Music & Audio Advice Music & Audio Advice Mixing and Mastering Principles Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a high-pass filter on a vocal track during mixing?

Accepted Answer

Remove low-frequency rumble and mud

Answer

Boost the high frequencies for presence

Answer

Add warmth to the vocal tone

Answer

Create a telephone effect

Question 2

What does the term 'gain staging' refer to in the mixing process?

Accepted Answer

Managing signal levels at each point in the audio chain to avoid distortion and maintain headroom

Answer

Increasing the master fader to make a mix louder

Answer

Adding gain to every plugin for maximum volume

Answer

Automating volume changes throughout a song

Question 3

During mastering, what is the purpose of a mid-side EQ adjustment?

Accepted Answer

To separately process the center and stereo information of a mix

Answer

To apply identical EQ to left and right channels

Answer

To remove all stereo content from the master

Answer

To correct phase issues between monitors

Question 4

Which metering standard is most commonly used to measure perceived loudness for streaming platform compliance?

Accepted Answer

LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale)

Answer

VU (Volume Units)

Answer

Peak dBFS

Answer

RMS averaging

Question 5

What problem does applying a de-esser solve in a vocal mix?

Accepted Answer

Reduces harsh sibilant frequencies in the 4-10 kHz range

Answer

Removes plosive pops from P and B sounds

Answer

Eliminates background noise between phrases

Answer

Corrects pitch inaccuracies in the performance

Question 6

What is the recommended amount of headroom to leave on a mix bus before sending to mastering?

Accepted Answer

-3 to -6 dBFS of peak headroom

Answer

0 dBFS with no headroom

Answer

Exactly -20 dBFS at all times

Answer

-12 to -18 dBFS of peak headroom