ben m
Joined: 15 Sep 2002
Posts: 337
Location: UK |
| Week 3 - Computers 2 |
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Define the following terms:
Latency
Duplex
Buffer
Define the following Sound Card driver types and their advantages/disadvantages;
MME
Direct X
ASIO
WDM
How may latency be reduced with ASIO/WDM drivers?
Name the primary differences between 'consumer' and 'professional' soundcards.
Define the following hard drive features/specifications and explain their usefulness in a DAW:
Cache
Speed in RPM
ATA Type
Why have many people tended not to use AMD processors in DAWs? Is this down to the processor or the relevant motherboard chipsets?
How may an external 'breakout' box be connected to the host PC? Name 3 different ways and describe the benefits and drawbacks of each protocol.
What is the importance of cluster size for PC based recordings?
Define the Von Neumann model of PC architecture.
Describe each of the following terms of their differences in function;
Point to Point connection
Bus
Network
In a system with a PCI soundcard, is it more desirable to have the graphics card on the AGP or PCI bus?
Name 2 examples of an optical storage format, and their respective capacities.
Explain the importance of each of the following factors in a DAW, and what each factor contributes to a DAW;
Amount of RAM
Hard Drive Space
Processor Speed
Explain the following file systems, their associated OSs' and the capabilities of each File System;
FAT
FAT32
NTFS
What is a 'partition' on a hard drive?
What are the advantages of keeping audio on a seperate partition/drive to program files?
How does a virtual/soft sampler such as Halion utilise the host computers resources?
How many minutes of stereo CD-quality digital audio can be stored in a 1 Gigabyte hard disk partition, approximately?
For a hard disk of 20 Gigabytes capacity or more, what is the most likely backup device, other than another hard disk?
Describe four different areas of application in widespread use and give an example of a popular piece of software in each area.
Describe the main advantages of Firewire compared to SCSI
In relation to computer software;
What is a driver?
What is an extension?
When changing sampling frequency, what happens to the latency?
Excluding the host device, what is the maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus?
If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure the devices on a SCSI bus what precaution should be taken?
How many terminators would there normally be on a SCSI bus? Where would they be situated?
A system incorporating two devices in addition to the host on a SCSI bus isn’t working correctly. What would you check on the SCSI devices
themselves, assuming they are all switched on?
Macintosh computers running system version 9.0.4 and lower are not very good at playing audio while word processing, whereas IBM PC
compatible computers running Microsoft operating systems are. What is lacking from the Macintosh's operating system?
In a hard disk recording system, which type of disk drive would you expect to allow the most simultaneous tracks to be replayed, a magnetic
hard disk or a magneto-optical disk?
Which is usually thought to offer the most reliable long-term storage, removable magnetic hard disk cartridge or magneto-optical disk?
Compared to digital tape, what is the principal disadvantage of disks for long-term storage?
Explain the advantages of newer 64-bit processors.
Explain why currently 64 bit processors can not be used to their full potential.
Detail the CPUs used in Apple Macs in recent times.
What are 'packet collisions'? |
Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:28 pm |
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Rbro
Joined: 07 Sep 2005
Posts: 12
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| Answers |
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Define the following terms:
Latency
Wasted Time, the wasted time one component has to spend waiting for another to finish it’s job.
Duplex
Transmission of data e.g. full-duplex data goes in two directions or half-duplex only goes in one direction.
Buffer
Temporary Storage area usually in RAM. It is a holding area while the CPU manipulates data before transfer.
Define the following Sound Card driver types and their advantages/disadvantages;
MME
Multimedia Extensions: Stereo Operation driver, any sound card that has more than two inputs or two outputs will appear as a pair of stereo tracks. These drivers also have high latency. An advantage is that these drivers are almost universal.
Direct X
DirestX is a group of technologies designed to allow windows to operate at a higher level while running programmes such as computer games. There are different drivers within DirectX, direct Draw and direct 3d deal with graphics while direct sound and direct sound 3d deal with audio. Direct sound creates a low-latency way to record and mix audio.
ASIO
Audio stream input/output: Allows users to have access to more than just stereo channels while recording. Multichannel capabilities.
WDM
Wavelength division multiplexing: Sends information using infrared, data in different formats and at different speed can be sent along one single fibre.
How may latency be reduced with ASIO/WDM drivers?
ASIO and WDM allow more information to be sent at one time, providing the buffers are large enough, this should reduce latency.
Name the primary differences between 'consumer' and 'professional' sound cards.
Consumer cards are the sound cards that usually come with the computer and are designed to produce sounds for things like computer games. Professional sound cards are generally more expensive and often have multiple, higher quality inputs and outputs. Professional cards usually have line inputs only.
What is the importance of cluster size for PC based recordings?
A large cluster size, about 32K is good, reduces overheads and increases computer efficiency. A computer using FAT32 will allow you to choose your cluster size.
Define the Von Neumann model of PC architecture.
The Von Neumann model is a computer design that uses single storage structure to store both programmes and data. This allows the computer to be reprogrammed and change functions.
Describe each of the following terms of their differences in function;
Point to Point connection
Local loop run directly from a computer, through a phone company and through your own port issued by the network provider. Point to point is a dedicated, private line and is good for companies with sensitive information.
Bus
Like a road network for data. The bus system on a motherboard send info along these lines to get to different areas of the computer.
Network
A series of points connected by communication paths. A computer on a network can ‘talk’ to and share information with another computer on the network.
In a system with a PCI sound card, is it more desirable to have the graphics card on the AGP or PCI bus?
It is best to have the graphics card on the AGP bus as this bus is dedicated to the graphics card. If you had the graphics card on the PCI bus it would have to share the bus bandwidth with all other peripherals. It would slow these devices down and the graphics.
Name 2 examples of an optical storage format, and their respective capacities.
Hard Disk: Can store anywhere from 10 - 100 gigs
Floppy Disk: Max. storage capacity of 1.4 megs
Explain the following file systems, their associated OSs' and the capabilities of each File System;
FAT
File Allocation Table: The table that the operating system uses to locate files on a disk.
FAT32
Used in windows 95b and can locate more files at one time
NTFS
What is a 'partition' on a hard drive?
A partition divides memory/mass storage into isolated areas. This is useful if your computer has more than one operating system.
What are the advantages of keeping audio on a separate partition/drive to program files?
Audio
How does a virtual/soft sampler such as Halion utilise the host computers resources?
Instead of storing data in the computers RAM soft samplers such as HALion ‘stream’ data directly from the hard drive when it’s required. This doesn’t limit the sample length to the amount of available RAM but to the free space on the Hard Drive. HALion allows you to pre-load samples into the RAM in order to free hard drive space (useful when recording)
How many minutes of stereo CD-quality digital audio can be stored in a 1 Gigabyte hard disk partition, approximately?
Approx. 720 min of stereo CD quality (or 240 songs)
For a hard disk of 20 Gigabytes capacity or more, what is the most likely backup device, other than another hard disk?
DAT (digital Audio Tape): Depending on the type a DAT can hold anywhere between 8 and 40 gigs of information (compressed)
Describe four different areas of application in widespread use and give an example of a popular piece of software in each area.
Describe the main advantages of Firewire compared to SCSI
One of the main advantages of fire wire is it’s speed, in transferring data, compared to SCSI. It also allows easier access to devices.
In relation to computer software;
What is a driver?
A driver, or device driver, is an interface which allows an operating system to communicate and control hardware.
What is an extension?
An extension is an ‘add-on’, something you can add to software to increase functionality.
When changing sampling frequency, what happens to the latency?
The higher the sample frequency the more latency affects the computer.
Excluding the host device, what is the maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus?
1. Narrow SCSI bus: up to 7 devices
2. Wide SCSI bus: up to 15 devices
If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure the devices on a SCSI bus what precaution should be taken?
If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure all devices on the SCSI bus should be shut down as systems could be damaged when the SCSI bus is reactivated.
How many terminators would there normally be on a SCSI bus? Where would they be situated?
A SCSI bus requires two terminators, one on either end (never the middle)
A system incorporating two devices in addition to the host on a SCSI bus isn’t working correctly. What would you check on the SCSI devices
themselves, assuming they are all switched on?
1. Check that only the 1st & last devices are terminated, all devices in the middle must be termination disabled otherwise the system may hang.
