CEA Audio Engineering Principles 3

Question 1

What is the primary function of a high-pass filter in audio processing?

Accepted Answer

Attenuates frequencies below a set cutoff frequency

Answer

A high-pass filter allows high frequencies to pass through while attenuating frequencies below the cutoff point.

Question 2

In acoustics, what is the 'critical distance' in a room?

Accepted Answer

The point where direct and reverberant sound fields are equal in level

Answer

Critical distance is where the direct sound level equals the reverberant sound level, beyond which the room acoustics dominate perception.

Question 3

Which compressor parameter controls how quickly the compressor stops reducing gain after the signal falls below the threshold?

Accepted Answer

Release

Answer

Release time determines how fast the compressor returns to unity gain after the signal drops below the threshold.

Question 4

What does the term 'latency' refer to in digital audio production?

Accepted Answer

The delay introduced by analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion and processing

Answer

Latency is the time delay that occurs as audio passes through digital conversion and processing, critical to manage in real-time recording scenarios.

Question 5

What is Fletcher-Munson (equal-loudness) curves used to describe?

Accepted Answer

The variation in human hearing sensitivity across frequencies at different loudness levels

Answer

Fletcher-Munson curves show that human hearing is less sensitive to low and high frequencies at lower listening levels compared to midrange.

(CEA) Certified Audio Engineer Practice Test