Sound Design Sound Design MCQ 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In audio recording, what is 'room tone'?
- The fundamental frequency of a room's resonance
- The ambient background sound of a location recorded without dialogue or action (Correct answer)
- Equalization applied to match the acoustic character of a room
- The reverb tail of a large concert hall
Correct answer: The ambient background sound of a location recorded without dialogue or action
Room tone is a few seconds of silence recorded on set to capture the unique ambient noise of a location, used in editing to fill gaps between dialogue.
Question 2: What is the Haas effect in psychoacoustics?
- The increase in perceived loudness when two identical sounds play simultaneously
- The phenomenon where a sound arriving within 40ms of another is fused into one perceived source (Correct answer)
- The masking of high frequencies by low-frequency sounds
- The perceived widening of stereo field through mid-side processing
Correct answer: The phenomenon where a sound arriving within 40ms of another is fused into one perceived source
The Haas (or precedence) effect states that two similar sounds arriving within roughly 40ms are heard as one, with the perceived source direction determined by the first arrival.
Question 3: What does 'bit depth' determine in digital audio?
- The number of audio samples taken per second
- The resolution of amplitude values, affecting dynamic range and noise floor (Correct answer)
- The maximum frequency that can be represented
- The file size compression ratio of an audio file
Correct answer: The resolution of amplitude values, affecting dynamic range and noise floor
Bit depth sets how many discrete amplitude levels are available per sample; each additional bit adds approximately 6 dB of dynamic range.
Question 4: In FM synthesis, what is the 'modulator'?
- The oscillator whose frequency is being modulated
- The oscillator that modulates the frequency of the carrier (Correct answer)
- The envelope controlling amplitude over time
- The filter shaping the final output timbre
Correct answer: The oscillator that modulates the frequency of the carrier
In FM synthesis, the modulator is the oscillator whose output is used to alter (modulate) the frequency of the carrier oscillator, creating complex sidebands.
Question 5: Which sound design technique involves slicing audio into tiny grains and rearranging or overlapping them?
- Wavetable synthesis
- Granular synthesis (Correct answer)
- Spectral resynthesis
- Physical modeling
Correct answer: Granular synthesis
Granular synthesis breaks audio into small grains (typically 1–100ms) that are manipulated, scattered, and layered to create new textures and timbres.
Question 6: What is the function of a de-esser in audio processing?
- Remove low-frequency hum from electrical interference
- Selectively reduce harsh sibilant frequencies in vocal recordings (Correct answer)
- Expand dynamic range during quiet passages
- Add saturation to high-frequency content
Correct answer: Selectively reduce harsh sibilant frequencies in vocal recordings
A de-esser is a frequency-specific compressor that targets and attenuates sibilant sounds (typically 4–10 kHz) such as 's', 'sh', and 'ch' in vocal tracks.
Question 7: What does 'LUFS' stand for and what does it measure?
- Low Unified Frequency Spectrum; measures tonal balance
- Loudness Units relative to Full Scale; measures integrated perceived loudness (Correct answer)
- Linear Unweighted Frequency Sum; measures peak amplitude
- Level Unified Filter Stage; measures compressor gain reduction
Correct answer: Loudness Units relative to Full Scale; measures integrated perceived loudness
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a standardized loudness measurement that reflects human perception of loudness, used in broadcast and streaming normalization.
Sound Design Sound Design MCQ 3
In audio recording, what is 'room tone'?