2. Check that each device has a unique SCSI ID or address (host being SCSI ID7)
Macintosh computers running system version 9.0.4 and lower are not very good at playing audio while word processing, whereas IBM PC
compatible computers running Microsoft operating systems are. What is lacking from the Macintosh's operating system?
In a hard disk recording system, which type of disk drive would you expect to allow the most simultaneous tracks to be replayed, a magnetic
hard disk or a magneto-optical disk?
Which is usually thought to offer the most reliable long-term storage, removable magnetic hard disk cartridge or magneto-optical disk?
A Mo-disk is the best option as they are more reliable, magnetic disks are prone to malfunctions.
Compared to digital tape, what is the principal disadvantage of disks for long-term storage?
Size an storage space are the main disadvantages of disks in long term storage.
Explain the advantages of newer 64-bit processors.
A 64-bit processor can handle twice as much information as a 32-bit processor. It can address more physical memory and store vast amounts of data in the main memory. It can also manipulate and process twice as much data as a 32-bit processor.
Explain why currently 64 bit processors can not be used to their full potential.
At the moment 64-bit processors benefit large companies but the average home PC’s software and programmes are designed to use 32-bit processors and, like all computers, need to be taught, or upgraded, to make full use of a 64-bit processor.
Detail the CPUs used in Apple Macs in recent times.
What are 'packet collisions'?
If two stations in a network, like an ethernet, attempt to send a packet (data but with the destination address) a ‘packet collision’ can often occur. The packets are usually sent back to their stations and sent at varied time to avoid another collision.
Hi Ben, There are some answers missing will try and get them to you before Sunday. Just thought I’d give you what I have just now.
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Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:15 pm |
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tobyh1000
Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 13
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| computers2 |
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Define the following terms:
Latency
Latency, also known as delay, is the transit time through a digital process, from input to output. When using software synths, it is the time taken the computer takes from when you press a key on your keyboard to when you hear a sound from your speakers.
Duplex
Duplex communication is the term used to describe the ability of an audio adapter to generate and record sound simultaneously. Full duplex allows transmission of data in both directions at once, where half duplex transmits data in either direction, but in only one direction at once.
Buffer
A storage area for data that is used to compensate for speed difference when transferring data from one device to another. Usually refers to an area reserved for input/output operations into which data is read from or written to.
Define the following Sound Card driver types and their advantage/disadvantages:
MME
Stands for Multimedia Extension, that is a part of Windows that sets the rules for recording and playing back of audio. Advantages – Cheap, as usually already exists on system via Windows. Disadvantages – Slower, because controlled by the operating system and creates high latencies.
Direct X
A set of APIs developed by Microsoft that enables programmers to write programs that access hardware features of a computer without knowing exactly what hardware will be installed on the machine where the program eventually runs. Advantages – Direct X allows much lower latencies than MME. Disadvantages – Recording is not possible.
ASIO
Stands for Audio Streaming Input/Output, the ‘open standard’ developed by Steinberg for minimising latencies where multiple streams of audio are processed through virtual studio applications. Advantages – Ability to monitor several audio inputs at once. More compatible and stable with audio programs. Allows lower latencies.
WDM
Stands for Windows Driver Model, driver technology developed by Microsoft to create drivers that are source code compatible for Windows. Advantages – The WDM driver becomes more streamlined with less code used and so works more efficiently. Allows lower latencies.
Name the primary differences of ‘consumer’ and ‘professional’ soundcards.
The inputs/outputs vary – a consumer card would probably have unbalanced RCA, S/PIDF and MIDI, where as a professional card would have balanced XLR and MIDI inputs suited for more professional use.
The sampling rates vary – the higher the sampling rate, the better the quality of recording, thus professional cards having higher sampling rates than consumer cards.
Use of drivers – professional cards would use ASIO/WDM drivers leading to lower latencies than consumer cards.
Define the following hard drive features/specifications and explain their usefulness in a DAW.
Cache
A small fast memory holding recently accessed data, designed to speed up subsequent access to the same data. Typically used between a processor and main memory. In a DAW it would be useful for quick access from the cache instead of retrieval for storage on hard drive resulting in lower latency.
Speed in RPM
The speed of the rotations per minute of the hard drive. A faster RPM equals faster reading and writing of the hard drive. For a DAW the faster the RPM the better, as it will reduce latency.
ATA Type
The Advanced Technology Attachment Type allows the data transfer to and from the hard drive. Faster ATA types result n faster data transfer. In a DAW the faster the ATA type data transfer speed is – the lower latency will be.
Why have many people tended not to use AMD processors in DAWs? Is this down to the processor or the relevant motherboard chipsets?
People have tended not to use AMD processors in DAWs in the past because of compatibility issues with the Athlon based motherboard. Many soundcards would not work, but the issue has now been resolved.
How may an external 'breakout' box be connected to the host PC? Name 3 different ways and describe the benefits and drawbacks of each protocol.
An external breakout box may be connected through –
Firewire
– which allows very fast data transfer speeds but the initial cost can be expensive.
USB
– Easy to use through plug and play but cable length can sometimes be too short.
25 Pin DIN Plug Connection (via PCI card)
– Solid connection with digital sound quality once converted from analog, but again cable length can be restricted.
What is the importance of cluster size for PC based recordings?
Cluster is a unit of storage on the hard drive where the size is set by the operating system. Large clusters waste space as, if all the bytes in a cluster are not used by a stored file, then they are not used at all. As recording files are large, the smaller the cluster size the better.
Define the Von Neumann model of PC architecture.
Von Neumann’s model of architecture consisted of three components used by most computers today; a CPU; a slow-to-access storage area, like a hard drive; and secondary fast-access memory (RAM). The machines stored instructions as binary values (creating the stored program concept) and executed instructions sequentially – the processor fetched instructions one at a time and processed them. Today ‘von Neumann architecture’ often refers to the sequential nature of computers based on this model.
Describe each of the following terms of their differences in function:
Point to Point connection
A connection link between two systems or processes using a serial interface, an example of a point to point connection is a computer to computer link up via an Ethernet cable.
Bus
A data path in a computer, consisting of various parallel wires to which the CPU, memory, and all input/output devices are connected.
Network
A computer network is a data communications system, which interconnects computer systems at various different sites. A network may be composed of any combination of LANs, or WANs.
In a system with a PCI soundcard, is it more desirable to have the graphics card on the AGP or PCI bus?
It is more desirable to have the graphics card connected to the AGP card slot as to allow more data space for use with the PCI inserted soundcard. The AGP slot is also designed specifically for a graphics card.
Name 2 examples of an optical storage format, and their respective capacities.
The first example of an optical storage format is a CD – Compact Disc, which can hold up to 700MB of data or 80 minutes of audio data.
The second example is a DVD – Digital Versatile Disc, which can have capacities of 4.7, 8.54, 9.4 or 17GBs depending on the disc structure.
Explain the importance of each of the following factors in a DAW, and what each factor contributes to a DAW:
Amount of RAM
The more RAM available to store data to be processed, the faster the CPU will process it. Resulting in faster operation. This contributes to reducing the latency.
Hard Drive Space
The more hard drive space available the more audio tracks, samples and programs (which all tend to be quite large) can be stored. This also contributes to reducing latency when compared to reading data from removable media.
Processor Speed
The faster the processor speed the faster the data stored in the RAM can be processed again, resulting in a faster operation. This contributes to reducing latency. Again.
Explain the following file systems, their associated OSs' and the capabilities of each File System:
FAT
Stands for File Allocation Table. The FAT contains information about which parts of a disc are used, which are unused, and which parts can't be used because they're faulty. It is what is used to locate files by the associated operating system - DOS and FAT16 in Windows 95.
FAT32
Newer version of the FAT file system, based on 32-bit integers. The file system is able to handle partitions of 2Tb (TerraByte) size and uses the storage capacity more efficiently than FAT16. Used in Windows 98
NTFS
Stands for New Technology File System. Designed exclusively for use with the Windows NT operating system. NTFS allows for stronger security and more flexible file management methods than does FAT. It is also the standard for Windows XP due to its reliability and disk recovery procedures.
What is a 'partition' on a hard drive?
A partition on a hard drive is when the hard drive has been divided in to two or more sections to allow different sections to acquire separate types of data if required. Different operating systems even, can co-exist on the same hard drive.
