midterm 1 Flashcards
cycle (crest,trough)
One complete movement of a sound wave from start to finish before it repeats. A crest is a point on a surface wave where the displacement of the medium is at a maximum whereas trough is the opposite (lowest point)
Frequency/Hertz (Hz)
Hertz (Hz) is the international system of Units (SI) standard unit for measuring frequency which is the number of times a repeating event occurs in a unit of time. 1 Hz = 1 event/s or 1 Hz= = 1 cycle/s
range of human hearing
the range of frequencies that the human ear can detect, usually between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz)
amplitude
the height of a wave’s crest
decibel
A unit used to compare the loudness of different sounds.
sound pressure level (SPL)
the ratio of sound pressure and reference some pressure, expressed in decibles (dB)
Fletcher-Munson Curve / Equal loudness curve
graph that shows the relationship between sound frequency and perceived loudness
timbre
the quality of a sound or tone that makes a musical instrument or voice unique, even when they play or sing the same note
Envelope/ ADSR
ADSR -> Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. Four stages of an
envelope that controls the level of a sound over time
Polarity Patterns
Omnidirectional, unidirectional and bidirectional
Polarity patterns (omnidirectional)
picks up sound equally from all directions
Polarity patterns (unidirectional)
most sensitive to sound coming from 1 direction
Polarity patterns (bidirectional)
AKA figure of 8, equally sensitive to sounds from the front and back but least sensitive to sound coming from sides
Proximity Effect
The effect of a microphone on a sound source when its placed close to the source
3-1 rule for mic placement
the second microphone should be at least 3x the distance from the sound source to the 1st microphone
