Ch 6 - Sound

Question 1

wave

Answer 1

undulation of traveling energy

Question 2

crest

Answer 2

highest point of a wave (max pressure of air molecules in sound)

Question 3

trough

Answer 3

lowest point of a wave (max release of air molecules in sound)

Question 4

velocity

Answer 4

speed of wave in relation to time

Question 5

wavelength

Answer 5

measurement of full cycle of wave, from crest to crest

Question 6

frequency

Answer 6

number of cycles a wave travels in 1 second

Question 7

pitch

Answer 7

aural manifestation of sound wave directly proportional to frequency

Question 8

Hertz (Hz)

Answer 8

basic unit of measurement of frequency of sound

Question 9

amplitude

Answer 9

height of wave; with sound waves, determines loudness

Question 10

decibel

Answer 10

unit of measurement for amplitude (loudness) of sound wave

Question 11

attenuation

Answer 11

weakening of energy wave as it travels

Question 12

transduction

Answer 12

conversion of energy from one form to another

Question 13

radio frequency

Answer 13

part of electromagnetic spectrum used for wireless broadcasting communication

Question 14

impedance

Answer 14

amount of resistance to signal

Question 15

dynamic mic

Answer 15

uses coil and magnet to produce audio signal

Question 16

condenser mic

Answer 16

uses two charged metal plates (one moving, one fixed) to create audio signal

Question 17

voltage

Answer 17

electrical energy

Question 18

ribbon mic

Answer 18

magnetic mic with small strip of metal instead of coil

Question 19

phantom power

Answer 19

externally provided power circuit used for preamplification in condenser mics

Question 20

frequency response

Answer 20

sensitivity across range of frequencies

Question 21

pickup pattern

Answer 21

area around mic in which sound is clearly reproduced

Question 22

omni mic

Answer 22

includes entire surrounding area of mic, eliminating only area directly behind

Question 23

bidirectional mic

Answer 23

includes right and left sides of mic

Question 24

unidirectional mic

Answer 24

most sensitive directly in front and limited sensitivity on sides and behind

Question 25

on-axis

Answer 25

proper location of subject within pickup pattern of mic for optimum audio recording quality

Question 26

handheld mic

Answer 26

designed fro use in proximity to subject

Question 27

lavaliere mic

Answer 27

designed to be attached to subject

Question 28

shotgun mic

Answer 28

narrow pickup pattern, designed for recording audio at distance from source, usually method for removing mic from image frame

Question 29

unbalanced cable

Answer 29

uses just 2 conductors and wires (one for signal, one wrapped around as shield)

Question 30

balanced cable

Answer 30

3 conductors attached to 3 wires (XLR); 2 carry signal and 1 acts as shield; 2 sig wires carry same signal but polarity reversed on one

Question 31

sampling rate

Answer 31

number of digital samples taken per second

Question 32

bit depth

Answer 32

amount of digital information taken within each individual sample

Question 33

streaming audio

Answer 33

media presentation technique that allows simultaneous viewing/listening while downloading rich media from internet onto computer

Question 34

lossy

Answer 34

reduced quality due to info lost from compression

Question 35

lossless

Answer 35

no info lost from compression

Question 36

VU meter

Answer 36

measurement displays amount of voltage passing through it

Question 37

LED meter

Answer 37

has row/column of lights that light up in proportion to strength of signal

Question 38

monitoring

Answer 38

process of listening to audio signal during recording to ensure proper level and sound quality

Question 39

peak

Answer 39

highest point of voltage within audio signal

Question 40

overmodulation

Answer 40

point at which peak of audio signal exceeds max safe recording range and risks distortion

Question 41

ride the gain

Answer 41

adjust level while recording/taping

Question 42

S/N ratio

Answer 42

relative proportion of desired info and interference

Question 43

ambience

Answer 43

natural sound of location

Question 44

timbre

Answer 44

tone quality

Question 45

harmonics

Answer 45

group of frequencies that creates a specific sound

Question 46

sound envelope

Answer 46

shape of sound wave (ADSR)

Question 47

reverb

Answer 47

multiple reflections of sound off surfaces surrounding source

Question 48

sound presence

Answer 48

subjective sense of sound proximity

Question 49

binaural hearing

Answer 49

ability of human ears to perceive difference in location, duration, and presence of sound

Question 50

sound perspective

Answer 50

perception of placement of sound in space

Question 51

stereo

Answer 51

method of recording, mixing, and playing back on 2 separate channels/tracks

Question 52

surround

Answer 52

uses 4 or more channels

Question 53

room tone

Answer 53

sound of space/ambient sound

Question 54

flash memory

Answer 54

form of solid state drives like SD card/compact flash card

Question 55

broadcasting

Answer 55

transmitting of radio waves point to multipoint, whereby one transmitter reaches many receivers

Question 56

podcast

Answer 56

radio broadcast/audio blog that can be downloaded/streamed to computer/smartphone