Question 1

Mastering can ____________ of a finished mix.&#10;A) adjust the vocal/instrument balance&#10;B) reduce the amount of reverb&#10;C) alter the tonal balance&#10;D) reduce the amount of distortion&#10;E) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Mastering can alter the tonal balance of a finished mix, but it typically does not adjust individual elements like vocal/instrument balance or reduce reverb/distortion, which are usually addressed during mixing.

Question 2

The difference between &#34;duplication&#34; and &#34;replication&#34; is that ___________.&#10;A) there is no difference.&#10;B) &#34;duplication&#34; makes one copy; &#34;replication&#34; makes several.&#10;C) &#34;duplication&#34; makes copies with a CD burner; &#34;replication&#34; stamps CDs from a glass master.&#10;D) &#34;duplication&#34; is for audio; &#34;replication&#34; is for video.

Accepted Answer

"Duplication" typically refers to making copies with a CD burner, while "replication" involves creating a glass master and stamping copies of the disc. Therefore, the difference between the two is the method of copying.

Question 3

Normalizing each of the mixes in an album makes all the mixes _______________.&#10;A) the same loudness.&#10;B) have the same peak level.&#10;C) normal.&#10;D) less distorted.

Accepted Answer

Normalizing adjusts the peak level of each mix to a target level, ensuring they all have the same peak level.

Question 4

Compared to a slow CD-burning speed, a high CD-burning speed ________________.&#10;A) tends to increase digital errors.&#10;B) makes no difference - it's all digital.&#10;C) seriously degrades the sound.&#10;D) changes the pitch of the program.

Accepted Answer

A high CD-burning speed tends to increase digital errors, resulting in potential skipping or glitches in the audio.

Question 5

If you are sending your mixes to a mastering engineer, ______________.&#10;A) let them decide the best key to use on each song.&#10;B) normalize the mixes.&#10;C) do not make the mixes as loud as possible.&#10;D) apply fades ahead of time.

Accepted Answer

It's important not to make the mixes as loud as possible before sending them to the mastering engineer, as this can limit their ability to make significant improvements to the overall sound. Mastering engineers need headroom to work with, so it's best to leave some space in the mix for them to make adjustments as needed.

Question 6

If you are sending your mixes to a mastering engineer, ______________.&#10;A) put them on an audio CD.&#10;B) send the mixes as wave files.&#10;C) make sure they are 16-bit.&#10;D) do not send them over the Internet.

Accepted Answer

Sending the mixes as wave files is the best choice because it allows the mastering engineer to work with the highest quality audio and make necessary adjustments without any loss of quality. Sending them on an audio CD or in a lower bit depth (such as 16-bit) could result in a loss of quality. Sending them over the internet could also result in a loss of quality due to compression and other factors.

Question 7

To master a live, continuous recording with no spaces between songs, you need ___________________.&#10;A) CD burning software that lets to specify the song-start times.&#10;B) recording software.&#10;C) track-at-once.&#10;D) CD replication software.

Accepted Answer

CD burning software that allows you to specify the song-start times is necessary to ensure that there are no spaces between songs in a continuous recording. Recording software and track-at-once options may also be helpful, but they are not specifically needed to achieve a seamless recording. CD replication software is not relevant for the initial recording process.

Question 8

A track is a recording of one instrument or vocal. In what activity do you set the balance among recorded tracks?&#10;A) Recording.&#10;B) Mixing.&#10;C) Mastering.&#10;D) overdubbing.

Accepted Answer

Balancing and adjusting the levels among recorded tracks is done during the mixing stage.

Question 9

Which of these activities are part of mastering?&#10;A) Put the songs in the desired sequence.&#10;B) Adjust the tonal balance of each song.&#10;C) Adjust the spacing between songs.&#10;D) Adjust the level of each song.&#10;E) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

All of the activities listed (putting songs in desired sequence, adjusting tonal balance, adjusting spacing, adjusting levels) are part of the mastering process.

Question 10

If you want to increase the loudness of a CD during mastering, what should you do to prevent distortion and retain dynamic range?&#10;A) Increase the level of each song until clipping occurs occasionally.&#10;B) Apply peak limiting and normalization.&#10;C) Apply peak limiting and compression.&#10;D) Apply extreme compression.

Accepted Answer

Applying peak limiting and normalization will increase the overall loudness of the CD while preventing clipping and retaining dynamic range. Peak limiting will prevent any peaks from exceeding a certain level, while normalization will increase the level of the entire track uniformly, without excessively compressing it. Applying compression or extreme compression, on the other hand, can lead to excessive reduction in dynamic range and distortion.

Question 11

The feature that shows listeners each song's title and performer is called _______________.&#10;A) CD Text.&#10;B) ISRC code.&#10;C) PQ subcode.&#10;D) CD Tag.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The feature that shows listeners each song's...

Question 12

Where can you obtain licensing to sell recordings of cover songs?&#10;A) The U.S. Copyright Office.&#10;B) The Audio Engineering Society.&#10;C) The Harry Fox Agency.&#10;D) The Audio Content Licensing Group.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Where can you obtain licensing to sell...

Deck 18: Mastering and Cd Burning