Audio Mixing Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real CMP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Audio Mixing Techniques flashcards as text
What is 'frequency masking' between a kick drum and bass guitar, and what is the most common fix?
Answer: Their fundamental frequencies overlap in the low end; fix with sidechain compression or EQ carving
The kick and bass often compete in the 60–120 Hz range; sidechain compression ducks the bass when the kick hits, while EQ carving creates separate spectral space for each.
What does increasing the 'Q' (quality factor) on a parametric EQ band do?
Answer: It narrows the bandwidth, making the boost or cut more surgical and precise
A higher Q value narrows the bell curve, concentrating the EQ adjustment to a tighter frequency range for more precise corrections.
In stereo mixing, what is the Mid-Side (M-S) technique used for?
Answer: Separately processing the center (mid) and stereo difference (side) signals of a stereo track
M-S processing decodes a stereo signal into its mono center (M) and stereo difference (S) components, allowing independent EQ or compression of each.
What is 'clipping' in a digital audio context and why is it destructive?
Answer: When a signal exceeds 0 dBFS, causing the waveform to be truncated and producing harsh distortion
Digital clipping occurs when a signal exceeds the maximum representable value (0 dBFS), resulting in flat-topped waveforms and audible harmonic distortion.
Which type of reverb is most suitable for creating a short, tight ambience that glues drum tracks together without washing them out?
Answer: Room reverb with a short decay time (under 400 ms)
A short room reverb adds subtle spatial cohesion to drums while keeping the attack crisp and the overall sound tight and focused.
What does a 'noise gate' do in an audio mix?
Answer: Silences a track when the signal falls below a set threshold, removing bleed and noise between performances
A noise gate closes when the signal drops below the threshold, effectively muting the channel during pauses to eliminate bleed, hum, or room noise.
What is 'bus compression' and what role does it play in a professional mix?
Answer: Applying compression to a grouped set of tracks (e.g., all drums) to glue them together and add cohesion
Bus compression on a group (like a drum bus) gently controls the dynamics of all tracks together, making them feel like a unified performance rather than individual sounds.