Audio Effects and Plugins Flashcards

What does a 'pitch shifter' plugin do differently from a 'transposer' in a DAW?

Answer: A pitch shifter changes pitch in real-time without altering tempo; a transposer moves entire clips

A pitch shifter changes pitch in real time while maintaining tempo, whereas transposing a clip in a DAW moves it to a new key.

What does the 'attack' parameter in a compressor determine?

Answer: How quickly the compressor begins to reduce gain after the threshold is crossed

The attack time determines how quickly the compressor engages after the signal exceeds the threshold.

What is a 'convolution reverb' and what makes it unique?

Answer: It uses impulse responses (IRs) of real spaces to recreate their acoustic characteristics

Convolution reverb convolves the input signal with an impulse response (IR) recorded in a real space to accurately recreate that acoustic environment.

What is 'inter-sample peaking' and why does it matter in mastering?

Answer: Peaks that occur between digital samples and can exceed 0 dBFS during DAC conversion

Inter-sample peaks occur between sample points and can exceed 0 dBFS when reconstructed by a DAC, causing distortion on playback devices.

What does a 'spectral repair' plugin (like iZotope RX) allow editors to do?

Answer: Visually identify and surgically remove or repair audio artifacts in the frequency-time domain

Spectral repair plugins display audio as a spectrogram and allow editors to paint over and remove noise, clicks, or interference at the frequency level.

What is 'harmonic distortion' in the context of analog emulation plugins?

Answer: The addition of overtones not present in the original signal, creating warmth and color

Harmonic distortion adds overtones (harmonics) to the signal that weren't in the original, a characteristic of analog gear that adds warmth.