Sound Design Audio Effects and Signal Processing

Question 1

What does a compressor do to an audio signal?

Accepted Answer

Reduces the dynamic range by attenuating signals above a set threshold

Answer

A compressor reduces the dynamic range of an audio signal by turning down the volume of portions that exceed a set threshold by a ratio, making quiet and loud parts more even in level.

Question 2

What is the 'attack' parameter on a compressor?

Accepted Answer

How quickly the compressor responds to a signal exceeding the threshold

Answer

The attack time on a compressor determines how quickly it begins reducing gain after the input signal crosses the threshold, measured in milliseconds — faster attacks catch transients, slower ones let them through.

Question 3

What type of effect is a 'convolution reverb'?

Accepted Answer

A reverb that uses an impulse response recording of a real acoustic space to simulate that space

Answer

Convolution reverb mathematically convolves a dry signal with an impulse response (IR) — a recording of a real space's acoustic response to a brief burst of sound — to place audio convincingly in that real environment.

Question 4

What is the difference between a 'delay' and a 'reverb' effect?

Accepted Answer

Delay creates discrete repeating echoes; reverb simulates dense reflections that blend into a diffuse tail

Answer

Delay produces distinct, spaced repeating echoes of the original signal, while reverb simulates the complex wash of many closely-spaced reflections from walls, floors, and ceilings that merge into a diffuse tail.

Question 5

What does a 'high-pass filter' do?

Accepted Answer

Allows only high frequencies to pass through, attenuating low frequencies below the cutoff

Answer

A high-pass filter (HPF) allows frequencies above its cutoff point to pass through while attenuating (rolling off) frequencies below the cutoff, commonly used to remove unwanted low-frequency rumble from audio.

Sound Design Practice Test

Sound Design Practice Test

Sound Design Audio Effects and Signal Processing