What are the advantages of keeping audio on a separate partition/drive to program files?
Faster search results when looking for audio files, as data is stored in smaller spaces, and because of this the free hard disk space is used more efficiently.
How does a virtual/soft sampler such as Halion utilise the host computers resources?
HALion incorporates the host computers resources like the processor, GUI and most importantly the RAM to build its own audible sound.
How many minutes of stereo CD-quality digital audio can be stored in a 1 Gigabyte hard disk partition, approximately?
The formula for working out data space required is:
Sampling Rate x Resolution x No. of Channels x Time(s) / Bits = File Size (Bytes)
Time(s)= File Size x Bits / Sampling Rate x Resolution x No. of Channels
Time = 1,000,000,000 Bytes x 8 Bits / 44,100 x 16 x 2
Time = 8,000,000,000 / 1,411,200
Time = 5668.93 seconds
Time = 5668.93 / 60 = 94.48 minutes
For a hard disk of 20 Gigabytes capacity or more, what is the most likely backup device, other than another hard disk?
DVD – as with about five 4.7Gb size DVDs you could easily fit 20Gb of space on.
Describe four different areas of application in widespread use and give an example of a popular piece of software in each area.
Audio sequencer for music and audio recording – Steinberg Cubase SX
Wave Editor for audio mixing and editing – Sony SoundForge
Word Processing for typing and editing of text based documents – Microsoft Word
Graphic Design for viewing and editing of graphic based documents – Adobe Photoshop
Describe the main advantages of Firewire compared to SCSI
Firewire is a faster means of file transfer, supports more devices generally than SCSI and is easier to setup, as it is plug and play.
In relation to computer software:
What is a driver?
A driver is a device specific program that allows computer software to interface with the computer and other programs.
What is an extension?
The second part of a filename that is particular to the application used. Usually indicating the filetype.
When changing sampling frequency, what happens to the latency?
High frequency = lower latency.
Excluding the host device, what is the maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus?
Each device has its own address or ID and excluding the host, 7 devices may be attached to a SCSI bus.
If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure the devices on a SCSI bus what precaution should be taken?
Power to the SCSI bus must be terminated before attempting to reconnect or reconfigure the devices.
How many terminators would there normally be on a SCSI bus? Where would they be situated?
Only two terminators are needed-one at the beginning of the bus and one at the end.
A system incorporating two devices in addition to the host on a SCSI bus isn’t working correctly. What would you check on the SCSI devices themselves, assuming they are all switched on?
Check for any device conflicts with regard to the unique ID each device should have. Make sure terminators are connected and working. Check the devices are also connected properly to SCSI bus itself.
Macintosh computers running system version 9.0.4 and lower are not very good at playing audio while word processing, whereas IBM PC compatible computers running Microsoft operating systems are. What is lacking from the Macintosh's operating system?
Pre-emptive multi-tasking capabilities. Whereas the IBM PC is able to run more than one program at once the Mac uses co-operative multitasking so one application would get all the processing power.
In a hard disk recording system, which type of disk drive would you expect to allow the most simultaneous tracks to be replayed, a magnetic hard disk or a magneto-optical disk?
A magnetic hard disk is faster than the magneto-optical and because of this can achieve more tracks to be played back at once.
Which is usually thought to offer the most reliable long-term storage, removable magnetic hard disk cartridge or magneto-optical disk?
Magneto-optical disk offers the most reliable long-term storage, as it is digital stored and thought to be able to store data securely for 50 years.
Compared to digital tape, what is the principal disadvantage of disks for long-term storage?
Magnetic storage is far less reliable compared to digital tape. The fact remains that inevitably, mechanically based disks will fail and data stored magnetically is easily lost.
Explain the advantages of newer 64-bit processors.
More advanced, capable of faster speeds and larger calculations. Able to cope with very advanced software.
Explain why currently 64 bit processors cannot be used to their full potential.
Firstly the software isn’t available, vendors still write programs for 32 bit processors and haven’t made the switch. There are compatibility issues also; 32-bit software doesn’t always work with 64 bit processors. Massive amounts of RAM are needed as well, in the excess of 4Gb.
Detail the CPUs used in Apple Macs in recent times.
Apple Mac’s current most impressive CPU is the G5, capable of speeds of 2.7Ghz in the desktop version. The Apple Powerbook uses the G4 from 1.5-1.67Ghz.
What are 'packet collisions'?
In a network, when two or more stations attempt to transmit a packet across the network at the same time, a packet collision occurs. This is not uncommon in a shared medium such as an Ethernet that has many computers in the same network segment. When a packet collision occurs, the packets are either discarded or sent back to their originating stations and then retransmitted in a timed sequence to avoid further collision. Packet collisions can result in the loss of packet integrity or can impede the performance of a network.
References
www.google.com
www.pcmus.com
www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards
www.webopedia.com
www.comptechdo.org/hardware/pc/begin/harddrive.html
www.wilkopedia.org
www.usbyte.com
www.teamcookbooks.com/mp3handbook/11.htm
www.webmasterknowhow/html/bytecompare.html |
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Fri Sep 16, 2005 4:24 pm |
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Polarman
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 55
Location: Barbados |
| Computers 2 |
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Define the following terms:
Latency
In a network, latency, a synonym for delay, is an expression of how much time it takes for a packet of data to get from one designated point to another. In some usages latency is measured by sending a packet that is returned to the sender and the round-trip time is considered the latency. The latency assumption seems to be that data should be transmitted instantly between one point and another (that is, with no delay at all).
In a computer system, latency is often used to mean any delay or waiting that increases real or perceived response time beyond the response time desired. Specific contributors to computer latency include mismatches in data speed between the microprocessor and input/output devices and inadequate data buffers.
Within a computer, latency can be removed or "hidden" by such techniques as prefetching (anticipating the need for data input requests) and multithreading, or using parallelism across multiple execution threads.
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid7_gci212017,00.html
Duplex
Full-duplex means that both ends of the communication can send and receive signals at the same time. half-duplex is also bidirectional communication but signals can only flow in one direction at a time. Simplex communication means that communication can only flow in one direction and never flow back the other way.
An ordinary telephone conversation is a duplex communication. Most inexpensive speakerphones in conference rooms are half-duplex communication. (If you're speaking, you can't hear anyone else interrupt. You have to pause to let others speak.)
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid7_gci212017,00.html)
Buffer
A buffer is a data area shared by hardware devices or program processes that operate at different speeds or with different sets of priorities. The buffer allows each device or process to operate without being held up by the other. In order for a buffer to be effective, the size of the buffer and the algorithms for moving data into and out of the buffer need to be considered by the buffer designer. Like a cache, a buffer is a "midpoint holding place" but exists not so much to accelerate the speed of an activity as to support the coordination of separate activities.
http://searchsmb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid44_gci211713,00.html
Define the following Sound Card driver types and their advantages/disadvantages;
MME
The most common form of driver is still the Windows Multimedia one (also known as MME, after the original MultiMedia Extensions built into Windows 3.1). This has the inherent restriction of stereo operation, which means any soundcard that has more than two inputs or two outputs must normally appear to applications as a set of stereo track pairs. Another disadvantage of these drivers is their relatively high latency (the delay between action and reaction), which makes many music applications seem sluggish. The main advantage is that almost every soundcard is likely to have this type of driver, making it a universal standard. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec98/articles/pcnotes.779.htm
Direct X
Microsoft DirectX is an advanced suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs) built into Microsoft Windows; operating systems. DirectX provides a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs by enabling software developers to access specialized hardware features without having to write hardware-specific code. This technology was first introduced in 1995 and is a recognized standard for multimedia application development on the Windows platform.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx?url=/windows/directx/productinfo/overview/default.htm
ASIO
ASIO drivers were originally developed by Steinberg as part of the VST interface, and have been designed from the ground up specifically for mixing together multiple tracks of audio in real time. Steinberg provide a general purpose ASIO Multimedia driver to interface to standard drivers, but various soundcard manufacturers have also released hardware-specific ASIO drivers for their soundcards. The main benefit of having these is much-reduced latency.
