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Studio Tech 2 Final

Terms in this set (67)

Explain the difference between diffusion and diffraction. What types of surfaces may cause each type of reflection?
Diffusion is when sound scatters after hitting an object, Diffraction is how sound bends around objects.
Diffraction could be caused by a wall with an opening in it, or a corner, Diffusion can be caused by any surface with an uneven surface.
What types of reflection characteristics would be negative in a studio design? What types would be beneficial?
Bass crowding the corners of the room
Avoid early reflections with uneven surfaces
Know some of the design aspects that are important for control rooms. Explain the difference between "Acoustic Isolation" and "Acoustic Separation".
Isolation is keeping the sound within the room separate from sounds outside the room, separation is keeping sounds within the same room separate.
How can knowing the speed of sound help in building delays in a live application? In the studio for your mix?
When you know the speed of sound you know how fast a sound will travel from the source to the back of an audience. Therefore you can calculate the delay necessary to keep all the speakers in phase.
Know the three things that help us localize sound. What specifically do they react to?
Interaural intensity differences
Interaural arrival-time differences
Pinnae effects
Check the definitions for more info
Describe how beat frequencies are created.
When two signals that are less than 20 HZ apart are combined, they can be heard as one. If they are more than 20 hz and are combined, they will
Explain the difference between Peak value and RMS value, and how to calculate from one to another.
"Peak-to-Peak value" is from the greatest positive to negative value.
"Peak amplitude value" (or level) is measured from the centerline to a peak.
RMS = 0.707 x Peak, Peak = 1.414 x RMS
What would we learn from a Frequency Response Curve for a piece of equipment?
It shows the charted output of an audio device. It shows the boost or cut from a reference level and shows how a device "colors" the input.
Understand the "Listening Window", what it is used to measure and the process of measurement.
A single measure of the responses that occur at and near the on-axis response is called the 'listening window.
Why can we use a compressor to change a sound's dynamics without changing its timbre? Understand how changing the attack and release times on a compressor will affect the signal. Know the different controls, such as Makeup Gain, Threshold, etc.
Compressors and limiters affect the dynamic range of a sound. This doesn't affect the frequency responce produced by that sound, therefore it doesn't change its color or timbre.
Talk about why you would use multi-band compression.
To reduce other frequency bands by inserting a filter into the compression chain that causes the circuit to compress frequencies in a specific band.
What is limiting and how is it the same or different from compression?
Limiting is setting a hard ceiling to your amplitude
Compression is a floating ceiling.
Understand microphone input characteristics, including Directional Response, Frequency Response and Transient Response, and be able to explain them.
The directional response of a mic refers to its sensitivity (output level) at various angles of incidence with respect to the front (on-axis) of the microphone
Frequency response refers to the range of frequencies, from low to high, that a microphone will pick up.
Transient response refers to the response a microphone's diaphragm has to sound wave transients. A transient is a fast peak in the amplitude of a sound best described as the initial hit of a drum. The transient response is how fast or slow the mic responds to the transient.
Be able to explain the output characteristics of mics, such as the sensitivity rating, the equivalent noise rating, the microphone impedance and overload characteristics. Know why each one is important.
A mic's sensitivity rating is the output level (in volts) that a microphone will produce, given specific and standardized acoustic signal at its input (rated in dB SPL.)
Equivalent noise ratings of a microphone can be viewed as a device's electrical self-noise. It is expressed in dB SPL or dBA as a signal that would be equivalent to the mic's self noise voltage.
It's the opposite of inherent self-noise, where the microphone is limited at high sound-pressure levels (SPL) by overload distortion.
Microphones are designed to exhibit different output impedances. Output impedance is a rating that's used to help you match the output resistance of one device to the rated input resistance requirements of another device.
Know how dynamic, condenser and ribbon mics operate and be able to draw their capsules.
(Dynamic, Condenser, ribbon^)
Explain how phantom power works for microphones.
48 volts are sent from the console through the mik cable to power it. (Condenser)
Know the difference between air suspension speakers and bass-reflex speakers
Air suspension speakers have an airtight system that seals the air in its interior from the outside environment, while a bass reflex design uses a tuned bass porthole that's designed into the back or front of the speaker
Be able to describe the four types of monitoring speakers.
Small speakers, near field, far field, headphones.
Far-field - involve large, multidriver loudspeakers that are capable of delivering accurate sound at moderate to high volume levels.
Near-field - refers to the placement of small to medium sized bookshelf speakers on each side of a desktop working environment. More accurately represent what the average consumer will listen to.
Small Speakers - the lowest quality speakers, usually found on phones and portable speakers for example. Mimic the nonlinearities, distortion and porr bass response of these media.
Headphones - can be earbuds or headphones, remove you from the room's acoustic environment. Headphones offer excellent spatial positioning, as they let the artist, engineer or producer place a sound souse at critical positions within the stereo field without interference.
