Edexcel Music Technology A level - paper 4

turn off lights (humming from lights),

use a di box,

change angle of bass player,

balanced cables,

noiseless pickups,

shorter cable,

isolate power supply

higher the threshold, the more sound that is cut,noise/ sound is reduced below the threshold

if noise is low/ similar sound to bass a high threshold is required resulting in some of the bass being cut noise is still present whilst bass is playing so wont be cut

long attack = cut off start of note long release= leaves noise in short release = cut end of notes short attack/release = clicks

cut breaths

chattering gate

modulation

sustain/hold

pitchbend

tempo

time

sig

key

test event

track name

instrument name

end position

reduces dynamic range

compresses dynamic range

unwanted sonic material caused by editing/ digital process sound introduced that wasn’t in the original signal

turn down headphones

use close ear headphones

ensure headphones are a snug fit

use in ear monitors

frequency x 2

condenser

proximity effect (closer the mic, louder the noise)

could warm up vocals

makes vocals sound boomy

reduced rumble

reduced plosives

vocals aren’t effect that much by the tailing as its below the range of vocals (the lows)

removes muddies

creates a HPF

present peak adds brightness/clarity/air to the vocals

could increase sibilance

brings vocals forwards in the mix

removes/ loses

reduces sound quailty

the file size is smaller than an uncompressed file

artefacts distortion aliasing

noise is unnoticeable/inaudible

sounds dull/muffled

sounds bright and true to the sound source as sound is present in the entire frequency spectrum (not just in human hearing)

reduces hum/rumble/ proximity effect

reduces spill from bassey instruments

makes ‘space’ for kick/ bass

won’t negatively effect the guitar tone

makes it sound brighter

helps lead guitar cut through the mix (especially if mirroring is used)

makes lead guitar a similar range to the lead vocals

makes it sound more natural & less resonant

makes it less harsh

makes space for lead guitar/ other instruments (especially if mirroring is used)

its too high therefore it will never ‘open’ resulting in no signal

transients / the beginning of notes could be cut

some noise could remain ends of notes wont be cut off sounds more natural

causes clicks

causes clicks

cuts off the end of notes

sounds unnatural

makes it sound clouding/ blurs the mix

the gate wont cut the reverb tails

because its an important part/ one of the main focus(s) of a mix

short/ instantaneous attack

slight decay

flat sustain (equal in amplitude to decay)

instantaneous release

MIDI uses values of 0 - 127 because it is using 7-bits of data and when using 7-bits 127 is the maximum value you can use

hiss sounds warm wow & flutter

Lossy compression

small file size quicker upload/download speed

increased breath

increased reverb

increased hiss

increases avg vocals

increases RMS

vocals controls a wider dynamic range then pre compression

compensates for high gain reduction therefore increasing the overall loudness of the compressed audio

some transients aren’t fully controlled/ compressed

results in ‘pumping’

increased reverb

no diffusion of sound waves

helps reduce standing waves

makes it difficult to communicte with engineer

absorbs reflections

mostly absorbs high freq if its a thin carpet

captures the reverb/ ambience of the room

there would be more reverb in front of the kit versus inside the kick

to avoid the proximity effect/ low frequency exaggeration

absorbs sound

absorbs mid and high freq

creates a ‘dead’ or dry recording

less tracks

less control over balance

less control over EQ/ compression/ processing /fx on each drum

phase issues

phase must be checked on all the microphones

can be solved by using the phase button on the desk or by moving the microphones

condenser

dynamic microphone

sound pressure level expressed in dB

reduces mechanically transmitted noise/rumble/ vibration

they create less noise

reduces resonance / sustain

it would sound tinny/thin/quiet

low freq wouldn’t be reproduced

mobile phone speakers are designed for mids/highs (human voice)

some mid/high frequencies would be reproduced

the release is too short therefore the waveform is cut mid cycle

to control the peaks

to keep volume constant

to increase avg RMS levels to help vocals sit in the mix

measures the avg loudness of an audio track

increased noise

increased volume of breaths

more reverb

increased sibilance

microphone can get right up against mouth

no pop-shield therefore plosives/ louder plosives

yes as bringing the microphone closer can result in the proximity effect therefore meaning lows are enhanced

increases it as highs are louder/ more present

compensates for the lack of high frequencies in the dynamic microphone

makes it sound brighter/clearer/ airier

cuts through the mix

more sibilance is heard which could be reduced by de-esser

sound quality remains the same

prevents clipping on an EQ pedal adds sustain

makes bass boomy

could cause distortion

could mask kick drum

removes hiss

removes attack/ plucking sound

removes sound of the fretboard

makes the bass sound warm/muffled

adversely effects the timbre of a slab bass technique

to ‘correct’ the sound of an instrument

to ‘colour’ the sound and so the compressor isn’t influenced by any filtering done

a meter which shows the highest peak of an audio signal

metering which takes into account the actual maximum audio signal that can occur when the audio signal is played back

tremolo is a fluctuation in volume

vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch

chorus copies the original sound multiple times and modulates the pitch + time of the copies slightly

harmonic distortion

an amplifier which converts a weak signal into an output signal strong enough to send to a power amplifier/ loudspeaker

it would sound noisey /distorted

the alteration of a signal by adding new frequencies relating to to the original one.

normally found in analog devices

enhances the perceived loudness, richness + fullness of a sound

creates interesting effects and texture

only has 1 black ring/ only has 2 conductors

hum/noise

hum/noise

has 3 conductors (including a ground wire) also carries 2 copies of the same incoming audio signal

small diaphragm

proximity effect

how hard it is for a signal to travel through a medium

connecting a device to the output of a functional block therefore drawing from it a measurable amount of current

the sample rate must be more than twice the highest frequency in the signal.

musical instrument digital interface

3 bytes

a small peice of binary code only 8 bits long

a 0/1 in binary code

the type of message

the parameters of the note/ type of message (info about the message)

data 1 and data 2

note

note off

CC

Program change (prog change)

pitch bend

continuious controller

because if it was, the amount of pitch bend would only be between 0-127 so you would quite audiblity be able to hear the bend (it isn't smooth) thefore it needed it own midi message so the data 1 and data 2 could be MULTIPLIED together, resulting in more avaliable bending

message used to specify the type of instrument which should be used to play sounds on a given Channel