However, another big improvement when using hardware-specific ASIO drivers is general responsiveness. Transport controls such as Play and Record operate almost instantly, with none of the sluggishness of Multimedia drivers. Altering the position of knobs and faders is also far more immediate, making mix down and automation a far more pleasurable experience, and recording and playback meters will also reflect the current audio levels much more closely. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec98/articles/pcnotes.779.htm
WDM
WDM stands for Windows Driver Model with Kernal Streaming This is a newer, lower latency driver that allows the application direct access to the "kernal" without going through the Windows OS. This results in latency figure that is fast like ASIO. It was introduced in Cakewalk's Sonar.
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_page_2.htm
How may latency be reduced with ASIO/WDM drivers?
Audio driver standards designed for low-latency performance (ASIO, Core Audio, WDM etc.) allow you to alter the size of the audio buffers. This is done from the ASIO control panel. The system performance setting will change the input and output buffer sizes – the higher the system performance, the lower the latency will be.
http://www.novationmusic.com/files/Latency.pdf
Name the primary differences between 'consumer' and 'professional' soundcards.
Professional (or prosumer - an in between category) cards often have multiple higher quality inputs and outputs, a much higher price and are usually bought later as an add-on .Pro cards usually have LINE inputs only, leaving the Mic pre-amp option open for users to choose. Professional audio equipment runs at a nominal level of +4dB, consumer at -10dB. Sound cards that are designed to link to other pro equipment will run at +4dB, and have greater headroom. Professional sound cards has designated drivers and supports higher sample frequency and bit rate.
http://www.epanorama.net/links/pc_sound.html#soundcard_general
Define the following hard drive features/specifications and explain their usefulness in a DAW:
Cache
Short-term storage is a cache is used to speed up certain computer operations by temporarily placing data, or a copy of it, in a location where it can be accessed more rapidly than normal. For example, data from a storage disk may be cached temporarily in high-speed memory so that it can be read and written more quickly than if it had to come directly from the disk itself; or a microprocessor may use an on-board memory cache to store temporary data for use during operations. 'Cache' is derived from the French word for a hiding place, and so is pronounced like 'cash'. http://looselycoupled.com/glossary/cache
This is very important in a DAW since in audio recording there is a lot of data transfer. Specially useful when using at software sampler.
Speed in RPM
A hard disk/drive unit comes with a set rotation speed varying from 7200 15000 rpm. Disk access time is measured in milliseconds. Higher RPM / access time is very useful when you are dealing with large amounts of read/write data like in mutli track audio recording. This is also very important if you are using software samplers and using Direct From Disk reading.
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid5_gci212227,00.html
ATA Type
Short for Advanced Technology Attachment, a disk drive implementation that integrates the controller on the disk drive itself. There are several versions of ATA, all developed by the Small Form Factor (SFF) Committee:
ATA: Known also as IDE, supports one or two hard drives, a 16-bit interface and PIO modes 0, 1 and 2.
ATA-2: Supports faster PIO modes (3 and 4) and multiword DMA modes (1 and 2). Also supports logical block addressing (LBA) and block transfers. ATA-2 is marketed as Fast ATA and Enhanced IDE (EIDE).
ATA-3: Minor revision to ATA-2.
Ultra-ATA: Also called Ultra-DMA, ATA-33, and DMA-33, supports multiword DMA mode 3 running at 33 MBps.
ATA/66: A version of ATA proposed by Quantum Corporation, and supported by Intel, that doubles ATA's throughput to 66 MBps.
ATA/100: An updated version of ATA/66 that increases data transfer rates to 100 MBps.
ATA also is called Parallel ATA. Contrast with Serial ATA.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/ATA.html
Its useful in a DAW beacuse it reduces access time since the controller is directly on the disk.
Why have many people tended not to use AMD processors in DAWs? Is this down to the processor or the relevant motherboard chipsets?
There were compatibility problems with a few early Athlon chipsets, such as the AMD 750 and Via KX133but they are long gone, as are the cooling problems with Athlon processors that resulted in musicians having to use noisier cooling fans.
However you still can't guarantee an AMD system will work with every soundcard, since its hard to get this information from the soundcard manufacturers.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may04/articles/pcmusician.htm#8
How may an external 'breakout' box be connected to the host PC? Name 3 different ways and describe the benefits and drawbacks of each protocol.
USB
Benefits – You don’t even have to open the computer to install it. Easy to install.
Drawbacks - The more stuff you hang on USB, the greater the likelihood of clogging the bandwidth even if it has a great driver. latency, because of the extra CPU overhead. If you are using lot of soft synths you get high latency. Latency is a concern when you play and record a soft synth.
Firewire
Benefits – East to install. Fast and allows many simultaneous tracks.
Drawbacks – Not all computers have firewire. Even if you install a PCI Firewire card the busses on the motherboard can be to slow.
PCI
Benefits – Very fast. Good PCI outperforms both firewire and usb.
Drawbacks – You have to open the computer and place it in a “good” slot. Not all PCI slots in a PC are created equal some are sharing resources with other slots. You have to find the right slot.
http://studio-central.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4168
http://www.tweakheadz.com/soundcards_for_the_home_studio.htm
What is the importance of cluster size for PC based recordings?
Every computer disk is comprised of many individual 512-byte sectors. Windows groups several sectors into a single unit called a cluster. For most versions of Windows, a cluster can be as small as one sector and as large as 64 sectors, with larger disks having more sectors in each cluster so there are fewer clusters to deal with. Besides making large drives easier to navigate, clusters also help the operating system retrieve data more quickly.
Reading data from a hard drive is a multi-tiered process. When a program asks Windows to read a file, Windows determines which cluster contains the file and passes the request on to the BIOS. The BIOS then tells the hard drive controller to seek to the proper sector and retrieve the data. At least one cluster is retrieved, even if a program asks for only a few bytes. Therefore, using larger clusters reduces the number of times the hard drive has to physically position the heads to the proper place on the disk, even when a program requests data in many small pieces. The first request grabs a full cluster and stores it in an area of memory called a buffer, and subsequent requests can read the rest of the cluster directly from memory.
Since Windows accesses disk drives by cluster numbers rather than by individual sectors, one cluster is the smallest unit that can be allocated to hold a file. So a readme.txt file that is only 50 bytes long must allocate an entire cluster, and the remaining space in the cluster - called slack - will be unavailable for anything else. When the clusters contain many sectors and most of the files are very small, you can end up with more disk space wasted than used. So for drives that contain mostly small files, it makes sense to use small clusters. But for drives that hold audio files, large clusters allow the data to be read more quickly because more sectors are read from the disk at a time.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/keyboard1.html
Define the Von Neumann model of PC architecture.
The term von Neumann architecture refers to a computer design model that uses a single storage structure to hold both programs and data. The term von Neumann machine can be used to describe such a computer, but that term has other meanings as well. The separation of storage from the processing unit is implicit in the von Neumann architecture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture
Describe each of the following terms of their differences in function;
Point to Point connection
Point-To-Point is a Fibre Channel topology where two devices are directly connected to each other. It is the simplest topology, since devices are not shared outside this topology. The bandwidth is also dedicated. It is also known as FC-P2P.
Point-To-Point uses N_port.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAN_Point-to-Point
Bus
In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers. Unlike a point-to-point connection, a bus can logically connect several peripherals over the same set of wires. Each bus defines its set of connectors to physically plug devices, cards or cables together.
Modern computer buses can use both parallel and bit-serial connections, and can be wired in either a multidrop (electrical parallel) or daisy chain topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_bus
Network
A computer network is a system for communication among two or more computers. These networks may be fixed (cabled, permanent) or temporary (as via modems or null modems).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network
In a system with a PCI soundcard, is it more desirable to have the graphics card on the AGP or PCI bus?
Its more desirable to have the graphics card in the AGP slot so it doesn’t take any resources from the PCI bus. Though important here is to set the graphic card latency lower then the soundcards.
http://www.uaudio.com/webzine/2005/june/content/content5.html
Name 2 examples of an optical storage format, and their respective capacities.
DVDs have a capacity of 4.5 to 27 gigabytes.
CD-ROM has a capacity of 650 to 800 megabytes, 74-80 minutes
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=58296
Explain the importance of each of the following factors in a DAW, and what each factor contributes to a DAW;
Amount of RAM
The more RAM you have the quicker is the access time. This is especially important if you use a lot of software plug-ins.
Hard Drive Space
Since audio recording and storing sounds and samples you need a lot of disk space. Advantage to be able to record and store audio files on a separate disk.
