The
Audio
Masterclass
Music
Production
and
Sound
Engineering
Course


MODULE
11
MODEL
ANSWERS


After
the
mastering
process,
are
changes
ever
made
to
the
sound
quality
for
artistic
reasons?


No,
mastering
is
the
last
stage
where
artistic
decisions
can
be
taken.



State
five
functions
of
mastering,
as
given
in
the
text.


 To
compensate,
as
far
as
possible,
for
any
deficiencies
of
the
medium.



 To
optimize
the
sound
quality
and
level.


 To
match
different
tracks
in
terms
of
EQ
and
level
so
that
they
fit
together
well.
on
an
album,

particularly
from
one
track
to
the
next.


 To
set
the
gaps
between
tracks,
and/or
apply
crossfades.



 To
prepare
the
tracks
for
the
medium
onto
which
they
will
be
manufactured
or
downloaded.


After
a
series
of
album
recording
session
is
compete,
what
other
audio
material
is
produced,
apart
from

the
tracks
that
will
eventually
be
released?


 Songs
that
didn't
work
out.


 Mixes
other
than
the
final
approved
mixes.


 Possibly
temporary
'work‐in‐progress'
mixes.


 Possibly
the
original
multitrack
recordings.


 'Benchmark'
tracks
used
as
reference
points
in
the
mixing
process.


With
reference
to
the
above,
why
should
the
album
tracks
be
stored
separately
from
the
other
material?

Storing
the
album
tracks
together,
preferably
in
order,
will
prevent
errors
and
delays
in
mastering,
and
save

time
and
therefore
money.



Describe
briefly
two
ways
in
which
a
click
can
be
removed
from
a
mixed
stereo
track.


The
pencil
tool
of
a
digital
audio
workstation
can
be
used
to
draw
a
smooth
waveform
in
place
of
the
click.


A
few
tens
of
milliseconds
around
the
click
can
be
edited
out.
The
gap
can
be
closed
and
the
two
sections

crossfaded
together.



Vinyl


State
five
limitations
of
vinyl.


 Noise
due
to
surface
irregularities,
scratches,
and
rumble
from
the
turntable.



 The
inertia
of
the
stylus
limits
the
extent
to
which
it
can
accelerate.



 The
stylus
may
mistrack
(meaning
to
lose
contact
with
the
groove
walls).



 The
duration
per
side
is
limited.



 The
relative
speed
between
stylus
and
groove
is
high
at
the
outer
edge
of
the
disc,
low
in
the


Module
11
Model
Answers

 center.
This
means
that
the
sound
quality
is
better
at
the
start
of
a
side
than
at
the
end.


Why
does
a
vinyl
cutting
lathe
have
an
acceleration
limiter?


So
that
the
movements
of
the
groove
walls
are
not
too
sudden
for
the
stylus
to
follow.
If
the
stylus
loses

contact
with
the
groove
wall,
this
is
called
mistracking,
which
results
in
distortion
and
damage
to
the

record.
[Note
that
this
is
not
to
be
confused
with
poor
tracking
caused
by
a
shallow
groove,
the
record

player
not
being
level
or
the
anti‐skating
force
being
incorrectly
set.
The
common
DJ
trick
of
putting
a
coin

on
the
headshell
will
not
work!]


Why
should
out‐of‐phase
signals
be
avoided
in
vinyl
cutting?


Out‐of‐phase
signals,
if
they
are
high
in
level,
and
particularly
in
the
bass,
can
cause
the
groove
to
become

shallow
or
even
disappear
completely.
This
can
cause
the
playback
stylus
to
come
out
of
the
groove.



What
is
the
advantage
of
making
the
bass
mono,
other
than
preventing
possible
mistracking?


If
the
bass
comes
out
of
both
loudspeakers,
it
can
be
6
dB
louder
than
if
it
comes
out
of
just
one.



What
is
a
'production
master?


A
copy
of
the
original
with
level
and
EQ
changes
to
blend
one
track
with
the
next.
Basically
a
copy
of
the

album
that
can
be
cut
straight
to
vinyl
or
CD
without
further
attention.


CD


What
is
the
bit
depth
of
CD?


