Ch 6 - Sound Flashcards
wave
undulation of traveling energy
crest
highest point of a wave (max pressure of air molecules in sound)
trough
lowest point of a wave (max release of air molecules in sound)
velocity
speed of wave in relation to time
wavelength
measurement of full cycle of wave, from crest to crest
frequency
number of cycles a wave travels in 1 second
pitch
aural manifestation of sound wave directly proportional to frequency
Hertz (Hz)
basic unit of measurement of frequency of sound
amplitude
height of wave; with sound waves, determines loudness
decibel
unit of measurement for amplitude (loudness) of sound wave
attenuation
weakening of energy wave as it travels
transduction
conversion of energy from one form to another
radio frequency
part of electromagnetic spectrum used for wireless broadcasting communication
impedance
amount of resistance to signal
dynamic mic
uses coil and magnet to produce audio signal
condenser mic
uses two charged metal plates (one moving, one fixed) to create audio signal
voltage
electrical energy
ribbon mic
magnetic mic with small strip of metal instead of coil
phantom power
externally provided power circuit used for preamplification in condenser mics
frequency response
sensitivity across range of frequencies
pickup pattern
area around mic in which sound is clearly reproduced
omni mic
includes entire surrounding area of mic, eliminating only area directly behind
bidirectional mic
includes right and left sides of mic
unidirectional mic
most sensitive directly in front and limited sensitivity on sides and behind
on-axis
proper location of subject within pickup pattern of mic for optimum audio recording quality
handheld mic
designed fro use in proximity to subject
lavaliere mic
designed to be attached to subject
shotgun mic
narrow pickup pattern, designed for recording audio at distance from source, usually method for removing mic from image frame
unbalanced cable
uses just 2 conductors and wires (one for signal, one wrapped around as shield)
balanced cable
3 conductors attached to 3 wires (XLR); 2 carry signal and 1 acts as shield; 2 sig wires carry same signal but polarity reversed on one
sampling rate
number of digital samples taken per second
bit depth
amount of digital information taken within each individual sample
streaming audio
media presentation technique that allows simultaneous viewing/listening while downloading rich media from internet onto computer
lossy
reduced quality due to info lost from compression
lossless
no info lost from compression
VU meter
measurement displays amount of voltage passing through it
LED meter
has row/column of lights that light up in proportion to strength of signal
monitoring
process of listening to audio signal during recording to ensure proper level and sound quality
peak
highest point of voltage within audio signal
overmodulation
point at which peak of audio signal exceeds max safe recording range and risks distortion
ride the gain
adjust level while recording/taping
S/N ratio
relative proportion of desired info and interference
ambience
natural sound of location
timbre
tone quality
harmonics
group of frequencies that creates a specific sound
sound envelope
shape of sound wave (ADSR)
reverb
multiple reflections of sound off surfaces surrounding source
sound presence
subjective sense of sound proximity
binaural hearing
ability of human ears to perceive difference in location, duration, and presence of sound
sound perspective
perception of placement of sound in space
stereo
method of recording, mixing, and playing back on 2 separate channels/tracks
surround
uses 4 or more channels
room tone
sound of space/ambient sound
flash memory
form of solid state drives like SD card/compact flash card
broadcasting
transmitting of radio waves point to multipoint, whereby one transmitter reaches many receivers
podcast
radio broadcast/audio blog that can be downloaded/streamed to computer/smartphone
