6840795
Description
Flashcards by Alex Meulenbeld, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Alex Meulenbeld
over 7 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| What is gain riding? | manual level control that relies on engineers ability to anticipate level changes |
| What is automatic gain riding? | requires a level detector circuit that can respond and compensate for an audio signals level changes (compressor) |
| What are two other names for a compressor? | -variable gain amplifier -variable gain reduction amplifier |
| Why use a compressor? | to reduce dynamic range of a signal so as to contain it within the amplitude limits of a playback system |
| What does a compressors threshold do? | sets the level at which compression shall begin and is usually user adjustable |
| What is a input level control? | on compressors with a fixed threshold the input level is adjusted by boosting the input of a signal to raise the quietest parts of the audio even more |
| What is a compressors ratio? | it governs how much gain reduction is applied to the incoming signal compared to the output signal ie. if the threshold is set at -8dB and the incoming signal reaches 0dB, with a ratio of 2:1 the output signal would be -4dB |
| What is a compressors attack? | how quickly the signal is reduced to the ratio determined amount of dB after it exceeds the threshold |
| What is a compressors release? | opposite of the attack it sets how quickly the signal is increased to the ratio determined amount of dB after it dips below the threshold |
| What is a hard knee compared to a soft knee? | -hard knee is when signals get compressed almost instantly and can sound very obvious -soft knee is when signals get compressed gradually a tend to sound a bit more natural |
| What is the output control on a compressor and what is another name for it? | can also be called make up gain it is a level control post the gain reduction circuit that returns a compressed signal back up to a reasonable level |
| For every dB of compression you also gain what? | a dB of noise |
| What does ARRTO stand for? | -attack -release -ratio -threshold -output |
| How does mark say to set each step on a compressor | -set attack to somewhere in the middle -set release to somewhere in the middle -pound the ratio setting to very high -set the threshold on a lower setting (-10 analog, -25 plugins) -set the output level to unity gain |
| What are the two types of equalizers? | -graphic equalizer -parametric equalizer |
| What are the two types of graphic equalizers? | -proportional q graphic eq's -constant q graphic eq's |
| What is the difference between the two types of equalizers | graphic eq's have a fixed bandwidth and display a visual depiction of frequency adjustment and parametric equalizers allow you to control your q, your frequency, and your level to have full control over your bandwidth |
| What is the difference between the two types of graphic equalizers? | -proportional q graphic eq's are not an accurate depiction of what you actually boost, since you boost neighbouring frequencies as well -constant q graphic eq's are accurate to what you boost and the bandwidth of frequencies never overlap |
| What is a natural consequence of all equalizers? | phase shift through time arrival disparity |
| What is a linear phase equalizer? | an equalizer that eliminates the consequences of phase shift by delaying the original signal to coincide with the frequency altered copy |
| What is the breakdown of an octave? | -octave --> 12 semitones -12 semitones --> scale of 7 notes |
| How many cents does an octave break down into? | 1200 |
| What is an interval? | the distance between a scales notes |
| What is just tuning and what is the distance in cents between each note? | is the "perfect" tuning scheme but only allows you to play one key per instrument ie. would need 12 pianos to play the entire scale (C) 204 (D) 182 (E) 112 (F) 204 (G) 182 (A) 204 (B) 112 (C) |
| What is equal temperament and what is wrong with it? | the altering of cents to create an equal distance between each note that allows you to play in every key on one instrument, the issue is that it is a compromise because no key is 100% in tune |
| What is the main problem with equalizers in relation to equal temperament? | when you boost high end you boost the partials making it sound more out of tune |
| What is a partial? | a partial is a certain frequency we hear when a note is played that also includes the fundamental, partials are "ESSENTIALLY" what makes a sine wave a complex wave |
| What is an overtone? | similar to partials they are the frequencies that are multiples of the fundamental but do not include the fundamental ie. if the fundamental is 20, the first overtone is 40, the second is 80, etc. |
| What does the master channel determine on a dual channel compressor? | it sets the parameter settings for both channels when set to stereo mode |
