Practice Test Geeks(CAT) Commercial Audio Technician Practice Test
← All CAT Flashcard Decks

Technical Skills Flashcards

7 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 7 Technical Skills flashcards as text

  1. What is the purpose of an 'output limiter' on a commercial amplifier driving large speaker systems?

    Answer: To prevent signal levels from exceeding a threshold that could damage speakers

    Output limiters protect loudspeakers by preventing amplifier output from exceeding a level that would deliver damaging power to the speaker's voice coil.

  2. In acoustic design, what is 'reverberation time' (RT60)?

    Answer: The time for a sound to decay by 60 dB after the source stops

    RT60 is the time in seconds required for a sound's energy to decay by 60 dB after the source ceases, a key metric for evaluating room acoustics.

  3. A commercial technician is setting up a matrix mixer. What is the primary capability that distinguishes a matrix mixer from a standard mixer?

    Answer: Any input can be routed to any combination of outputs independently

    A matrix mixer allows any input signal to be independently routed and level-adjusted to any output or combination of outputs, enabling complex zone distribution.

  4. What does 'sensitivity' mean in the context of a professional loudspeaker specification?

    Answer: The SPL produced at 1 meter with 1 watt (or 2.83V) of input

    Loudspeaker sensitivity is measured as the SPL (dB) produced at 1 meter distance when driven with 1 watt (or 2.83V into 8 ohms) of input power.

  5. When measuring audio signal levels with a meter, what does 'RMS' represent compared to 'peak'?

    Answer: RMS measures the equivalent steady-state power level; peak measures the highest instantaneous amplitude

    RMS (Root Mean Square) represents the equivalent continuous power-related value of a signal, while peak captures the highest instantaneous amplitude reached.

  6. What is the function of an acoustic echo canceller (AEC) in a commercial conferencing audio system?

    Answer: Removes the far-end audio from the microphone signal to prevent feedback loops in calls

    AEC uses a reference signal of the room's loudspeaker output to identify and subtract far-end audio that leaks into the microphone, preventing echo on the far end.

  7. A commercial audio installation uses Cat6 cable to carry Dante audio. Which additional precaution should be taken to ensure audio network reliability?

    Answer: Segment the Dante network onto a dedicated VLAN or physical network isolated from general IT traffic

    Isolating Dante traffic on a dedicated VLAN or separate physical network prevents general IT traffic from introducing latency, packet loss, or bandwidth congestion that degrades audio.