AAERT CER Exam Questions And Answers Rated 100%!!!

Methods of audio recording - ANS Analog and digital Microphone - ANS Converts acoustical energy that is sound into electrical signal that can be delivered to either an analog or digital device Path of digital audio - ANS To change the analog signal to a digital signal it will need to pass through an analog to digital converter (digital mixer or A/D converter) Sample rate - ANS Number of samples taken each second when recording sound. (44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, et cetera) Bit rate - ANS the number of bits transferred or received per unit of time (usually 16 or 24 bits) Low sampling rate - ANS Approximation High sampling rate - ANS Smooth Digital mixer or A/D converter - ANS The digital mixer, or A/D converter, will output the signal through one of a variety of connections such as USB, FireWire (IEEE 1394), serial, local computer bus, or Ethernet. Dynamic Microphone - ANS (Moving coil) - made up of diaphragm, a coil, and a magnet. As acoustical energy hits against the diaphragm, which is a flat plate at the front of the microphone, it causes the coil that is attached to it to move back and forth over the top of the magnet. The movement of the coil over top of the magnet creates an electrical signal which travels through the wires within the microphone and eventually reaches your digital mixer or A/D converter. Condenser Microphone - ANS Consists of a front plate (diaphragm), back plate, and a 48-volt power source. The front and back plate together create a capacitor. When acoustical energy hits the front plate of the capacitor, the distance between the front and back plate changes. The gap between these two plates is electrically charged. This charge is created by either an internal battery source or an external power source referred to as phantom power. Should you use microphones with batteries? - ANS No. If a battery would die during use, you could have a gap in your recording, and you would need to interrupt the event you are reporting to fix this problem. Digital mixers and A/D converters act as - ANS Phantom power source for condenser microphones Biggest difference between dynamic and condenser microphones - ANS The way by which acoustical energy is transformed into electrical energy, one assisted by an electrical source and the other by a magnet. Both are capable of facilitating a quality audio recording and are recommended for use in the field of digital reporting. Pickup pattern - ANS Set path in which a microphone will intercept sound Cardioid pickup pattern - ANS Unidirectional - heart-shaped pattern which reaches out from the diaphragm of a microphone. Beneficial for single voice located in front of mic while rejecting additional ambient room sound from behind the mic and lower sensitivity on the sides Omnidirectional pickup pattern - ANS Intercepts sound from all directions from its placement, meaning it captures sound equally from all directions. Beneficial for capturing multiple voices using only one microphone or when you have more speakers than available recording channels. Use carefully to avoid noisy recordings or voices covering one another if speaking simultaneously. Dynamic Microphone - ANS Very good for spoken word in a very controlled environment. Not designed for long-range pickup or varying pickup patterns Condenser Microphone - ANS Offer more flexibility and lighter-weight products, but comes with more responsibility on reporter for understanding how to adjust for different environments. Gooseneck Microphone - ANS Has a solid base which rests on a desk or table. From the base, a long flexible neck with a narrow condenser microphone attached to the end extends out towards the speaker. Oftentimes has a button that can toggle the microphone on and off to keep confidential conversations from appearing on the record. Low profile boundary Microphone - ANS Lay flat on desk or table and are commonly no more than an inch or two thick. have a solid base which rests on a desk or table. This type of mic tends to pick up a lot of ambient noise and parties tend to place papers on top of them. Lavalier Microphone - ANS Extremely small condenser mic that attaches directly to the speaker. These mics are useful when the environment does not offer an opportunity to place a microphone in front of a speaker. Also effective in a courtroom environment where attorneys tend to wander from place to place. Can be both wired and wireless. These microphones require the use of batteries. Therefore, always have spare batteries on hand. Phone connectors - ANS 1/4" TS (Tip Sleeve) - 1/4" phone jack 1/4" TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) - 1/4" phone jack 1/8 TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) - 1/8" phone jack If XLR cable is pinched, sliced or kinked what might you hear? - ANS Static or nothing at all. XLR connectors - ANS Most common. These cables are commonly referred to as mic cables, have a male end and a female end. The male end of the connector has 3 pins on the inside which seat within a female XLR jack. This connection commonly occurs at a mixer. The female end consists of 3 sockets which allow the male end to connect. In most cases, mics have a male connection permanently installed in them where the female end of the cable connects. One exception is a mic that is hard wired. This means that the cable is permanently attached to the microphone and the only connector would be the male end that connects to a mixer. Digital mixer - ANS A device that takes a signal through a cable to a computer. In other words, it takes sound in the form of an analog signal from the microphone(s), converts the analog signal to a digital signal, and transports that signal to a computer. Digital mixers are sometimes referred to as audio interfaces When choosing digital mixer - ANS Make sure the mics chosen are compatible and that your computer has a connection port that can receive the output. Also, make certain digital recording software you are going to use is compatible with the mixer. Choose software before mixer. Mixer input types - ANS Microphone, instrument, and line. Microphone input connection - ANS Usually XLR but can also be TRS Microphone preamps - ANS Any microphone input that also offers a preamp will significantly boost the signal strength of the audio for that channel. Output types - ANS You will most likely see digital mixer outputs either as USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394). There are some cases where a serial connection my still be used, but that type of connection is not as common