CAT Digital Audio and Networking Flashcards
6 cards from real CAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 CAT Digital Audio and Networking flashcards as text
What does the acronym CobraNet refer to in commercial audio?
Answer: An early audio-over-Ethernet protocol used in large commercial and touring systems
CobraNet was one of the first widely adopted audio-over-Ethernet protocols, enabling transmission of multiple channels of uncompressed audio over standard 100BASE-TX networks before Dante and AVB became dominant.
When setting up a Dante network, what is the recommended switch configuration to prevent multicast flooding?
Answer: Enable IGMP snooping on all managed switches
IGMP snooping allows the switch to monitor multicast group memberships and forward multicast audio streams only to ports that have subscribed devices, preventing unnecessary flooding of all ports.
What is quantization noise in digital audio conversion?
Answer: Error introduced because a continuous analog value must be rounded to the nearest digital step
Quantization noise arises because an ADC must round each instantaneous analog sample to the nearest available digital value; the error between the true value and the rounded value is heard as noise.
In a commercial AV system, what is the purpose of a media matrix or DSP with GPIO ports?
Answer: To allow external contact closures or logic signals to trigger routing changes, presets, or mute functions
GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) ports on a DSP allow integration with control systems, wall plates, panic buttons, or automation controllers to trigger audio presets and routing without a network command.
What protocol do many commercial DSP systems use for third-party control integration such as with Crestron or AMX control systems?
Answer: TCP/IP socket commands or RS-232 serial using the manufacturer's API
Most commercial DSPs (BSS, QSC, Biamp) provide TCP/IP socket APIs and/or RS-232 serial command sets that allow Crestron, AMX, and similar control systems to send preset recalls, level changes, and routing commands.
What is the benefit of redundant network paths in a mission-critical commercial audio-over-IP installation?
Answer: Automatic failover maintains audio continuity if a primary switch or cable link fails
A redundant network path allows the audio-over-IP system to switch automatically to a secondary link if the primary link fails, preventing audio dropout in live events or critical installations.