Recording and producing music, including studio techniques and the treatment of recorded sound. Consumer playback devices remain in Gadgets.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Which Kanye West album, released in 2008, used Auto-Tune on nearly every vocal?
West recorded the album in Hawaii in a matter of weeks, and its treated vocals went on to shape hip-hop and R&B.
The math behind Auto-Tune was first used to analyze which kind of data?
Andy Hildebrand mapped seismic waves to locate oil, then reused the frequency-tracking math on singing.
Which 1998 Cher single is credited with popularizing Auto-Tune's robotic vocal sound?
Listeners named the result the "Cher effect", and it turned a studio correction tool into a vocal style.
Which Auto-Tune setting creates the robotic stair-step vocal when set to its fastest value?
Setting it to the fastest value makes each note snap straight to its target pitch, with no time for natural slides.
What causes the faint hiss heard on old cassette tapes?
Random variations in the magnetic particles produce background hiss, which is easiest to hear during quiet passages.
Which studio device blends separate multitrack parts into a finished song?
A mixing console sets each track's volume, tone, and position before blending them into stereo.
Which microphone pattern is named for its heart-shaped pickup area?
Cardioid means heart-shaped, and the pattern favors a singer in front while rejecting monitors behind the mic.
Which power feature distinguishes a passive dynamic microphone from a condenser microphone?
A passive moving-coil mic generates its signal by electromagnetic induction; a condenser needs powered electronics.
In dance music, what makes the backing track dip with each kick drum hit?
The kick signals the compressor to briefly duck the bass and synths, creating the pulsing pump effect.
Why do vinyl mastering engineers usually place deep bass in the center of the mix?
Differences between the channels can make bass cause large vertical groove movements; centered bass reduces that motion and helps tracking.