Processor Speed
The clock speed is of course important. This determines how many instructions the cpu you can handle each s.
Explain the following file systems, their associated OSs' and the capabilities of each File System;
FAT
The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system is a simple file system originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures. The FAT file system is named for its method of organization, the file allocation table, which resides at the beginning of the volume. To protect the volume, two copies of the table are kept, in case one becomes damaged. In addition, the file allocation tables and the root folder must be stored in a fixed location so that the files needed to start the system can be correctly located, Windows 95.
A volume formatted with the FAT file system is allocated in clusters. The default cluster size is determined by the size of the volume. For the FAT file system, the cluster number must fit in 16 bits and must be a power of two. http://www.ntfs.com/fat-systems.htm
FAT32
FAT32 is a derivative of the File Allocation Table (FAT) file system that supports drives with over 2GB of storage. Because FAT32 drives can contain more than 65,526 clusters, smaller clusters are used than on large FAT16 drives. This method results in more efficient space allocation on the FAT32 drive.
The associated OSs´ are: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP
The largest possible file for a FAT32 drive is 4GB minus 2 bytes. The FAT32 file system includes four bytes per cluster within the file allocation table. Note that the high 4 bits of the 32-bit values in the FAT32 file allocation table are reserved and are not part of the cluster number. http://www.ntfs.com/fat-32structure.htm
NTFS
NTFS is a high-performance and self-healing file system proprietary to Windows XP 2000 NT, which supports file-level security, compression and auditing. It also supports large volumes and powerful storage solution such as RAID.
The most important new feature of NTFS is the ability to encrypt files and folders to protect your sensitive data.
http://www.ntfs.com
What is a 'partition' on a hard drive?
A hard drive can be divided in partititions. A hard disk drive partitioning is the creation of logical divisions upon a hard disk that allows one to apply operating system-specific logical formatting. Disk partitioning is a simple technique which can be viewed as a precursor of Logical volume management.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive_partitioning
What are the advantages of keeping audio on a seperate partition/drive to program files?
The advantages of keeping the audio on a separate partition/ drive is:
- Easier to orgaqnise your data.
- Easier to back up because you back up OS and audio data independently.
- If you do an errant program installation or driver update that damages windows so it wont start you don’t have to worry about your audio files.
- If you need to restore to get the computer up you only have to restore the OS.
- Faster search results
- Faster access times if separate drives. Less read/write on hard drives.
- Faster defragmentation times.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/keyboard1.html
How does a virtual/soft sampler such as Halion utilise the host computers resources?
A virtual/softsampler is streaming samples from the hard drive. For this to work smooth it needs to stor some of the data in the RAM. This is always a little bit of a hazzle to adjust the amount of streaming and the amount of preload. Often there a problem with clicks and pops because of not enough access time on the hard drive or not enough RAM.
How many minutes of stereo CD-quality digital audio can be stored in a 1 Gigabyte hard disk partition, approximately?
A CD is recorded at 44.1 KHz sampling rate and 16 bits resolution, stereo.
44100 * 16 =705600 bits per second. Since its stereo (two channels) you must multiply by 2 = 1411200 bits per second.
One byte is 8 bits so to convert to bytes divide by 8 = 176400 bytes per second or 176400/1024= 172.266 Kbytes per second or (172.266*60)/1024 = 10.09 megabytes per minute.
1 gigabytes is 1024 megabytes so 1024/10.09 = 101.4 minutes or approximately 101 minutes and 30 seconds.
For a hard disk of 20 Gigabytes capacity or more, what is the most likely backup device, other than another hard disk?
Most likely is to back up on a DVDROM which stores up to 4.7 GB.
Describe four different areas of application in widespread use and give an example of a popular piece of software in each area.
Sequencers –Cubase, Ableton Live
Sofware instruments and samplers – Atmosphere, Trilogy, Absynth, HALion, Kontakt,
Audio Editors – Sound Forge, Wavelab
Effects, Mastering – Waves, Vogengo, Izotope, Guitar Rig
Describe the main advantages of Firewire compared to SCSI
Firewire is simpler to use, as the PCI cards are Plug and Play, require little effort to install and configure, and devices are hot pluggable (devices can be added or removed from the system without powering down). Unlike SCSI chains that require knowledge and time and can often result in many headaches.
Firewire is often cheaper.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/atenfirewire/
In relation to computer software;
What is a driver?
The driver is a small program that that tells the OS how to operate the hardware/software. Lot of drivers exist already in the OS.
What is an extension?
The extension defines what type of file it is. *.doc is a word file, *.wav is a wave-file etc. This makes the computer identify which program should be used to open the file.
When changing sampling frequency, what happens to the latency?
Higher sampling frequencies decrease latency.
http://www.dsound1.com/manual/rtpexp/online/RT_Express.html
Excluding the host device, what is the maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus?
The maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus is 15 which means 14 excluding the host device. Each device with its unique "ID" or address.
http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_Connector_SCSI.html
If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure the devices on a SCSI bus what precaution should be taken?
Since SCSI devices are not hot pluggable you should turn off the computer before making any changes.
How many terminators would there normally be on a SCSI bus? Where would they be situated?
On a SCSI bus there are two terminators and they should be situated at the beginning the end of the SCSI bus.
http://scsifaq.paralan.com/scsifaqanswers4.html
A system incorporating two devices in addition to the host on a SCSI bus isn’t working correctly. What would you check on the SCSI devices themselves, assuming they are all switched on?
1.Check they are connected correctly to the SCSI bus.
2.Check the terminators at either end of the bus.
3.Check for SCSI device conflicts (they must have a unique Id)
2.Test the communications between the workstation and the SCSI
3.Reset Driver
4.Load Driver
http://www.cyberware.com/documentation/cyscanNT/www/scsi.html
Macintosh computers running system version 9.0.4 and lower are not very good at playing audio while word processing, whereas IBM PC compatible computers running Microsoft operating systems are. What is lacking from the Macintosh's operating system?
Before the Mac OS X, the system was did not have pre-emptive multi-tasking capability. This ability allows the computer to switch from one application to another.
In a hard disk recording system, which type of disk drive would you expect to allow the most simultaneous tracks to be replayed, a magnetic hard disk or a magneto-optical disk?
Magnetic hard disk
Which is usually thought to offer the most reliable long-term storage, removable magnetic hard disk cartridge or magneto-optical disk?
The most reliable long-term storage is the magneto-optical disk. The removable magnetic hard disk is unreliable and unpredictable when it comes to long-term storage.
http://www.minidisc.org/dat_archiving.html
Compared to digital tape, what is the principal disadvantage of disks for long-term storage?
Hard disk are mechanical devices so they can more easily fail.
Explain the advantages of newer 64-bit processors.
The primary advantage of 64-bit processors is in the amount of memory and disk they can directly address; 32-bit processors top out at 4 gigabytes (GB), while 64-bit processors have a theoretical limit of more than 17 billion GB. They offer better price and performance.
The move to 64-bit processing will improve performance for applications that need to access very large data stores.
Even though some 64-bit systems can process both 64-bit and 32-bit instructions, a 64-bit processor needs a 64-bit operating system and 64-bit applications to deliver optimum results. http://www3.ca.com/Files/WhitePapers/advantage_64_bit_wp.pdf
Explain why currently 64 bit processors can not be used to their full potential.
You’re currently not able to take full advantage of the technology because the software vendors haven’t made the switch from 32-bit to 64-bit processors.
Most AMD Athlon 64 bit processors are expensive, with prices sure to go down in the future.
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/windowsxp/articles/581/1/The-difference-between-64-and-32-bit-processors/print/581
Detail the CPUs used in Apple Macs in recent times.
First came Motorola in the 1990s with the G3 and G4 processors then IBM with the 64-bit G5 processor in 2003. In 2004. In 2005 Apple announced they would no longer use PowerPC processors in their Apple Macintosh computers, favoring Intel produced processors instead, citing the performance limitations of the chip for future personal computer hardware specifically related to heat generation and energy usage going forward, as well as the inability of IBM to move the 970 (PowerPC G5) processor to the 3 Ghz range.
The 64-bit G5 offers speeds up to 2.7GHz and can address up to 8GB of main memory. PowerPC G5 features a 1.35GHz frontside bus for each processor, 21.6-GBps throughput on dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5 systems.
