Pitch relation/ octaves

Question 0

1st and 2nd octaves

Answer 0

20- 80Hz, low bass
Provides power, fullness and depth
Presents muddy-ness
*Thunder, jet, truck, ship engine, explosion, lion roar, traffic
*double bass, 22 inch kick drum, piano, synths, didgeridoo, tuba, sousaphone, organ, bassoon, alto sax, baritone sax

Question 1

What is an octave?

Answer 1

A doubling of a frequency, 2:1

Question 2

3rd and 4th octaves

Answer 2

80-320 Hz, upper bass
Acoustics horizons, sonic anchor holding it all together
Provides a good bottom
Presents boomy-ness (too much), or thinness (too little)
*Guitar, 16-12 inch floor tom, cello, viola, trumpet, French horn, clarinet, most male vocals

Question 3

5th, 6th, 7th octaves

Answer 3

320- 2.56 kHz, midrange
Intensity frequencies
Presents honk (too much in 5th), and tinny-ness (too much in 6th)
*Most fundamentals within the universe, cats, birds, doorbells, AC
*snare, soprano sax, flute, clarinet, mezzo/ soprano singers, violin

Question 4

8th octave

Answer 4

2.65-5.12k, island octave
Most important range
Humans are most sensitive to this range
Provides voice intelligibility, clarity definition, realism (Presence)
Presents lispy-ness, sibilance (too much)

Question 5

9th and 10th octaves

Answer 5

5.12-20k, treble frequencies
Humans haves a hard time perceiving
Provide brilliance, sparkle, and shine
Presents dullness (too little), and electronic noise/ hiss (too much)
*cassettes have a frequency range up to 60k, so there is no music to mask the hiss

Question 6

Speaking voice

Answer 6

Narrow band from 100Hz to 6k, while 80 percent is concentrated below 500Hz

Almost all energy consonants occur above 1k

Public address systems should be wider than voice range, and have a presence peak

Question 7

What are harmonics?

Answer 7

A set of precisely related sine waves, whose frequencies are related in simple integer multiples which must begin with a fundamental frequency

If the fundamental frequency is not the strongest in amplitude, the sound quality becomes pinched like that of a reed instrument

If the wave components are not related in simple integer multiples, pitch is lost, approaching noise like drum sounds
The frequency and amplitude relationships of these sine waves determine the timbre of the sound