic, Ribbon, Condenser Term What is an omnidirectional polar pattern? Definition Picks up sound equally in all directions Term What is a cardioid polar pattern? Definition Flat top, vents on the side Term What is rolloff? Definition Measured at -3dB/octave points Term What is dynamic range? Definition Difference between max SPL and min SPL Term What is transient response? Definition How well the microphone responds to changing energies Term What do ohms measure? Definition Impedance Term What is a condenser microphone? Definition 2 plates of opposite polarity, uses capacitative flux Term What type of microphone reacts best to energy changes? Definition Condenser Term What does T equal? Definition Toranado, +12 volts Term What microphones use Phantom Power? Definition Condenser Term Will phantom power affect a dynamic microphone? Ribbon? Definition No, Yes Term What is a D.I.? Definition Direct Injection, transformer and voltage/impedance converter, this can be passive or active Term 0VU=___volts Definition .775 Term dBm=dB___ Definition u Term +4dBm=____volts Definition 1.228 Term Turning signal up by ___dB will double signal level. Definition 3