Models
Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5, 512K L2 cache/processor
Dual 2.3GHz PowerPC G5, 512K L2 cache/processor
Dual 2.7GHz PowerPC G5, 512K L2 cache/processor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPC
http://www.apple.com/g5processor/
What are 'packet collisions'?
In a network, when two or more stations attempt to transmit a packet across the network at the same time, a packet collision occurs. This is not uncommon in a shared medium such as an Ethernet that has many computers in the same network segment. When a packet collision occurs, the packets are either discarded or sent back to their originating stations and then retransmitted in a timed sequence to avoid further collision. Packet collisions can result in the loss of packet integrity or can impede the performance of a network.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/packet_collision.html |
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Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:27 pm |
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AndyBarber
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 18
Location: North Wales |
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:28 pm Post subject: Week 3 - Computers 2
ANDY BARBER
1. Define the following terms:
Latency (delay)
Time between initiating a request for data and the beginning of the actual data transfer
Refer to network time delays and MIDI audio playback timing errors
(i.e. Midi signal to a VSTi to play a note, latency is the delay until sound is heard)
Duplex
Two way communication channel
half-duplex channel
can carry information in both directions, but not at the same time.
full-duplex channel
can carry information in both directions at once.
Duplex soundcard allows recording at same time card is playing (essential for multi-track recording)
Buffer
Reserved segment of memory used to hold data while it is being processed
Holds data from files being read or written
Helps compensate for momentary delays
Latency is needed because a computer is only capable of doing 1 thing at a time
If computer is busy and it doesn't process the audio in time then you will get glitches-pops-clicks in recordings.
To solve these drop out problems sound-cards use a buffer which as a side effect directly creates the delay
Latency comes from computer reading ahead (sample size) and storing in RAM. As one sample is played another is added to buffer. When the computer is busy there’s hopefully enough samples stored in the buffer/ram to keep playing uninterrupted. This creates a waiting queue and is the delay you hear. As you increase the latency you give the computer more time to process the audio and results in lower CPU usage
2. Define the following Sound Card driver types and their advantages/disadvantages;

MME (Multimedia Extensions/Windows Multimedia driver)
Driver for Windows multimedia compatible programs
Uses operating system mechanism for supporting audio hardware
Often only stereo
Uses non-high end sample rate conversion in order to sync the different audio signals from applications to the sample rates used on soundcard
Direct X (DirectSound for audio)
Set of Windows interfaces from Microsoft for programming graphics and sound
Provides a high-level interface for accessing low-level functions "directly”
ASIO (Audio Streaming Input Output)
Introduced by Steinberg to remedy the situation, that Windows had no means to stream audio-data from/to soundcards with the small amount of latency necessary for professional recording solutions.
Direct support
More efficient than MME
Gives low latencies and better sound quality
USB ASIO driver allows connection to external sound card/audio interface. Enables buffer sizes down to 32 samples (0.73 ms). Ultra high speed USB audio connection, bypassing the operating system's audio
Using ASIO it's possible to do direct "one to one" hardware connections and even use higher bit-rates (e.g. 20bit or 24bit) if supported by the device. Plus this driver can further increase quality by adding dither.
Hardware supporting an ASIO driver is able to deliver low-latency recording and monitoring to hard disk. Specific drivers allows audio interfaces to be used on both PC and MAC
WDM (Windows Driver Model)
Driver technology developed by Microsoft to create drivers that are source-code compatible for Windows 98, 2000, Me and XP
WDM drivers are layered in a complex hierarchy and communicate with each other and the OS via IO Request Packets (IRPs).
Support layering of devices so that a higher-level device object can intercept requests sent to a lower level device object or can implement its functionality by using lower level drivers
External USB and Firewire devices rely on WDM drivers
3. How may latency be reduced with ASIO/WDM drivers?
Can’t eliminate latency altogether
Lower the cards buffer size
Need card with ASIO driver and low latency support
Use higher sample rate (double sample rate=half latency)?????VICEVERSA???
ASIO enables audio hardware manufacturers to write optimised drivers for their hardware that bypass the potentially high latency mechanism of the operating system (specific drivers=performance boost)
WDM device driver is more streamlined with less code running hardware with greater efficiency
4. Name the primary differences between 'consumer' and 'professional' soundcards.
SOUNDCARD (SOUND BOARD/AUDIO ADAPTER)
Plug-n card that records and plays back sound
Support digital audio and MIDI
Provide input source for mics and other sound sources
Output ports to speakers and amplifiers
Typical sound card includes a sound chip usually featuring a digital-to-analogue converter
Digital samples are converted back into analogue waves for the speakers using digital signal processing (DSP)
Built-in soundcards (on the PC's motherboard) quite often will have more limited audio capabilites
PROFFESIONAL
Generally external units (good for laptops)
more than 1 sound chip
A/D converters as well as D/A
Multiple mic and line inputs
Multiple line outputs
Higher resolution/bit depth (bus structure, number of bits of information card can process at one time)
Higher Sample rate
Supports high quality multi-channel 24-bit/96Khz recording to Windows and Macintosh computers
Balanced XLR and TRS inputs
S/PDIF stereo input/output
5. Define the following hard drive features/specifications and explain their usefulness in a DAW:
Rigid magnetic disk fixed permanently within a drive unit and used for storing computer data
Cache (BUFFER)
Cache acts as a buffer between a relatively fast device and a relatively slow one
With hard disks, the cache is used to hold the results of recent reads from the disk, and also to "pre-fetch" information that is likely to be requested in the near future
Improves performance by reducing the number of physical accesses to the disk on repeated reads and allowing data to stream from the disk uninterrupted when the bus is busy. Essential when working with DAWs so multiple tracks can be played smoothly with interruptions
Cache currently at 2MiB on ATA/IDE drives
Speed in RPM
HD’s have fast retrieval rate because they rotate constantly at high speed from 5000 to 15000 RPM (revolutions per minute). Faster RPM means quicker access to data. DAWs need to access and play multiple music files at the same time so require a fast access time from the recording medium
ATA (IDE) Type
Hardware interface used to connect hard disks/optical drives to PC
More economical than SCSI
External data rate is the speed with which the drive can transfer data from its buffer to the host computer system
Easy to design an electronic interface capable of outpacing any possible mechanical read/write mechanism. ATA interfaces are capable of dealing with at least twice as much data as any single drive can deliver. Great when handling two or more drives per bus
6. Why have many people tended not to use AMD processors in DAWs? Is this down to the processor or the relevant motherboard chipsets?
Faster processors will not entirely ensure a faster PC
Processor choice will largely determine your motherboard selection
(well balanced motherboard important)
Modern motherboard with APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) capabilities preferred
Motherboard chipset controls the features and abilities of the motherboard
Speed at which the memory can communicate with the CPU is referred to as the front-side bus speed or system bus speed
For digital audio, there is an ongoing debate about the Athlon and the Pentium performance levels. Generally speaking there are more compatible systems for the Pentium series than the Athlon
Intel
Higher clock speed than AMD
Utilizes Hyper Threading Technology which is good for number crunching and multitasking
DAWs requires many applications to be run at the same time
AMD Athlon
Utilizes Hyper Transport Technology ( High speed, low latency, point to point link increasing communication speed between integrated circuits)
Good for running 1-2 applications at high speed especially gaming, movies, home entertaining
7. How may an external 'breakout' box be connected to the host PC? Name 3 different ways and describe the benefits and drawbacks of each protocol.
