MUS 210A Introduction to Music Technology

Take home test Due Date: Monday, May 11th in class

1. Sounds movement through a medium is called:
a. Amplitude
b. Frequency
c. Spectrum
d. Propagation
2. The speed of sound refers to:
a. How fast sound moves in a vacuum
b. The Doppler effect
c. How fast sound moves through air
d. How fast sound moves through water

3. The speed of sound can be impacted by (check all that apply):

a. The medium through which sound is traveling
b. Temperature
c. Elevation
4. The speed of sound is approximately (check all that apply):
a. 340 meters per second
b. One foot per millisecond
c. One mile in five seconds
d. One kilometer in three seconds
5. Sound pressure is measured in:
a. Decibels
b. Frequency
c. Amplitude
d. Hertz
6. The human perception of amplitude is:
a. Loudness
b. Pitch
c. Level
d. Frequency

7. Which audio effects manipulate the dynamic range?

a. Delays
b. Filters
c. Compressors, limiters, expanders, and gates

8. Frequency is:
a. The amplitude range in decibels between the noise floor and
distortion
b. The degree of compression and rarefaction of air
c. How often a wave repeats within a fixed amount of time
9. Hertz is:
a. A measurement of frequency
b. A measurement of propagation
c. A measurement of amplitude
10. 1
a.
b.
c.

Hertz is:
Once per second
One foot per millisecond
Once per minute

11. The range of human frequency perception is roughly

a. 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hertz
b. 0 Hertz to 120 Hertz
c. -120 dB FS to 0 dB FS
d. -120 dB SPL to 0 dB SPL
12. A
a.
b.
c.

microphone is:
An input transducer
A pickup
An output transducer

13. A
a.
b.
c.
d.

microphone:
Converts an audio signal into sound pressure variations
Converts from analog to digital
Samples an audio signal
Converts sound pressure variations into an audio signal

14. A
a.
b.
c.

microphone preamp:
Converts from analog to digital
Amplifies a low signal up to the standard line level
Converts an audio signal into sound pressure variations

15. An Analog to Digital Converter:

a. Samples an audio signal
b. Amplifies a low signal up to the standard line level
c. Converts an audio signal into sound pressure variations
16. Once an audio signal has passed through an Analog to Digital
converter:
a. It is a line level signal
b. It goes to the microphone preamp
c. It is represented as a stream of binary words
d. It is pressure variations
17. Binary means:
a. Represented by ones and zeros
b. Continuous
c. Infinitely variable
18. Speakers are:
a. Output transducers
b. Input transducers
19. A
a.
b.
c.

transducer:
Converts from one form of energy to another
Samples an audio signal
Converts from a continuous signal to a discrete one

20. A
a.
b.
c.

microphone converts:
Air pressure variations to voltage variations
Audio signals to binary information
Voltage variations to pressure variations

21. The two most popular microphone types are:

a. Dynamic and PZM
b. Ribbon and condenser

c. Dynamic and condenser

22. To function, a condenser microphone requires:
a. Phantom power
b. Alternating current
c. Binary information
23. Why are dynamic microphones often used on stage in live settings?
Check all that apply.
a. They are less sensitive than condenser microphones
b. They are less prone to feedback
c. They are rugged
24. A condenser microphone will typically:
a. Have a worse high end frequency response than a dynamic
microphone
b. Be useful as a general purpose stage microphone
c. Have a better high end frequency response than a dynamic
microphone
d. Not require phantom power
25. The polar pattern of a microphone:
a. Is how the microphone varies across the dynamic range
b. Is a diagram that shows from what directions the microphone is
sensitive
c. Is a diagram that shows how the microphone responds across the
human frequency range
26. A
a.
b.
c.

directional microphone:
Is useful for capturing the sound of the environment
Is useful for isolating a sound source from its environment
Requires phantom power

27. A
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

computer can understand what type of information?

Audio
Analog
Binary
Voltage
Analog to digital conversion is also known as:
Gain
Transduction

h. Impedance
i. Sampling
28. An electric guitar pickup is:
a. Balanced
b. Line Level
c. A microphone
d. An output transducer
e. An input transducer
29. Is a guitar pickup output a line level signal?
a. No
b. Yes
30. An electric guitar with a pickup uses what type of cable?
a. 1/4 inch TRS
b. 1/4 inch TS
c. RCA
d. XLR
31. What does DAW stand for?
a. Digital Analog Workstation
b. Digital Audio Workstation
32. The conversion from Analog to Digital is known as:
a. Trimming
b. Gain Staging
c. Tracking
d. Sampling
33. What are the two main parameters of digital audio? Check all that
apply.
a. Word length (bit depth)
b. Polar pattern
c. Sample rate
d. Trim
e. Gain
f. Frequency response