Know what a crossover network is used for and what is the difference between "two-way" and "three-way" speakers.
Crossover networks use complex analog and digital circuitry to split the incoming line level audio signal into various frequency bands. Two way and three way speakers refer to the number of power amps, which correspond to ranges of frequencies
What are the differences between "active" and "passive" speaker designs?
Active speakers incorporate an actively powered amplifier into their design, which have a compact design, high quality sound, expandability, and no need for an external power amp.
Be able to explain patch bay connections that are normaled and half-normaled.
Normalled connections do not continue the signal down the patch if you patch the signal to another column. When a jack is inserted into the top jack, the in/out connection is broken, allowing the output signal to pass to the cable. When a jack is inserted into the bottom jack, the in/out connection is broken, allowing the input signal to pass through the inserted cable connection.
Half normaled: It can still continue down the path, and you end up with two signals. When a jack is inserted into the top jack, the in/out connection is still left intact, allowing you to tap into the signal path.
Know the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables and what connectors are used.
Unbalanced - two wires, positive and ground (negative and ground are combined) short cables, only one band (two sections), can handle high impedance levels better
Balanced - Three wires, positive negative ground, three sections: tip ring and sleeve
Explain how to route signal from Pro Tools through the console and out to Hearbacks.
Put a hearback send the track you want to send to the hearback
What are the 3 types of effects processing we can use?
Time based (reverb), Harmonic processing (EQ), and Dynamic (compression) based processing
Tell the difference between an "insert" and a "send" and describe when each would be used.
Insert affects entire channel that you it on
Send allows you to run multiple sounds through the same effect in your mix
Be able to explain how to use a hardware insert with the API console.
Route through the patch bay on your desired channel to the desired hardware insert on the console (compression, EQ, exc.)
Understand microphone pickup issues like Low-frequency Rumble, Proximity Effect, Popping and Off-axis Pickup. Know the various ways to deal with each issue.
Low Frequency Rumble: You choose to put your mic in a shock mount, rather than a regular clip. You lay your kick drum mic on a blanket, inside the drum.
Popping: You place a mic slightly off-axis to a singer. You put a wind screen in front of your vocal mic.
Off axis on instrument: off axis coloration
Off axis on voice: avoid popping
Off Axis pickup: You choose to record an instrument with an omnidirectional mic, instead of a cardioid mic.
Proximity effect on Instruments is much harder to achieve. You choose to record a vocal with an omnidirectional mic, instead of a cardioid mic.
Be able to compare and explain the four fundamental styles of mic placement. What are advantages of each style and what are things to be careful about?
Close Miking: It's the only mic for that instrument, use it to isolate that instrument
Distance Miking: When you're trying to create a blended sound
Accent: Using solo instruments to add to the mix
Ambient: When you're trying to get the sound of the room
Understand how recording direct can be used to supplement a mic technique.
It reduces an electric or electronic instrument's line-level output singal to mic level for direct insertion into the console's mic input jack.
It changes an instrument's unbalanced, high source impedance line to a balanced, low-source impedance signal that's needed by the console's input stage
It often can electrically isolate the audio signal paths between the instrument and mic/line preamp stages.
Explain "re-amping" and some of the things you can do with it.
When you take a signal, and you play it back through a different amplifier that is mic'd.
Be able to explain how to set up the 4 types of stereo mic techniques in the book, and how each one produces a stereo signal. What are advantages of each technique?
X-Y: A pair of cardioid mics that are turned inwards. Gives very clear signal, separation and time arrivement
Decca Tree - three cardioid mics, one facing forward, 2 ft in front of 2 that are faced to the side. Uses time and amplitude cues to develop a stereo image.
Spaced Pair: Creates a stereo image both in time and amplitude changes
ORTF: More of a wider stereo image, but a slight dip in signal in the centerClose Miking creates a tight, present sound quality, and it effectively excludes the acoustic environment from being picked up. If you place it too close to the source, the room acoustics won't be picked up, so you want to place it at a reasonable distance.
Distance Miking: It captures the recording environment as a whole, and it will create a natural acoustic environment. Phase cancellation is a thing to be careful about, and having the right mic placement is key.
Accent Miking: It gives solo instruments a voice and not buried within the overall, larger pickup. It creates assistance to help softer instruments increase their pickup. A thing to be careful about is that if you place a mic too close, the pickup will sound overly present, unnatural and out of context with the distant, overall orchestral pickup.
Ambient Miking: For recording the sound of the room.
What are the five tools used to balance a mix?
Levels
Harmonic effects (EQ)
Panning/Spacial Positioning
Dynamic Effects (compression, things to do with amplitude)
Time Based Effects (delay, reverb, etc)
Explain the important areas of the Pro Tools "Setup" menu.
Hardware, playback engine, I/O, anything you chose sets up a new window. Peripherals. Opens up a new dialogue box
Identify the important settings in the Pro Tools Dashboard.
