Audio Mastering and Post-Production Flashcards
6 cards from real Audio Editing practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Audio Mastering and Post-Production flashcards as text
What is the primary goal of audio mastering?
Answer: Preparing a final mix for distribution by optimizing loudness, tonal balance, and format compatibility
Mastering is the final step that optimizes a mix for its distribution format, ensuring consistent loudness, tonal balance, and technical compliance across all playback systems.
What is an 'ISRC code' and why is it applied during mastering?
Answer: A unique identifier for each sound recording, required for royalty tracking on streaming platforms
An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a unique identifier embedded in audio files during mastering that enables digital royalty tracking across streaming platforms.
What does 'integrated loudness' measure in a mastered track?
Answer: The average perceived loudness of a track over its entire duration, measured in LUFS
Integrated loudness is the average perceived loudness measured over the full duration of the track, used by streaming platforms for normalization.
What is the purpose of adding 'CD PQ codes' during mastering?
Answer: To define track start/end points, ISRC codes, and metadata on a CD or DDP master
PQ codes (Pause and Q-channel data) define each track's start and end points, gaps, ISRC codes, and CD-TEXT metadata in a Red Book CD master.
What is a 'DDP' (Disc Description Protocol) file used for in mastering?
Answer: A lossless digital master format sent to CD replication plants instead of a physical CDR
A DDP image is a digital master file set delivered to CD manufacturing plants, containing audio data and PQ codes in a reliable format that avoids physical media errors.
What is 'true peak limiting' and why is it preferred over sample peak limiting in mastering?
Answer: True peak limiting catches inter-sample peaks that exceed 0 dBFS during DAC conversion, preventing distortion on playback devices
True peak limiting detects peaks that occur between samples and can exceed 0 dBFS during digital-to-analog conversion, preventing real-world clipping on consumer devices.