The Music Tech Exam Checklist - Unit 4 Exam: Can you demonstrate understanding of all these items

Microphones and Capture

Can describe what is meant by a polar pattern
Can describe the differences between Omnidirectional/Cardioid/Figure-of-Eight and Hypercardioid patterns
Can explain how a microphone works
Can describe the differences between a Condensor microphone, Dynamic Microphone and Ribbon Microphone
Can briefly describe the differences between Dynamic, Condensor, Black-electret, Ribbon and Contact Microphones
If Given a common instrument knows what microphone to use and can justify why
Can describe mic placement and microphone used to record an electric guitar
Can describe how to stereo record an acoustic guitar - giving both placement technique names and suitable microphone ch
Can describe how to stereo record a upright piano - giving both placement technique names and suitable microphone choi
Can describe how to a vocal - giving suitable microphone choices and any additional equipment needed
Can describe what is meant by a DI box
Can give at least two of examples of when it is suitable to use a DI box
Knows what is meant by plosives and how to avoid them
Knows what is meant by 'the proximity effect'
Knows what is meant by gain
To know what is meant by Clipping and how to avoid it
To know what is meant by Double Tracking and why we might use it
To know what is meant by signal to noise ratio
To know what is meant by frequency response is regards to Microphones
To know what an X&Y Pair is
To know what a 'spaced' pair is
To know what is meant by Siblance and how to reduce it
Describe what a click track is and the benefits of using one are
What is bleed/spill and how can it be avoided?
To know how to record a drum kit
To know how to avoid/fix squeaks and rattles on a drum kit
To know what is meant by Multi-tracking
To know what is meant by Phasing and how to correct it

Mixing, FX and Editing

To know what is meant by a 'Chorus' Effect
To know how the chorus effect was achieved prior to digital recording
To know what is meant by Compression and to be able to explain how it works
To know what the dials of a compressor unit do: Threshold/Attack/Release/Make-Up Gain/Ratio
To know what is meant by Equalisation and to be able to explain why we use it
To be able to explain what is meant by a High Pass/Low Pass/Shelf/Bandpass/Peak Or Notch EQ and when we might use th
To know what is meant by a 'Delay' Effect
To know how the delay effect was achieved prior to digital recording
To know the common dials/Parameter of a delay unit are and what they do
To know what is meant by a flanger/phaser effect
To know how the chorus effect was achieved prior to digital recording.
Knows the best place to cut a track
Knows what is meant by comping
Knows what is meant by 'overdubbing'
Knows what is meant by 'panning'
Knows what is meant by 'Automation'
To know what is meant by Looping
To know what is meant by Dry/Wet
To know what is meant by a plugin and how these worked prior to DAWS
To know what is meant by a 'Reverb' Effect and understand what a reverb graph is showing
To know how the Reverb effect was achieved prior to digital recording. HALL/SPRING/ROOM/CHAMBER/PLATE
To know what a 'gate' is
To know what Gated Reverb is
To know what a pitch shifter/autotune is and how it works
To know to create a 'reverse' effect in both the DAW and analogue equipment
To know what is meant by dynamic range
To know what a Wah-Wah Effect is and how it's achieved
To know what is meant by a 'filtered' sound
To know how guitarists achieve distortion
To know what a valve/tube amp is an explain how they work
To know what a vocoder is
To know what is meant by Quantising and when it would be used
To know how to create a slapback delay
To know what a tremolo effect
To know what feedback is and how it is achieved
To know what de-essing is and how is it achieved
To know what expanding is and how it is achieved
To know what mastering is and how it is achieved
To know what side-chaining/ducking is and how it is achieved
To know what 'Pumping Compression is'

The Development of Technology

To know the difference between Mono(Monophone) and Stereo (Stereophonic) and discuss the transition between the tw
To know what is meant by Sampling/Sampler
To know what technology was available (and it's limitations) to audio engineers in the 1950s
To know what technology was available to (and it's limitations) audio engineers in the 1960s
To know what technology was available to (and it's limitations) audio engineers in the 1970s
To know what technology was available to (and it's limitations) audio engineers in the 1980s
To know what technology was available to (and it's limitations) audio engineers in the 1990s
To know what technology was available to (and it's limitations) audio engineers post 2000
To be able to describe the development of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
To be able to decribe what MIDI is
Describe what is meant by Velocity - in regards to MIDI
To know what is meant by open-back and closed-back headphones
To know what is meant by 'lo-fi'
To know what a Mellotron is
To be able to describe the advantages of working on Tape recorders or Digital platforms
To know the good and the bad of music on the internet

Music Theory
To know what is meant by Tonality
To know what is meant by Timbre
To know what is meant by Texture
To know what is meant by Tempo
To know what is meant by Syncopation
To know what is meant by Key (What key a piece of music is in etc)
To know what is meant by Harmony
To know what is meant by a cross-rhythm
To be able to identify the correct notation for a rhythm when played a small clip
To be able to identify and write down the missing pitches in a melodic line
To know what is meant by Crescendo
To know what is meant by Accelerando
To know what is meant by Diminuendo
To know what is meant by Rallentando
To know what is meant by a time signature and how to count them
To know what is meant by a swung rhythm
To know what is meant by vibrato
To know what 7ths are and how they sound
To know what is meant by Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass Vocals
To know what BPM is and successfully identify correct BPMS
To be able to identify the roots a chord sequence
To know what is meant by an ostinato
To be able to recognise a String-Bend
To be able to recognise a major/minor/modal tonality
To know what is meant by Pentatonic
To know what is meant by call and response

Synthsisers
To know what is meant by Analogue Synthsisers
To know what is meant by FM Synthsisers
To know what is meant by Granular Synthsisers
To know what is meant by Monophonic
To know what is meant by Polyphonic
To know what is meant by Glissando
To know what is meant by an envelope Filter and be able to use it
To know what is meant by ADSR envelope and be able to use it
To know what is meant by Cut-off frequency and be able to use it
To know MIDI controller numbers
To know what Resonance is

Guitar Techniques
To know what guitar harmonics are
To know what a tremolo arm does
To know what is meant by a 'hammer-on' and a 'Pull-off'

Digital Audio
Describe the signal path of the average digital studio including mixing desk/audio interface/MIDI interface
Describe what sample rates are and the advantages and disadvantages of working at a higher sample rate
To know what is meant by bit-depth and the advantages of using a higher bit depth
Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student

Researched Assessed Student