| What is an important hing you must keep in mind when a dual channel compressor does not have a master channel? | you have to set both sides of the compressor to an equal amount of gain reduction in A/B mode before you can switch the compressor into stereo mode |
| What is pumping and breathing? | when the attack and release are overly apparent, usually caused by a fast attack and short release times with a high ratio and/or low threshold also kaleb's mothers favourite pastime |
| What is attack distortion? | when you have a fast attack with a long release on multiple short ADSR signals |
| What is harmonic distortion? | when you have a very short attack and release times on LF -the + and - waveform excursions are seen as above the threshold -the zero crossings are seen as below the threshold -results in distortion that sounds like a harsh edge |
| What does a multiband compressor do? | allows different levels of compression to be set in separate frequency ranges, most commonly a mastering tool and can combat LF pumping and breathing |
| What is a limiter? | -a compressor with a large ratio usually equal or greater then 10:1 -usually has fixed attack and release |
| What are software limiters? | digital limiters that have brick wall thresholds so that one can simply set the maximum level and the audio will never exceed the boundary regardless of how much gain is applied |
| What is a sidechain? | -often contains a break in point -can be tied to the patch bay -can be used with a compressor or a noise gate |
| What is ducking? | allows a chosen signal to be compressed by a different signal when it is played ie. putting the kick in the bass sidechain makes the bass duck when the kick plays |
| What is parallel compression? | when you bus a copy of an original signal to another strip then add EQ/compression to the copied signal which is then fed back in varying amounts to the mix bus and heard with the original signal |
| How do you do the new york drum trick? | -involves bussing drums in stereo to 2 destination strips which are then panned left and right -compress submix heavily and boost 100Hz and 10 KHz -bring up submix faders until cymbals and kick become more apparent in mix |
| What do gates do? | reduce the dB of all noises that are below the threshold by a user determined amount. used to get rid of unwanted noises |
| What are chattering gates? | when a noise has a rapid signal it can cause the gates to open and close very quickly which results in very apparent dB drops |
| What is hold control? | -found on digital gates it is used to combat chattering gates by holding the gate open for a user selected amount of time so that the gate remains open even when the chattering noise drops below the threshold |
| What is hysteresis? | a separate attack and release threshold set just above the main threshold that is used to only allow higher amplitude signals to pass through and catches the chattering noise that hold control may have let through |
| Name the five types of gain reduction circuits | -variable-mu -opto-electrical -FET -VCA -Digital |
| Explain advantages and disadvantages of a variable-mu gain reduction circuit | Advantages -fat, lush, warm sound -saturate gradually Disadvantages -no adjustable ratio -limited gain reduction due to tube dynamic range |
| Explain advantages and disadvantages of a opto-electrical gain reduction circuit | Advantages -have a natural sounding attack and release that is difficult to make sound bad Disadvantages -limited parameter adjustment |
| Explain advantages and disadvantages of a FET gain reduction circuit | Advantages -very fast reaction time to transients Disadvantages -limited gain reduction -LF may cause amp-modulation and waveform distortion |
| Explain advantages and disadvantages of a VCA gain reduction circuit | Advantages -extreme amounts of gain reduction levels -extremely fast transient response Disadvantages -low quality VCA's can colour the audio path |
| Explain advantages and disadvantages of a digital gain reduction circuit | Advantages -visual display -store settings for recall -plug-ins allow for multiple presets -instant transient response Disadvantages -processing time can add latency |
| Explain the middle side stereo mic technique | -requires a fig 8 and a cardioid mic -card picks up audio in centre, fig 8 picks up audio from both sides -stereo width is created by bridging copy of fig 8 to another strip -one fig 8 panned hard left and vice verse |
| Explain how to set up a MS setup | -bridge out of fig 8 strip and break into 2nd strip -flop phase of second strip -mute cardioid and pan fig 8 strips up middle -adjust level of fig 8 strips until quietest -pan fig 8 strips hard left and right, unmute cardioid |
| What part of an outboard preamp has the biggest effect on sound? | the transformer |
| When using outboard preamps should you plug the mic into the outboard preamp or the console first? | outboard preamp first since it is looking for a mic level signal |