Audio Interface (AI). Same function as a soundcard but exists outside computer. Also known as a “breakout box”
PCI Soundcards
Most soundcards are internal PCI cards (input jacks and converters mounted on card)
Vibration and electrical current in computers creates noise contamination
PRO soundcards two piece system (PCI and external breakout box)
Input signal converted to digital before send to card (cleaner sounding recordings)
USB (Universal Serial Bus) Audio Interface
Allows data speeds up to 1Megabite per second
Because of this most USB audio interfaces cannot reliably record multi-track audio into a computer
Don’t have to open computer to install unit (plug and play)
Box can positioned away from computer in convenient place for attaching mics and I/O cables
Excellent solution for laptops
Firewire (IEEE-1394)
Digi-design, Mark of the Unicorn and M-Audio have introduced new FireWire audio interfaces
Operates at 400Mb/s allow multi-channel recordings to be made
Also has benefits of plug and play
Hot-swappable (don’t have to turn computer off to attach device
Requires PCI Firewire Card on computer
Multiple devices can be daisy-chained to computer
Reliable protocol
Uses CPU for some tasks (faster PC=Better Firewire will perform tasks)
8. What is the importance of cluster size for PC based recordings?
File system divides all file data on hard disk into clusters comprised of multiple sectors
Makes managing the location of data easier
Choice of cluster size has an impact on real-world performance
“In a nutshell, larger clusters waste more space due to slack but generally provide a better performance because there will be less fragmentation and more of the files will be close together in consecutive blocks, when clusters are larger, fewer of them are needed than when they are small”
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/perf/ext/fileCluster-c.html
9. Define the Von Neumann model of PC architecture.
Computer design model that uses a single storage structure to hold both programs and data
10. Describe each of the following terms of their differences in function;
Point to Point connection ( Point-to-Point-Tunneling Protocol (PPTP))
Networking technology
Supports multi-protocol virtual private networks (VPNs)
Uses internet as a network connection instead of a long distance telephone number
Allows remote users to access corporate networks securely via the Internet
Reduced transmission costs
Bus (common pathway, or channel, between multiple devices)
Network BUS (ie. Ethernet)
Data packet contains address of destination station
Broadcast to all nodes at the same time with recipient computer responding by accepting it
Transfers data serially (one bit after another) over cable
Network
Two or more computers connected for the purpose of routing, managing, and storing rapidly changing data
PC/Workstations (“node”) connected over dedicated, private communications links
Excellent for resource sharing
LAN (local area network) restricted to distances of 1 mile
MAN (metropolitan area network ) up to 60 miles
An internet is connection between networks
The “Internet” is WAN (Wide area network) that connects thousands of networks
11. In a system with a PCI soundcard, is it more desirable to have the graphics card on the AGP or PCI bus?
AGP (Accelerated graphics port)
AGP runs faster than PCI
Best to use AGP as it doesn't share bandwidth with other devices. PCI sound card doesn’t have to share its own bandwidth and reduce performance
12. Name 2 examples of an optical storage format, and their respective capacities.
Optical storage in the computer industry refers to any storage method which uses a laser to store and retrieve data from media
COMPACT DISK
CD-ROM (Read only)
CD-R (Compact disk record able)/ WORM (Write-Once-Read-Many) writes data permanently to disk
CD-RW (Re-writable optical) allows data to be written repeatedly
CD=700 MB capacity
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)
Good for storing audio/visual multimedia especially movies
Duel layer
DVD-RAM - functions like removable hard disk (can be rewritten 1000 times)
DVD-R and DVD+R - write once formats
DVD-RW and DVD+RW - rewritable formats
DVD=4.7BG capacity
JUKEBOXES
Storage units with built in robotics to automate access to hundreds of pieces of media and numerous optical drives.
13. Explain the importance of each of the following factors in a DAW, and what each factor contributes to a DAW;
DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATIONS
Computer system optimised for digital audio software and MIDI/audio production
Requires fast CPU, lots of RAM, and bigger drives.
Amount of RAM (Random Access Memory)
Functions as computers primary workplace
PC needs to be able to work in REAL TIME without slowing down, delay or glitches
Amount is compromise between budget and what motherboard can take
2 GB Ram is best
More RAM means better performance with soft samplers and better streaming of audio files. If you are running 24 bit, 96khz audio tracks, your RAM will help keep things running smooth.
Hard Drive Space
Size of a digital audio recording depends on the sample rate used
CD audio sampled at a rate of 44.1KHz
Digital audio can create large files that quickly use up hard disk capacity
INT.
Higher sampling rates allow the use of filters with a more gradual roll-off. This reduces phase shift, which can affect the stereo image at higher frequencies
Resolution of a digital signal is the range of numbers that can be assigned to each sample. CD audio uses 16 bits, which provides a range of binary values from 0 to 65,534 (216).
Both have direct relation to the file size
Processor Speed
CPU speed and the hard drive transfer rate will determine how many tracks you can simultaneously run and what level of plug-in effects you may use
Digital audio recording is a mathematical process utilizing floating point algorithms. Faster maths processing result in improved performance
14. Explain the following file systems, their associated OSs' and the capabilities of each File System;
Method for storing and retrieving files on a disk
Defines directory structure for keeping track of the files and the path syntax required to access them
Also defines the way files are named as well as the maximum size of a file or volume
FAT, FAT32,NTFS file systems used on Pcs
HFS used on Macs
FAT (File Allocation Table)
Developed for MS-DOS and used in windows up to Windows Me
Supported by nearly all OSs for PCs so used to share data between several OSs booting on same computer
Support for directories with 12-bit cluster addresses
Disk size stored as 16-bit count of sectors limiting size to 32MB
FAT32
New generation of FAT introduced by Microsoft
32-bit cluster numbers
Allows drive sizes in range of 2 terabytes
Limitations with scandisk utility place a limit of 124.55GB
NTFS (NT File System)
File system for Windows NT,2000 and XP
More advanced than FAT32
Required for numerous security and administrative features
Supports Active Directory domain names and provides file encryption
Permissions can be set at the file level rather than by folder
Individual users can be assigned disk space quotas. NTFS is designed to log activity and recover on the fly from hard disk crashes
15. What is a 'partition' on a hard drive?
Logical volume management
Creation of logical divisions on a hard disk allowing application of OS-specific logical formatting
Allows you to have multiple file systems on a single hard disk
16. What are the advantages of keeping audio on a separate partition/drive to program files?
Hard drive speed is partially dependent on the cluster size. For some file system types, smaller partitions on one physical harddrive decrease the cluster size, thus helping increase read and write speed.
Files are closer together and less fragmented on the hard drive. Head of hard drive doesn’t have to go as far to access related files (audio files being played at the same time)
If one partition becomes corrupt, only that partition suffers and not your whole hard drive.
17. How does a virtual/soft sampler such as Halion utilise the host computers resources?
With the advent of super fast home computers, sampling technology has become more accessible to the masses. Software-based sampling has largely replaced hardware sampling
Many work with DAWs as a plug-in or via Rewire technology
Sampling power is only limited to the confines of the host computer's CPU and RAM. Multiple large audio samples to be played together in real time
Compatible with 24-bit/96KHz sampling
Sample banks are easily accessed and can be stored on CDs/DVDs as well as the hard drive
18.How many minutes of stereo CD-quality digital audio can be stored in a 1 Gigabyte hard disk partition, approximately?
“CD sampling rate has to be larger than about 40 kHz to fulfil the Nyquist criterion that requires sampling at twice the maximum analogue frequency, which is about 20 kHz for audio”
http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/44.1.html
CD sample rate related to WAV format for sound (standard for digital audio)
Wav take up much more memory than encoded files like MP3
CD Quality ( Stereo, 44.1 Khz Sample rate, 16-bit resolution)
One hour of CD quality audio is approximately 700MB
Which equates to 85 minutes of CD quality audio for 1GB hard disk space
19. For a hard disk of 20 Gigabytes capacity or more, what is the most likely backup device, other than another hard disk?
Tape Drive
Backup needed in case of hard drive failure or virus’s
20. Describe four different areas of application in widespread use and give an example of a popular piece of software in each area.
