Audio & Science in the Service of Art
Intro to Audio History and Professional Practices of the Audio Engineer
Test
by Ric Wallace ©2008
1. The first sound wave produced in our solar system came from what?
A. A Comet
B. The Sun
C. The Moon
D. Uranus
2. The first moving coil transducer was invented by whom in 1874?
A. Alexander G. Bell
B. Thomas Edison
C. Ernst W. Siemens
D. Benjamin Franklin
3. In 1926 Bell Labs made the first sound systems for what application?
A. The Army
B. The New York Philharmonic
C. Elvis Presley
D. Movie Theaters
4. Who invented the theory of stereo?
A. Groucho Marx
B. Alan Blumlien
C. Adolf Hitler
D. Roy Rogers
5. Name a material used for recording sound before tape was available?
A. Acetate Discs
B. Steel wire
C. Wax cylinders
D. All of the above
6. Where was plastic based, ferrite coated recording tape developed?
A. Japan
B. America
C. China
D. Germany
7. Name the Company that pioneered the development of the cardioid dynamic mic.
A. Fender
B. Shure Bros.
C. Ampex
D. RCA
8. Ampex was originally formed to produce what for the Army?
A. Mobile recording trucks
B. Multi-track recorders
C. Electric motors
D. Microphone preamp
9. How were the first tape decks developed in America?
A. An Army major absconded with two machines from Germany during WWII
B. We bought the plans from the Japanese
C. Years and years of dedicated research
D. Bing Crosby spends 3 million to research
10. Les Paul invented what technique by modifying his recorder with an extra playback head.
A. Echo
B. Sound-on-Sound
C. Multi track recording
D. Fuzzface distortion pedal
11. In 1969, the largest sound system built to date was installed for what?
A. Lollapalooza
B. Bonnaroo
C. Woodstock
D. MidTown Music Festival
12. Which band developed a sound system that had hundreds of speakers placed behind them?
A. Led Zeppelin
B. The Doors
C. The Grateful Dead
D. The Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. Self Powered speaker cabinets are highly efficient because?
A. The amplifiers in the cabinet are optimized for the various transducer's individual performance specifications.
B. The squirrels run around in that "cage" really fast
C. The cabinets are "flat" shaped
D. They have fewer transducers.
14. L-Acoustics V-Dosc "Wave Sculpture Technology" is based on the theories of what 19th century physicist?
A. Max Planck
B. Charles Darwin
C. Augustin-Jean Fresnel
D. Gustav Ludwig Hertz
15. Specifically, what theories are L-Acoustics applying to speaker cabinet architecture?
A. Speed and frequency of sound
B. Wave functions of light
C. Quantum Theory
D. Evolution
16. Future sound systems might be effected by current research on what scientific endeavor?
A. Hypersonic sound systems
B. Meta-materials
C. Space age adhesives
D. All of the above
17. The most basic description of the job of a live sound engineer during a music performance is what?
A. Acting as though they know what all the knobs do
B. Finding girls for the guitar player
C. Relative audio balancing
D. Ruining peoples hearing
18. Besides training your ear with tones, what is another example of ear training?
A. Practice isolating each instrument in the mix with the solo
B. Finding the right effect or echo timing for the tempo of the song
C. Eq'ing for the "slot" the instrument occupies in the mix
D. All of the above
19. How focused on the stage should you be during a performance?
A. Take a break whenever you feel like it
B. Mixing at least 50% of the time you aren't finding girls for the guitar player.
C. Totally, you're the fifth wheel of the band and your performance is as critical as a band member.
D. You never have to touch the faders after sound check
20. Indicate which of these concepts apply to a FOH sound engineer
A. Move around the room and check different areas
B. Treat the patrons with respect equal to the musicians
C. Check the levels carefully in the seats nearest the speakers
D. All the above
21. Controlling the mix output to remain within a set dynamic range is achieved by?
A. Not touching the faders after sound check
B. Use a compressor/limiter to control the output
C. Set a high pass filter
D. Talking louder on your cell phone
22. The human ear is most sensitive in what frequency range?
A. 200Hz-400Hz
B. 20Hz-20KHz
C. 1000Hz-3000Hz
D. 500Hz-10KHz
23. Hearing damage of any type is?
A. No fun
B. Cumulative
C. Goes away after a while
D. Isn't really a problem
24. What is the most important tool for any live sound engineer?
A. His own voice
B. An SPL meter
C. The communication skills of a diplomat
D. All of the above