PRO TOOLS 101 LATEST EXAM SET QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Dynamic Microphone - ✔✔Contains a diaphragm, voice coil, and magnet. Many
have a presence peak usually around 4k but slightly less responsive around 10k. Lower
output level.
Pattern - Uni-directional; cardiod
Power - Voice coil (low power)
Particulars - Ruggedly built, inexpensive, not sensitive to high frequencies, good for
handling high sound pressure levels.
✔✔Ribbon Microphone - ✔✔Contains a thin piece of metal suspended within a
magnetic field. Warm sound. Type of dynamic microphone. Much lower output level.
Pattern - Bi-directional; figure 8
Power - Voice Coil
Particulars - Not rugged or fragile, expensive, not good with high frequencies, not good
with high sound pressure levels.
✔✔Condenser Microphone - ✔✔Use two metal plates suspended next to each other,
with an electrical charge supplied by an external power dupply creating electrical
capacitance between the two surfaces. Typically a much higher current. Preamp built
into mic.
Pattern - All (uni-directional, bi-directional, omni-directional)
Power - Phantom power
Particulars - Most efficient, most sensitive, best representation of original sound, fairly
delicate, expensive, good with high frequencies
✔✔Phantom Power - ✔✔Very small voltage sent backward down the cable
✔✔Polar Pattern - ✔✔Created by adjusting the characteristics of the diaphragm(s)
used, the housing used to enclose the parts of the microphone, and the electronic
circuitry within the mic.
Describe the sensitivity of the microphone to sounds from every direction
✔✔Omni-directional - ✔✔A microphone that picks up sound in every direction
Slightly more directional at high frequencies
✔✔Out of Phase - ✔✔When the positive and negative poles of two microphones aimed
at the same source are out of alignment.
Simple way to confirm phase: listen to them in mono
When two signals are totally out of phase, complete cancellation may occur. The sound
basically disappears.
✔✔Absolute Polarity - ✔✔When the polarity of the wave remains the same through the
signal chain
, ✔✔ Pro Tools - ✔✔A multi-track software-based digital recording and editing system
✔✔Audio - ✔✔Sound, especially when recorded, transmitted or reproduced
✔✔MIDI - ✔✔Musical Instrument Digital Interface
✔✔Mixing - ✔✔The process of blending all the individual tracks in a recording to create
a version of the song that sounds as good as possible
✔✔Post Production - ✔✔Work done on a recording after a recording has taken place
✔✔TDM - ✔✔Time Division Multiplexing - routes multiple streams of digital audio data
between system components
✔✔Host-based audio processing - ✔✔Processing done on the computer's CPU without
the need for additional DSP cards. Computer's processing ability.
✔✔D-Control Work Surface - ✔✔Up to 80 faders
✔✔D-Command Work Surface - ✔✔Up to 40 faders
✔✔Sound - ✔✔A variation in the air pressure around us. The result of changes caused
by vibrations that create disturbances in the air or water around the source.
✔✔Waveform - ✔✔The "shape" of the sound or the shape of the vibration that produced
the sound
✔✔Range of human hearing - ✔✔20Hz to 20,000Hz
✔✔Frequency - ✔✔How often the sound pressure variates. Measured in Hertz or CPS
(cycles per second). Creates our perception of pitch. Measurement of the regularly
repeating sine wave. Measured from peak to peak. The number of times a sound wave
repeats itself in one second, moving from the midpoint of the waveform where the
sound begins through the crest of the wave, where the pressure is greatest, through the
midpoint again, to the trough of the wave, where the pressure is the lightest, and back
to the midpoint.
✔✔Amplitude - ✔✔Intensity of the sound pressure variations. Creates our perception of
the loudness of the sound. Measured in decibels (dB). The measurement of how far
vibration of molecules of air travels; the distance traveled from the mid point. measured
on the vertical plane of the sine wave. Translated as volume or loudness.
ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Dynamic Microphone - ✔✔Contains a diaphragm, voice coil, and magnet. Many
have a presence peak usually around 4k but slightly less responsive around 10k. Lower
output level.
Pattern - Uni-directional; cardiod
Power - Voice coil (low power)
Particulars - Ruggedly built, inexpensive, not sensitive to high frequencies, good for
handling high sound pressure levels.
✔✔Ribbon Microphone - ✔✔Contains a thin piece of metal suspended within a
magnetic field. Warm sound. Type of dynamic microphone. Much lower output level.
Pattern - Bi-directional; figure 8
Power - Voice Coil
Particulars - Not rugged or fragile, expensive, not good with high frequencies, not good
with high sound pressure levels.
✔✔Condenser Microphone - ✔✔Use two metal plates suspended next to each other,
with an electrical charge supplied by an external power dupply creating electrical
capacitance between the two surfaces. Typically a much higher current. Preamp built
into mic.
Pattern - All (uni-directional, bi-directional, omni-directional)
Power - Phantom power
Particulars - Most efficient, most sensitive, best representation of original sound, fairly
delicate, expensive, good with high frequencies
✔✔Phantom Power - ✔✔Very small voltage sent backward down the cable
✔✔Polar Pattern - ✔✔Created by adjusting the characteristics of the diaphragm(s)
used, the housing used to enclose the parts of the microphone, and the electronic
circuitry within the mic.
Describe the sensitivity of the microphone to sounds from every direction
✔✔Omni-directional - ✔✔A microphone that picks up sound in every direction
Slightly more directional at high frequencies
✔✔Out of Phase - ✔✔When the positive and negative poles of two microphones aimed
at the same source are out of alignment.
Simple way to confirm phase: listen to them in mono
When two signals are totally out of phase, complete cancellation may occur. The sound
basically disappears.
✔✔Absolute Polarity - ✔✔When the polarity of the wave remains the same through the
signal chain
, ✔✔ Pro Tools - ✔✔A multi-track software-based digital recording and editing system
✔✔Audio - ✔✔Sound, especially when recorded, transmitted or reproduced
✔✔MIDI - ✔✔Musical Instrument Digital Interface
✔✔Mixing - ✔✔The process of blending all the individual tracks in a recording to create
a version of the song that sounds as good as possible
✔✔Post Production - ✔✔Work done on a recording after a recording has taken place
✔✔TDM - ✔✔Time Division Multiplexing - routes multiple streams of digital audio data
between system components
✔✔Host-based audio processing - ✔✔Processing done on the computer's CPU without
the need for additional DSP cards. Computer's processing ability.
✔✔D-Control Work Surface - ✔✔Up to 80 faders
✔✔D-Command Work Surface - ✔✔Up to 40 faders
✔✔Sound - ✔✔A variation in the air pressure around us. The result of changes caused
by vibrations that create disturbances in the air or water around the source.
✔✔Waveform - ✔✔The "shape" of the sound or the shape of the vibration that produced
the sound
✔✔Range of human hearing - ✔✔20Hz to 20,000Hz
✔✔Frequency - ✔✔How often the sound pressure variates. Measured in Hertz or CPS
(cycles per second). Creates our perception of pitch. Measurement of the regularly
repeating sine wave. Measured from peak to peak. The number of times a sound wave
repeats itself in one second, moving from the midpoint of the waveform where the
sound begins through the crest of the wave, where the pressure is greatest, through the
midpoint again, to the trough of the wave, where the pressure is the lightest, and back
to the midpoint.
✔✔Amplitude - ✔✔Intensity of the sound pressure variations. Creates our perception of
the loudness of the sound. Measured in decibels (dB). The measurement of how far
vibration of molecules of air travels; the distance traveled from the mid point. measured
on the vertical plane of the sine wave. Translated as volume or loudness.