TAPE DRIVES i.e. DAT (Digital Audio Tape) format, can also backup computer data
Easy access to Ethernet
Storage up to 70 GB with compression
Internal, desktop or rack mount available
Software ‘DATMAN’/’NovaBACKUP’
CD WRITER (800MB) /DVD-R/+R (4.5 GB) software ‘NERO’
JAZZ/ZIP DRIVE (750MB) ‘Iomega’
21. Describe the main advantages of Firewire compared to SCSI
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
High end technology providing means of data exchange between hardware devices (hard drives, CD/DVD drives, tape drives, zip drives, scanners)
Used with network servers/powerful workstations
Intended as a universal interface
- control 7 or 15 devices (using only 1 IRQ)
- holds its own computer power, freeing up load on CPU
- Built around host adapter which can control several SCSI units
- Host adapter (device itself) has own BIOS (Basic input/Output System) separate from PC’s
- Able to use SCSI hard disks which are higher quality, shorter seek times and more cache
FIREWIRE (IEEE 1394)
Interface connecting PC to external units
Hot plugging (don’t have to power down PC) with simple connections
Higher bandwidth 400 Mbit/second
Can handle up to 63 units on same BUS
Expected to replace, parallel connections, IDE, SCSI, EIDE
Supported with Windows XP and also Macintosh compatible
22. In relation to computer software;
DRIVER
Device driver is a program routine that links the operating system to a peripheral device
Drivers provide the detailed instructions necessary to activate and control the device
EXTENSION (in windows “DLLs”)
- Software routines that enhance the functionality of an existing software system
(i.e.VST plugins for cubase)
- Also “Extensions” are file types added to end of file names (i.e. *.wav / *.doc)
23. When changing sampling frequency, what happens to the latency????
The higher the sampling frequency, the more audio data will be interpreted by the sound card and available for your ear to hear (higher quality signal)
Using higher sampling frequencies will increase the amount of data to be compressed. More data per sample means there is information for the computer to calculate therefore increasing latency
“Using a higher sample frequency will allow audio data to pass through the buffer more quickly
therefore reducing latency. Audio data will pass through a buffer twice as fast when using 96KHz sample rate opposed to 48KHz”????????????
The smaller the buffer size the less time it will take for audio data to pass through it again lowering latency. However there is less overhead for delays in processing so CPU will have to work harder
24. Excluding the host device, what is the maximum number of devices that may be attached to a SCSI bus?
Regular SCSI 2 system can handle 8 devices including the adapter itself. SCSI Wide handles 15 devices

25. If it is necessary to reconnect or reconfigure the devices on a SCSI bus what precaution should be taken?
SCSI devices can be daisy chained
SCSI cable connects the system to the nearest of the devices, and then a separate SCSI cable connects the first device to the second device. Another cable connects the second to the third and so forth
Unique identification number must be assigned to each device on SCSI chain
Paralan's SCSI Converters and SCSI Regenerators aid SCSI allowing HOT SWAPPING
Ensure SCSI cable isn’t connected upside down
Avoid incidental contact with ground while power is on
Clear yourself of electrostatic charge when handling devices
26. How many terminators would there normally be on a SCSI bus? Where would they be situated?
On normal SCSI bus there would be two. The last unit at both ends of the SCSI chain must be terminated. This is usually done by changing the jumper/switch on the two units. Termination isn’t required if only two devices are being used (adaptor at one end, 1 device at other end)
27. A system incorporating two devices in addition to the host on a SCSI bus isn’t working correctly. What would you check on the SCSI devices themselves, assuming they are all switched on?
Ensure only the last device in the SCSI daisy chain is terminated.
Ensure old style-connectors aren’t used on same bus as a FAST SCSI devices
Make sure SCSI bus length doesn’t exceed 6 meters
Ensure protection fuse in devices hasn’t blown
29. In a hard disk recording system, which type of disk drive would you expect to allow the most simultaneous tracks to be replayed, a magnetic hard disk or a magneto-optical disk?
Magnetic Hard Disk
READING and WRITING head, stores data in concentric circle like an LP
Drive head can move almost instantly to any part of spinning disk
Head doesn’t touch surface of disk
Hard drives spin very fast (4500-7200 rpm) accounting for fast performance
30. Which is usually thought to offer the most reliable long-term storage, removable magnetic hard disk cartridge or magneto-optical disk?
Magneto-optical (MO disk drive)
Hybrid of magnetic and optical technologies
Laser to read data on disk
Magnetic field to write data
Insert disk, exposed to magnetic field on one side and by laser on opposite side
Magnetic coating extremely stable at room temperature. Data is unchangeable unless disk heated above certain temperature (200deg C)
Drive doesn’t heat whole disk. Laser targets and heats specific regions of magnetic particles
Pack a lot more information than other magnetic devices
Information read by less powerful laser
Life span 30 years (much longer than any magnetic media)
VERY DURABLE
31. Compared to digital tape, what is the principal disadvantage of disks for long-term storage?
Digital Tape is cheaper and has a greater capacity than disk storage
(digital tape is a well proven technology)
However disks are much faster and it's a lot easier to access and manage data stored on them
28. Macintosh computers running system version 9.0.4 and lower are not very good at playing audio while word processing, whereas IBM PC compatible computers running Microsoft operating systems are. What is lacking from the Macintosh's operating system?
Multitasking, ability to handle several different tasks at once
Multiprocessing, ability of a computer to use more than one processor simultaneously (need OS that can handle it)
Multithreading allows the OS to break up an application process into individual tasks that can run concurrently across multiple processors
Multitasking Mac OS9
Doesn’t support preemptive multitasking or protected memory
Preemptive multitasking is a method that shares processing time with all running programs
Allows OS to run multiple tasks from 2 or more applications at once
Programs have interaction with each other through the Mac OS kernel,
Multitasking windows
runs multiple programs simultaneously and can run background threads which do not have to be programmed into the application
32. Explain the advantages of newer 64-bit processors.
Improves performance and scalability
(Windows Server 2003 required to run high-performance 64-bit processors)
Process more data per clock cycle
Faster numeric calculations
Much larger memory address space
Large data sets can be loaded entirely into memory, reducing the need for slower disk access.
Workloads that once required large server farms can be deployed on a single server.
Backward capability with both 32 and 64-bit applications
33. Explain why currently 64 bit processors can not be used to their full potential.
(Windows Server 2003 required to run high-performance 64-bit processors)
Windows XP x64 isn’t available to buy yet
Current applications/programs only work up to 32-bit
34. Detail the CPUs used in Apple Macs in recent times.
Apple II line used NCR 6502 and 65C02 chips
Early Mac models took advantage of Motorola's 68000 series of processors
Power Macs, next-generation PowerPC processors developed jointly by Motorola's RISC (reduced instruction set computing) group and IBM Microelectronics
PowerPC 601 chips
PowerPC 603/603e chips (smaller than 601, consume less power, generate less heat ideal for laptops)
PowerPC 604 (high end powerhouse systems) 20-30% faster than 603
PowerPC G3 (third generation (smaller size, less energy consumption and heat ) Optimized chips for MacOS
PowerPC G4 (more efficient design, better performance, incorporates “Velocity Engine” which processes vector mathematics extremely quickly
Apple recently produced PCs with multiple CPU chips utilized by Mac OS X
35. What are 'packet collisions'?
Network glitch
Occurs when 2 or more stations in a network attempt to transmit a packet across network at same time causing a collision
Not uncommon over Ethernet (many computers on same network segment)
Result in loss of packet integrity and impedes network performance
http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2001/cmsc411/projects/agp/pci_vs_agp.htm
http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/64-bits/index.x?pg=1
http://www.karbosguide.com/
http://www.homenethelp.com/web/explain/about-network-speeds.asp
http://www.korg.com/1212faq/1212_and_logic_audio.htm
http://www.globalmusicresource.com/products/soundcard.html
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/BIOS.html
http://www.tdk.com/support/howto/soundcard.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/central-processing-unit
http://fcit.usf.edu/network/chap2/chap2.htm
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/perf/ext/fileCluster-c.html
http://www.computerhope.com/os.htm
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid5_gci1072211,00.html
http://www.css.msu.edu/PC-Guide/
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=formcpu#38
http://www.teamcombooks.com/mp3handbook/11.htm
http://www.2ndchancepc.co.uk/firewire-faq.html
http://www.karbosguide.com/hardware/module5c3.htm
http://www.paralan.com/hotswap.html
http://www.fdi.vt.edu/spring/2003/PDF/media.pdf
http://www.lowendmac.com/tech/macos_v_win.shtml
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Carbon/Conceptual/Multitasking_MultiproServ/02concepts/chapter_2_section_1.html
http://www.osta.org/technology/paper.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~rongonz/home_rec/soundcard.html#fullduplex
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=101352
http://www.viewz.com/shoppingguide/storage4.shtml
http://www.tweakheadz.com/doing_it_with_digital.html
http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_samplers_today/
http://www.datasure.com/mstore.html
http://macspeedzone.com/archive/html/art/edge/misc/a/multitasking.html
http://www.tweakheadz.com/tweaking_your_music_computer.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture
http://corourke.customer.netspace.net.au/Mac/ |
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