16‐bit


What
is
the
sampling
rate
of
CD?


44.1
kHz



Describe
the
relevance
of
‐2
dBFS,
according
to
the
text.


The
master
must
peak
higher
than
‐2
dBFS
at
some
point,
otherwise
the
factory
might
reject
it.



What
is
the
standard
maximum
duration
of
a
CD?


74
minutes



State
three
formats
in
which
a
CD
master
can
be
supplied
to
a
factory.


Red
Book
CD‐Audio,
DDP,
Sony
1630



What
is
a
'Red
Book'
CD?


A
CD
that
conforms
fully
to
the
original
'Red
Book'
specification
developed
by
Philips
and
Sony.



State
briefly
what
additional
information
a
CD
may
contain
besides
the
music.


International
Standard
Recording
Code
(ISRC),
barcode
data.



State
the
advantage
of
the
CD‐Text
format.


CD‐Text
can
include
text
material
such
as
song
titles,
in
addition
to
the
audio.



Download


Briefly
describe
the
meaning
of
'lossy'.


Module
11
Model
Answers

A
lossy
data
reduction
method
is
one
where
information
is
discarded
and
cannot
be
retrieved.
Both
MP3

and
AAC
are
lossy.



Which
is
the
better
format
subjectively,
AAC
or
MP3?


Of
course,
subjectivity
is
an
individual
matter.
However,
most
people
will
find
AAC
much
closer
to
the

original
non‐compressed
file
than
MP3.



State
the
typical
bit
rate
of
an
AAC
or
MP3
file.


128
megabit/second



Artistic
Aspects
of
Mastering


State
the
three
artistic
aspects
of
mastering,
according
to
the
text.


 Optimize
the
level
of
each
track
so
that
there
is
no
wasted
headroom
on
the
CD.


 Make
all
tracks
comparable
in
terms
of
EQ
balance
and
subjective
loudness,
particularly
adjacent

tracks.


 To
set
the
durations
of
the
gaps
between
the
tracks,
and/or
create
crossfades.


Briefly
describe
the
meaning
of
'subjective
loudness'.


When
a
signal
is
normalized,
it
will
peak
at
0
dBFS,
meaning
that
it
cannot
possibly
be
higher
in
level.

However
there
are
processes
that
will
make
it
sound
louder,
even
without
being
able
to
increase
the
peak

level.



The
text
describes
four
stages
of
mastering
‐
EQ,
compression,
EQ
again
then
limiting.
Why
is
the
first
EQ

stage
necessary?


To
correct
any
EQ
problems
in
the
original.



With
reference
to
the
above,
why
is
the
compression
stage
necessary?


To
increase
subjective
loudness.



With
reference
to
the
above,
why
is
the
second
EQ
stage
necessary?

To
enhance
the
balance
of
frequencies,
or
to
make
tracks
compatible
with
each
other
on
an
album
or

compilation.



With
reference
to
the
above,
why
is
the
limiting
stage
necessary?


To
further
increase
subjective
loudness.



What
is
the
problem
with
increasing
the
subjective
loudness
too
much?


The
sound
becomes
harsh
and
tiring
to
listen
to.



Why
is
it
possible
to
'get
away
with'
a
certain
amount
of
clipping?


Clipping
of
very
short
duration
is
generally
inaudible
to
most
people.
However,
they
may
still
find
a
clipped

track
tiring
to
listen
to
after
a
while.



According
to
the
text,
does
Audio
Masterclass
recommend
clipping
as
a
means
of
achieving
subjective

loudness?


No.


Module
11
Model
Answers

What
is
multi‐band
compression?


The
multi‐band
compressor
takes
the
signal
and
splits
it
up
into
as
many
as
five
separate
bands
of

frequencies.
Each
band
is
then
compressed
separately.
This
maximizes
the
level
separately
in
each
band,
so

that
when
the
signals
are
mixed
back
together
again
the
result
is
a
signal
which
is
as
high
as
it
practically

can
be
in
every
band
of
frequencies.


What
is
the
problem
of
multi‐band
compression?



It
can
change
the
frequency
balance.



End
of
model
answers.


Module
11
Model
Answers