Which term refers to the master timing reference used by digital audio devices?

• A. Main Clock
• B. Wordclock
• C. Tail Pop
• D. Tri-Level Sync

Answer: (B)

The concept here is keeping all digital audio gear in perfect time with a single timing source. The term for that master timing reference is the word clock. It provides a steady stream of clock edges at the system’s chosen sample rate (for example 48 kHz or 96 kHz) that every connected device locks to, so their digital converters and processors stay in sync. This prevents drift, jitter, and playback artifacts like clicks or dropouts.

While some gear might casually call a clock the “main clock,” the established term in professional digital audio is word clock—the dedicated timing signal used to synchronize devices across a chain. Tail pop refers to a glitch that can occur when a clock or data stream ends, not the reference itself, and tri-level sync is a video timing standard, not the master audio clock.