Sample rate, save location, name, file
What is the difference between Native and DSP plugins?
Native use the processing that's on the computer, usually real time effects. DSP plugins often require extra processing chips, and often have to be rendered to be heard.
Explain what choices are found in the Pro Tools "Options" menu.
Anything that you can turn off and on. Loop playback, tab to transient, loop record
Know the two philosophies for mixing immersive content. Understand the numbering format and what it tells us (like 7.1).
Sound in front: mixing audio with the sound coming toward you in a basic mixing set up.
Sound Around: mixing audio from a position inside the mix (in the middle of the band).
Be able to name some immersive formats and describe them. Explain the difference between LFE and subwoofer.
Dolby Atmos - object based, allows 128 individual audio data streams to "steer" audio from one speaker to the next
Auro 3d - uses a single codec data stream to deliver front, side, rear, and height channels. Unlike atmos, the sound is not steered.
Know the specs for speaker placement for surround monitoring.
x.y: X = number of speakers, y = number of subwoofers
What are the three things that may cause subwoofer localization?
Distortion,
LFE - a channel with low frequency content
Sub woofer - the driver (speaker) that recreates the LF content.
What are three types of immersive speakers? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Direct Radiating - Speaker faces one direction
Sound Arrays - speakers surround the listener
Dipole Speakers -
What are two systems that add height channels? What are characteristics of each?
Dolby Atmos - object based, allows 128 individual audio data streams to "steer" audio from one speaker to the next
Auro 3d - uses a single codec data stream to deliver front, side, rear, and height channels. Unlike atmos, the sound is not steered.
Explain the differences between "binaural recording" and "ambisonics".
Binaural uses two microphones to create a 360 degree listening window around the miks. Ambosonic creates a full sphere listening window, using sound pressure relationships on the x, y, z, and w axis.
Waveform
a graphic representation of a sound pressure level or voltage level as it moves through a medium over time
Interaural Level Differences
for high-frequency sounds. Our head acts as an acoustical shadow, meaning that there is a lower level on the side away from the source of sound.\
Frequency
the rate at which an acoustic generator repeats within a cycle of positive and negative amplitude, correlates with pitch
Q
(Also called "Q Factor") - Stands for "Quality Factor," defining the bandwidth of frequencies that will be affected by an equalizer. The lower the Q, the broader the bandwidth curve of frequencies that will be boosted or cut. ... This often results in additional random frequencies in the sound, often heard as noise.
Input Pad
a cut of 20db on a channel
Electromagnetic Induction
whenever an electrically conductive metal cuts across the flux lines of a magnetic field, a current of a specific magnitude and direction will be generated within that metal. Used in dynamic/ribbon mics.
Listening Window
the area used for measuring the dispersion angles of a speaker
Wavelength (and how it is calculated)
the physical distance in a medium between the beginning and the end of a cycle. Calculated using Wavelength = Velocity/frequency
Velocity
the "speed" of sound. At 68 degrees Fahrenheit, this is equal to about 1130 feet per second.
Envelope
envelope, in musical sound, the attack, sustain, and decay of a sound
Interaural Time Differences
for low-frequency sounds. The head is not large enough to block low-frequency energy, so the sound diffracts around the head. The brain calculates the different time of arrival between the ear closest to the source and the ear away from the source.
Period (and how it is calculated)
​​is the time it takes for a wave to complete one complete cycle. It is calculated as Period = 1/frequency.
Pinnae effects
These are created by reflections on the outer ear that are channeled towards the ear canal.- how we determine height
Directional Response
The directional response of a mic refers to its sensitivity (output level) at various angles of incidence with respect to the front (on-axis) of the microphone
Electrostatic Principle
Used in condenser mics. The capsule of a basic condenser mic consists of two plates: one very thin moveable diaphragm and one fixed backplate.
Directivity Index
The Directivity Index (DI) of a directional microphone array is the ratio of the microphone output for a sound source positioned directly in front of the microphone array to that array's output measured in a diffuse sound field of the same total acoustic power.
3:1 Distance Rule
To reduce leakage and maintain phase integrity, this rule states that for every unit of distance between a mic and its source, a nearby mic (or mics) should be separated by at least three times that distance.
Amplitude
the distance above or below the centerline of a waveform, which correlates to volume
Blumlein Technique
same as XY but with figure 8 polar pattern
Harmonics
overtone frequencies that are whole-number multiples of the fundamental frequency
Sampling Rate
The sampling rate refers to the number of samples of audio recorded every second. It is measured in samples per second or Hertz (abbreviated as Hz or kHz, with one kHz being 1000 Hz).
Proximity Effect
an increase in the proportion of low-frequency output that occurs as the distance between a directional microphone and the sound source is reduced to the point where they are very close, or almost touching
Monitor ???
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Velocity
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