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Definition
| waves of varying pressure in a given medium, alternating compression and rarefaction |
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Definition
| rate at which a periodic wave repeats |
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Term
| what is frequency measured in? |
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Definition
| Hertz, or "cycles per second" |
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Term
lower sounds = _________
higher sounds = _________ |
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Definition
| fewer cycles; more cycles |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| movement of sound through air or other medium |
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Term
| what is the opposite of a sine wave? |
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Definition
| white noise from a random signal generator (constant spectral density) |
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Term
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Definition
| double frequency of original pitch |
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Term
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Definition
| similar to white noise, weighted towards the low end of the spectrum as opposed to no weight in white noise. warmer, quieter, lower |
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Term
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Definition
| not naturally vibrating material produces a simple sine wave |
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Term
| what is the harmonic series? |
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Definition
| any vibrating string also vibrates at the octave above it, and the octave above that, ect ect. |
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Term
vowels are _______
consonants are _______ |
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Definition
| harmonic; transients/sound structures |
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Term
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Definition
| harmonic content that defines the characteristic of a sound |
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Term
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Definition
| represents air compression and rarefaction |
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Term
| compression goes ______ and rarefaction goes ______ |
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Definition
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Term
| what unit is used to measure amplitude? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| logarithmic unit used to express the ratio between two values of physical quantity, often power or intensity. |
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Term
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Definition
| it’s a versatile scale that possesses the logarithmic structure that makes it easy to render ratios of great difference |
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Term
| what is the decibel used for? |
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Definition
| measure differences in air pressure, and to calculate the degree to which we amplify or attenuate an audio signal |
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Term
| what amount doubles/halves the perceived loudness? |
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Definition
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Term
| what is the smallest increment humans can perceive? |
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Definition
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Term
psychoacoustics are _______
sound pressure level (SPL) is ______
intensity/power are _________ |
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Definition
| subjectively perceived; objectively measured; theoretically calculated |
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Term
| what does the equal loudness contour attempt to do? |
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Definition
| represent the variation in perceived loudness across the frequency spectrum |
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Term
| what is are two examples of the equal loudness contour? |
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Definition
| robinson-dadson curves and ISO 226:2003 |
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Term
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Definition
| the point between successive crests of a periodic wave |
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Term
| what decibel level are humans most sensitive at? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| unit of loudness level for pure tones |
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Term
| the number of phons of a sound equals what? |
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Definition
| the dB SPL of a sound at a frequency of 1kHz that sounds just as loud |
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Term
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Definition
| the point at which a sound becomes inaudible |
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Term
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Definition
| a device that converts variations in a physical quantity, such as pressure or brightness, into an electrical signal, or vice versa |
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Term
| how does polarity play out in audio signals? |
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Definition
| towards the positive is typically the compression, and towards the negative is typically the rarefaction |
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Term
| describe unbalanced cables. |
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Definition
| transmits an audio signal through two lines: the signal ("hot") and the ground. the receiving device interprets the signal by comparing the hot and ground signals, and any noise or interference picked up along the length of the cable is then included as part of the signal. avoided over 20ft, common connections are TS and RCA |
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Term
| describe balanced cables. |
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Definition
| carries the signal via three lines: normal polarity ("hot"), reversed polarity ("cold"), and ground. the receiving device flips the reversed polarity signal which cancels out most noise acquired along the length of the cable. results in a more accurate representation of the source with less noise. common cables are TRS and XLR. |
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Term
| what is a frequency response? |
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Definition
| quantitative measure of the output spectrum of a system or device in response to a stimulus* |
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Term
| what is frequency response plotting relevant for? |
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Definition
| inputs, amplifiers, effects/processors and outputs |
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Term
| an equal loudness contour is like... |
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Definition
| a frequency response plot for human ears |
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Term
| what is flat frequency response? |
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Definition
| accurately reflects the sound/signal received |
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Term
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Definition
| describes the difference between the loudest and quietest portions of an audio signal. can refer to a particular recording or the potential of a particular device |
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Term
| what are the two instruments that show metering signal levels? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| described RMS voltage (root mean square). slightly delayed, but displays "average loudness." slow response and release times (300 ms) |
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Term
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Definition
| displays peaks (transients). fast response, release of actual peaks can be delayed (typically a controllable parameter) |
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