Eighteenth Lesson - Posted on 2015-07-24 by Nicolas Anderson

     This chapter was pretty much a recap of the earlier lessons, but in much greater detail I'll say.  Yes boys & girls we're talking about Acoustics & Monitoring.  So I will not bore you with all this old & new vocabulary, but I will point out some things that were new to me, & kind of stood out.  So bear with me.

     Acoustics generally refers to two things:

1) The science that deals with the production, control, transmission, reception, & effects of sound.

2) The qualities that determine the abilityof an enclosure to reflect sound waves.

     Some general vocabulary to keep in mind:

Diffusion is the tendency for sounds to spread out evenly in a consistent medium (like air, or water), wereas Diffraction is the bending of sound waves around small obstacles & the propagation & spreading through openings & around corners.  Harmonics are the integer multiples of the fundamental frequency.  A full Phase of a sound wave is 360 degrees of circle, 90 degrees corresponding to a quarter of a wave, 180 degrees corresponding to half a wave, etc.  & we must keep in mind the Doppler Effect, stating that the speed of sound depends on the medium it's passing through.

     On the subject of Room Acoustics, there are several events that occur within a recording studio that are of paramount importance to the audio engineer.  Granted most of us don't have a hundred grand to drop on a brand new studio, understanding these occurences will definately help you to better your recording environment.  Lets start off with the Boundary Effect, which is the increase in amplitude (Constructive Interference) of sound waves when they hit a wall, especially low frequency waves.  Also important is the Fluttering Effect, a series of rapid, repeated reflections caused by high frequency sound waves bouncing around between parallel reflective surfaces, particularly suseptable are small rooms with hard floors.  There are many Acoustic Treatments you can add to your recording environment to help curb some unwanted sounds & effects, among them, Absorbers, Acoustic Foam, Bass Traps, & Diffusers.  But, one absolutely necessary tool, is a good set of Monitors, which are loudspeakers specifically desiged for audio production applications.

     See, was that so bad?  LOL.