Recording
Which types of mics requires phantom power?
Condenser (+50 points if ribbon is included)
What is panning?
Placing a sound in the stereo image (RL)
Which element(s) are usually in the center and almost never pans around?
Kick, bass
What is top-lining?
Writing a main melody over a given instrumental track.
Please draw a cardioid polar pattern and explain what you would use them for.
Based on drawing + good for capturing a specific range of sound in the front at a close range, completely ignoring the rear end
List 3 types of EQ filters.
Bell, high-pass, low-pass, low-shelf, high-shelf, notch +50 for extra
160 Hz to 1 kHz
What is the high point of song/track?
The highest note that is played in a melody.
Explain the differences, as well as the pros and cons, between closed-back and open-backed headphones.
Open-backed - air is passed through the speaker cups, good for mixing/monitoring (debatable)
Closed-backed - air is not allowed through, good for tracking/recording
Why would you use a compressor?
What is side-chaining/ducking?
Side-chaining is when the level of one instrument or sound triggers a compressor to control the level of another sound.
What are the 2 elements of writing a catchy melody?
Repetition
Ease of singing (not too busy, high points hit once, intervals)
What are active and passive speakers?
Essentially, active speakers have power amps built into them whereas passive speakers do not. Active speakers also usually have EQ control.
Explain parallel processing.
One wet and one dry track blended together.
How does modulation affect the mix? For example, if you modulate up, what kind of effect does it have for the whole song? (Hint: We discussed this when talking about "IDOL" - Yoasobi)
Modulating up - gives momentum, drive
Modulating down - more grounded, feels like dropping if done suddenly
Similar to english class, what are some devices you can use when writing lyrics. List 3.
rhyme scheme, analogies, imagery, metaphors, etc.
They have 3 pins- ground, negative, and positive- to help transfer sound with low resistance and over long distances, resulting in higher fidelity sound.
What synth wave shape (sine, triangle, etc.) creates the most crushed and buzziest sound? Extra points if you are able to explain why.
Sawtooth wave, the shape allows for the most harmonics to be added! Triangle allows for odd harmonics, sine allows for none.
Explain how Vocaloid works. Extra points for explaining the culture as well.
Essentially a specific voice “synth” software that uses real human voices as sound banks. Looks somewhat like Melodyne.
What is interactive music (used in games)?
Music that is adaptive to what the player is doing, layers.