Audio and sound reinforcement Flashcards
What we hear as sound is 'a class of physical kinetic energy called \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
acoustical energy
What is acoustical energy?
Acoustical energy consists of fluctuating waves of pressure in a physical medium - usually air.
What is the rate of air pressure fluctuation
called ?
frequency of the wave
What is the period of the wave?
The amount of time required for one complete cycle of a sound wave.
What does a single complete cycle of an acoustical pressure wave consists of ?
one half-cycle of compression (higher pressure) of the air molecules, followed by one half-cycle of rarefaction (lower pressure) of the molecules
In order to be classified as sound, waves
of pressure in air must fluctuate at a
rate between _____ and _______ complete
cycles per second (cps)
20 and 20,000
A wave’s period is expressed in _____ ___ ____
seconds per cycle
What musical attribute does frequency correspond with?
pitch
What is the equation for a waves period?
Period =1 / Frequency
True or False
The lower the frequency the higher the pitch?
False
The higher the frequency the higher the pitch
What is the unit of measurement of frequency?
Hertz
What is the equation of wavelength?
Wavelength = speed of sound/ Frequency
At what speed does sound wave travel through air?
Sound waves travel through air at the speed of 1130 ft/sec (344 m/sec) at sea level on a standard temperature day (which is 59 degrees Farenheit or
15 degrees Celsius).
What is wavelength?
The physical distance covered by one
complete cycle of a given frequency
sound as it passes through air is called
the wavelength.
The amplitude, or strength, of an audio signal is called the _____ ____.
signal level
What is an audio signal?
An audio signal is an electrical representation of a sound, in the form of a fluctuating voltage or current
What is the phase of signal?
The time relationship of a sound wave (or an audio signal) to a known time reference
The speed of sound is _________ of frequency
independent
What is phase expressed in ?
Degrees
Level (acoustical or electrical) is specified in
decibels
One complete cycle of a sine wave equals
360 degrees.
Why is phase need to be controlled?
It affects how sounds add together
What is a sound system?
A sound system is a functional arrangement of electronic components that is designed to amplify (increase the strength of) sound.
What is a sine wave?
A sine wave is a pure tone, a fundamental frequency with no harmonics (representing something like the sound of a flute).