Which term describes playing a pre-recorded music source without hearing it?

• A. Track
• B. Track Full
• C. Dead Roll
• D. Mute Roll

Answer: (C)

In broadcast operations, a roll refers to a pre-recorded music item queued for playback. A dead roll describes letting that roll play to air while you do not hear it in your monitoring stack. The track is still being sent to the broadcast, but the operator’s headphones or studio monitors are silent for that item. This fits the situation of “playing a pre-recorded music source without hearing it,” which is why this term is the best choice.

Track and Track Full imply you are hearing the music, and Mute Roll would indicate muting the roll itself (which would stop it from being heard, but the common use of dead roll specifically denotes the lack of monitoring while the audio still plays).