Audio Interfaces and Connectivity Flashcards
7 cards from real Music & Audio Advice 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 Interfaces and Connectivity flashcards as text
What sample rate is the standard for CD-quality audio?
Answer: 44.1 kHz
CD audio is standardized at 44.1 kHz, while 48 kHz is more common in video work.
Increasing the buffer size in your audio interface settings will generally do what?
Answer: Increase latency but reduce CPU load
Larger buffers give the CPU more time to process, lowering load but raising latency.
Why are balanced cables preferred for long audio runs?
Answer: They reject electromagnetic interference and hum
Balanced connections use differential signaling to cancel out noise picked up along the cable.
What is 'bit depth' responsible for in digital audio?
Answer: The dynamic range and noise floor
Higher bit depth (e.g., 24-bit) increases dynamic range and lowers the noise floor.
A guitar plugged directly into a line-level input often sounds thin because the input lacks what?
Answer: High-impedance (Hi-Z/instrument) matching
Passive guitar pickups need a high-impedance DI/instrument input to be loaded correctly.
What does the 'gain' knob on an interface preamp control?
Answer: The amount the input signal is amplified
Gain sets how much the preamp boosts the incoming mic or instrument signal.
Clipping in a digital recording occurs when the signal does what?
Answer: Exceeds 0 dBFS, the maximum digital level
Digital clipping happens when the signal goes past 0 dBFS, producing harsh distortion.