34. What is the CD-standard word length?

a. 32 bit
b. 16 bit
c. 24 bit
d. 10 bit
35. What is the CD standard sampling rate?
a. 16 bit
b. 48,000 Hz
c. 192,000 Hz
d. 44,100 Hz
36. MP3 is:
a. Lossless data compression
b. Lossy data compression
37. Zip is:
a. Lossy data compression
b. Lossless data compression
38. A project file contains:
a. song information, audio information, and MIDI data
b. song information, an edit list that references external audio files,
and MIDI data
c. all assets associated with a musical project
39. These tracks contain song specific information like Markers and
Tempo:
a. Aux tracks
b. MIDI tracks
c. Audio tracks
d. Global tracks
40. These tracks are used primarily for routing audio within a DAW:
a. Global tracks
b. MIDI tracks
c. Aux tracks
41. An Audio track stores:
a. Analog audio data

b. MIDI data
c. Song information
d. Digital audio data

42. When recording with a single microphone, what type of track would
you record into?
a. MIDI track
b. Global track
c. Stereo audio track
d. Mono audio track
43. What is the range of notes in the MIDI specification?
a. 0-63
b. 1-64
c. 0-511
d. 0-127
44. Velocity is:
a. How hard a key was hit
b. The channel of a MIDI note
c. The amount of pitch bend
45. The two data words of a note-on message indicate:
a. Note number and modulation amount
b. Note number and velocity
c. Velocity and Channel
d. Channel and Control Change
46. The range of velocity in the MIDI spec is:
a. 0-127
b. 1-64
c. 0-511
d. 0-63
47. A sampler:
a. Plays back pre-recorded audio files
b. Generates sound from a geometric algorithm

48. Mute:
a. Routes a track to an aux send
b. Silences all other tracks
c. Silences a track
49. Solo:
a. Silences the track
b. Silences all other tracks
c. Routes a track to an aux send
50. A
a.
b.
c.

Bus:
Combines multiple streams of audio
Adjusts the track output level
Controls the level of a secondary output

51. Compressor belongs to which category?

a. Filter
b. Delay
c. Dynamic
52. Reverb belongs to which category?
a. Dynamic
b. Filter
c. Delay
53. Dynamic effects are related to which property of sound?
a. Propagation
b. Amplitude
c. Timbre
54. Filter effects are related to which property of sound?
a. Propagation
b. Timbre
c. Amplitude

55. What unit of measure is used for amplitude in the air?

a. dBSPL
b. Hertz
c. Phons

d. dBFS
e. Sons

56. Clipping in a DAW (choose all that apply):

a. Is a soft gentle type of distortion
b. Is often referring to digital distortion
c. Is indicated by red lights at the top of the channel level
57. A
a.
b.
c.

transient is (choose all that apply):

Slow moving musical dynamics
Manipulated by compressors and gates
A moment where amplitude changes dramatically in a short
amount of time

58. Compression:
a. Reduces dynamic range
b. Increases dynamic range
59. Threshold is:
a. The level at which a dynamic processor starts to function
b. The amount of gain reduction
c. The amount of gain amplification
d. The frequency at which the processor starts to function
60. A
a.
b.
c.

compressor with a very high ratio is also known as a:

Limiter
Expander
Gate

61. Attack and release control:

a. How fast the processor reacts
b. How much reduction
c. The level at which the reduction starts
62. The traditional usage for a gate is:
a. Reduce the level of the loud musical moments
b. Remove noise that is between important musical moments

c. Manipulate the impact of transients in the mix

d. Bring out an element in a dense mix

63. When the dry/wet balance is set to 0% on a simple delay unit:

a. The delays last for a very long time
b. The output is the same as the input
c. The output consists of only the delayed signal
64. With high feedback in a delay:
a. The output will consist only of the wet signal
b. The delays will continue on for a long time
c. The delays will fade away quickly
65. A
a.
b.
c.
d.

Low Pass filter:

Allows the high frequencies to pass through
Cuts the low amplitudes
Allows the high amplitudes to pass through
Allows the low frequencies to pass through

66. In a pass filter the cutoff frequency:

a. Is the frequency at which the filter is reducing the amplitude by
6dB
b. Is the frequency at which the filter starts reducing the amplitude
c. Is the frequency at which the filter is reducing the amplitude by
3dB
67. Q on a bell filter controls:
a. The width of the boost or cut
b. The frequency of the boost or cut
c. The height of the boost or cut
d. 2k Hertz is:
e. 2000 Hertz
f. 200 Hertz
g. 20 Hertz
h. 20000 Hertz
68. If you would like a sound to swell in slowly what would you do?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Lower the amplitude envelope release time

Raise the amplitude envelope sustain level
Raise the amplitude envelope attack time
Lower the amplitude envelope attack time