Mixing and Mastering 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 Mixing and Mastering flashcards as text
What is 'clipping' in the context of digital audio, and what audible artifact does it produce?
Answer: A signal exceeding 0 dBFS, producing harsh distortion due to waveform flattening
Digital clipping occurs when a signal exceeds the maximum representable value (0 dBFS), causing the waveform peaks to be squared off and producing harsh, buzzy distortion.
A producer wants to add 'glue' to the mix bus without noticeably squashing transients. What compressor setting approach achieves this?
Answer: Slow attack, slow release, low ratio (2:1 or less)
A slow attack preserves transient punch, a slow release avoids pumping, and a low ratio applies subtle cohesion without over-compression.
What is 'automation' used for in a professional mix?
Answer: Dynamically controlling parameters like volume, pan, and effects over time
Mix automation allows parameters to change at precise points in time, enabling elements to appear, disappear, and shift in the sonic space dynamically.
In mastering, what is the purpose of a True Peak limiter set to -1 dBTP?
Answer: To prevent inter-sample peaks from causing distortion after lossy encoding
Limiting True Peaks to -1 dBTP provides headroom that prevents inter-sample peaks from exceeding 0 dBFS after lossy codecs like AAC or MP3 re-encode the file.
What is the primary acoustic challenge with mixing in a room that has strong 'standing waves'?
Answer: Certain low frequencies are artificially boosted or cancelled at specific listening positions, causing inaccurate bass perception
Standing waves create bass buildups and nulls at predictable positions, so what the engineer hears at the mix position may not reflect the actual bass in the recording.
Which technique is commonly used to create depth and distance for a sound in a mix?
Answer: Adding reverb and slightly reducing high-frequency content to simulate air absorption
Reverb simulates reflective environments while subtle high-frequency rolloff mimics how air absorbs treble over distance, pushing sounds further back.
What is the function of an 'exciter' or 'harmonic enhancer' plugin in a mix?
Answer: It generates additional harmonic overtones to add brightness and presence to a signal
Exciters synthesize upper harmonics (typically even-order) derived from the source signal, adding perceived brightness and air without simply boosting high frequencies.