How has the role of a mastering engineer changed since the beginning of the 20th century?
mastering has changed with the technology. Become the final check on frequency and volume content.
Name 5 Processes that may be done in a mastering session?
Noise reduction, EQ, Compression, Limiting, Expansion, Transfer to final master format
What are stems?
splitting main elements of a mix into subgroups
What audio format is typically provided to the mastering engineer?
stereo audio file at the same bit and sample rate as the multi track recording
What peak volume level should your final mix typically be when sending it to be mastered?
not exceeding -4dB
What are two advantages of having your mix professionally mastered?
checked over by an editor, sonically accurate environment.
For what reason may you not want to attend a mastering session?
the artist tends to make the process slower.
What is the loudness war?
loudness is increased through signal processing.
Name two drawbacks that have arisen in audio due to the loudness war?
it is fatiguing to the ear to hear music with little dynamic variation. And clipping will occur whenever 0dBFS is exceeded. Cause harshness
Why is distortion a non-linear signal?
what goes in is different from what goes out.
What is harmonic distortion?
distortion measured in harmonic added to a pure sinewave.
What is total harmonic distortion?
measurement of the harmonic distortion present
What is intermodulation distortion?
unwanted amplitude modulation of signals containing 2 or more different frequencies.
What is phase distortion?
all the components of the input signal are not amplified with the same phase shift. Some of the output signal is out of phase with the rest of the output.
Under which menu can the beat detective be found?
Event menu
What does region conform do in beat detective?
takes separated transient audio segments and places them to locations that correspond to the sessions tempo and beat.
Explain how you can export audio from pro tools without bouncing to disk?
go to audio regions list menu and choose export selected files.
How do you initiate half speed recording in pro tools?
hold down shift, space, and apple key simultaneously
How do you make a plugin inactive and how is it different then bypassing a plugin?
control + apple click on the waveform icon on the bottom of the track in the mix window. Bypassing does not save system resources. Just removes effect from the signal chain.
How do you create multiple playlists in Pro Tools and why are they useful?
click on triangle next to track name and click new. You don’t have to make more tracks.