Audio Principles with Eric and J

Have your books handy in case I let you use them for a few minutes at the end of the testing - This exam covers our vocabulary drawn from the following old and new material:

[Be prepared to write definitions!]

Phase cancellation

Harmonic series (overtones)

transducer

MIDI

Amplitude

Frequency

Hertz

SPL

Decibel

Timbre

Beats

RMS

Decay

Ribbon Microphone

Dynamic Microphone

Condenser Microphone

Self-noise

Microphone Patterns:  (Omnidirectional, Cardioid, Supercardioid, Hypercardioid, Bi-directional, Figure-8)

Rejection

3 to 1 rule

Proximity Effect

Comb filtering

Phantom power

Frequency response

Preamp

Four stereo miking techniques:  (Spaced pair, X/Y, M/S and Decca Tree).

DI Box

I found some exciting videos on youtube that beautifully illustrate sound propagation as well as the basic characteristics of a sound wave.  The last video deals with microphone types, how they work, and when/where to use them.  Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REqxyVlT45M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmK3LV7oBDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MACpIFBlGpg 

Today we had a small class due to inclement weather.  We had 4 excellent article reports and watched Sweep the Leg by No More Kings. 

The link for the free subscription to TapeOp magazine is here:

http://tapeop.com/subscription/index.html

We’ll retake the Chapter 1 & 2 exam on Friday.  Buy the books and read them!

An important message from our Commander-in Chief:

Today we’ll wrestle with the 2nd lesson w/ Everest’s Critical Listening skill text and have a vocab test on the first 2 chapters.  If there’s any time left, we’ll have a oral report or two from those of you who finished with the journals. 

Monday and Friday of next week will have some lecture, but mainly we need to have presentations, due to the large amount of music majors going with the band to  Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday and Thursday.

If anyone has any concerns about grades, etc… please see me.  

Today we watched a bit of Method One in preparation for the protools first exercise.  Remember to review your vocab for Chapters 1 & 2 in preparation for a brief test on Friday.  We will attempt to finish the 2nd listening skills lesson, too!   Go ahead and read the first 2 chapters in Protools 101 version 7.4 in preparation for next week.

Examples from class of phase interferenece:

http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/feschools/waves/super2.htm

 Phase Cancellation and the 3 to 1 rule explained:

http://www.recordingeq.com/articles/321eq.html

A Podcast about Phase Cancellation,  Parametric EQ and tracking with Compression

http://thrs.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/podcast-001/

And a Wiki about phases:

http://www.wikirecording.org/Phase

Make your own beats here (seriously)

http://www.indiana.edu/~emusic/etext/acoustics/chapter1_phase3.shtml

but this is a great e-text and if you visit, you’ll learn lots!

http://www.indiana.edu/~emusic/etext/acoustics/chapter1_intro.shtml

Today we hand out the journals for presentations.  Your presentation is ORAL and doesn’t get handed in after you speak.  The rubric is as follows:

I.  Give a brief summary of salient points in chosen article.  (50 pts)

2.  Tell us your reaction to what was presented (i.e. critique). (50 pts)

Presentation =

Questions:

Can you make high quality recordings at places where the air is “thin” ?

 Why does inhaling helium make someone talk like Donald Duck?

Why can’t I hear the pitch of a dog whistle?

A dead tree falls in the deep woods, but there is no one within a radius of 5 miles.  Does it make a sound? 

Why does the track spectator see the flash from the referee’s starter pistol a second before he hears the shot?

What it Hertz?

What is the normal range of human hearing?

Why does a piano sound different from a guitar?

Why does Charles Dye use 3 sets of monitors?

http://emusician.com/tutorials/emusic_monitoring_success/index.html

What is the difference between “peak” and “rms” level measurements?

Why might it be important to be careful when placing multiple microphones around the same sound source (i.e. a guitar)?

Friday Test is drawn from following terms:

Chapter 1 – Huber

MIDI

Acoustically “dead”

Iso booths

Dispersion

Control room

Recording console (board, desk)

Spatial positioning

DAWs

Machine room

Autolocator

Effects devices

Project studio

Portable studio

Live/on-location recording

MTS/surround sound

Transducer

a/d converter

Huber, Chapter 2

 You don’t need to memorize the formulas!

Sound-pressure waves

Compression

Rarefaction

Wave propagation

Amplitude

Frequency

Velocity

Wavelength

Phase

Harmonic content

Envelope

Sine wave

Peak amplitude

Root-mean-square

Cycle

Hertz

Wavelength

Reflection of sound

Diffraction of sound

Frequency response curve

Phase

Phase shift

Partials

Overtones

Harmonics

Complex waves

Square waves

Timbre

Attack

Decay

Sustain

Release

Decibel

SPL

Voltage (V)

Power/watts (W)

Linear

Nonlinear

Curves of equal loudness

Phon                                                                                  

Beats

Web Extra Credit(only for those who read this far!!) = +1 letter grade on next test (if you need it).  - 

Locate a recording facility that you would love to have an internship with.  This means the facility specializes in a product/clientele that matches with your career goals.  Find the equipment listing and print a copy.  Then write (1 page) a capsule summary of the facility and tell why this place would be a good internship location for you.   This is due August 22nd.

Today we did the first lesson based on the F. Alton Everest listening skills book.  We’ll do a few others every Friday until we get past hearing “distortion”…then you’re on your own.

Today was the turn-in deadline for the OSHA page on hearing and sound pressure levels.

We’ll talk about what other goodness exists in chapters 1-2 in Huber plus check out some of the new tracks in Paste Magazine with critical ears.

Depending on what kind of mood I’m in, we might go ahead and get our article assignments for next week.  Points on this assignment are assigned (a) if you do the report for our class and (b) if you bring back my magazine.  It’s taken years to get that filing cabinet full of good stuff, so please don’t swipe my stuff and I won’t mind loaning you things in the future when you ask.

Everyone who gave me their name and student id# will have class tomorrow at 9AM in room 103.  If you have not completed both the Advanced Music Tech and Survey classes, please see Mr. Smith ASAP.