| What is an echo chamber? | natural room with reflective surfaces that contains something to trigger the space (speaker) and something to capture the space (mic) |
| Explain how a spring reverb works? | -driver is connected to one end of a spring -music is sent to the driver which vibrates the strings longitudinally -contact pickup at the other end receives and traduces the result back into an audio signal |
| Explain how a plate reverb works | -metal sheet is suspended at all four corners within a metal frame -a moving coil driver is used to vibrate plate out to the edges -vibrational movement reflected to other edges -contact pickups placed at varying distances from driver sense vibrations |
| Explain how tube reverb works | -aux send copy is ran through a hose -mic is placed at the other end of the hose |
| Explain the advantages of digital reverb | -easy to calculate delays and amplitudes -programmable -versatile with multiple parameters for simulation or creation |
| What is convolution reverb | when a real or or fictional space is recorded in great detail so that one could have reverb that sounds exactly like maddison square gardens or reverb that sounds like a outer space |
| What types of mics and how are they positioned in a middle side mic technique | -1 figure 8, 1 cardioid -cardioid facing sound source directly -figure 8 above card and facing out to sides to reject what the card picks up |
| What type of sense is vision? What type of sense is hearing? | -vision is a spatial sense -hearing is a temporal sense |
| What are the 8 methods humans use to locate sound sources in their environment? | -interaural time difference -head shadow -pinna response -shoulder echo -head motion -early echo response -reverberation -vision |
| How do humans use interaural time difference to locate sound sources? | -by determining what ear the sound hits first (applicable to frequencies below 1500 hz as they wrap around head) |
| How do humans use head shadow to locate sound sources? | -by determining the volume of the sound as it hits each ear (applicable to frequencies above 1500 hz) |
| How do humans use pinna response to locate sound sources? | -from sounds that come above, ahead, below or beneath bouncing of at different angles within the pinna of our ears we can determine the location of the sound |
| What is time control processing? | an additive parallel process that requires a mixture of the original and delayed signal in order to be referenced |
| What is the HAAS zone? | -the time range between the original sound and the copy |
| What is the precedence effect? | -When an original and copied signal are panned hard left and right and then one is delayed by 1-7ms -Our brains believe the sound is only coming from the side that is not delayed |
| What is a flanger? | when a copy of a signal is delayed by a continually varying amount of time (between 1-20 ms) by an LFO then added back to the original |
| What is a phaser? | when a copy of a signal is phase flopped and run through up to 32 capacitors and resistors |
| What does the delay, depth, rate and feedback determine in flangers and phasers? | -delay = shortest delay value in sweep -depth = delay variance from shortest to longest -rate = how often full sweep is repeated -feedback = degree of output reintroduced into circuit |
| What is automatic double tracking? | a way to create an illusion that there was a double take tracked by delaying the copied signal by 15-35 ms (doesn't allow human error) |
| What is chorus? | delays a copied signal by 15-35 ms and uses an LFO to produce continuous pitch modulation |
| What does the delay, width and rate determine on chorus? | -delay = minimum time delay -width = degree to which delay time will vary -rate = speed at which one full cycle repeats |
| How would you send a foldback mix that includes the full mix to hearback? | -create a 7/8 foldback aux track -patch sends 7/8 to hearback 1/2 on westar |
| How would you listen to individual sends the westar? | By listening through the speakers and disengaging mix a |
| Where would you find switches that allow you to choose which send you hear on talkback? | The communication strip, underneath oscillator |
| What are the four jobs in a recording session and what are their roles? | -engineer = mixing, communicates with floor, runs the session -pro tools op = starting/stopping record, setting up session, input monitoring -assistant engineer = helps set up session, sweeps mics, patches in outboard gear -runner = makes hearback cards, keeps lists up to date when changes are made |
| Should mics be brought up unprocessed true or false? | True |
| What do overheads provide relative to a drum kit? | panning perspective (when panned hard left and right) |
| Why is it very important for drums to be in phase? | because all aspects of the kits include leakage |
| Why make an aux track master for drums? | because aux tracks require no processing power |
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