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Sound Engineering: Professional Diploma in

This document provides an overview of the key topics that will be covered in Lesson 2 of a Professional Diploma in Sound Engineering course. The lesson objectives are to identify types of waves, understand properties of sound like frequency, amplitude and phase, learn about recording hardware and software, and make an initial recording. The document defines longitudinal and transverse waves, and explains that sound waves are longitudinal waves that travel through air as variations in air pressure. It also covers other fundamental properties of sound including frequency and pitch, amplitude and loudness, phase relationships, and harmonics. The second half introduces digital audio workstations (DAWs) for recording, audio interfaces, microphones and speakers. It provides guidance on setting up equipment and making an

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87 views

Sound Engineering: Professional Diploma in

This document provides an overview of the key topics that will be covered in Lesson 2 of a Professional Diploma in Sound Engineering course. The lesson objectives are to identify types of waves, understand properties of sound like frequency, amplitude and phase, learn about recording hardware and software, and make an initial recording. The document defines longitudinal and transverse waves, and explains that sound waves are longitudinal waves that travel through air as variations in air pressure. It also covers other fundamental properties of sound including frequency and pitch, amplitude and loudness, phase relationships, and harmonics. The second half introduces digital audio workstations (DAWs) for recording, audio interfaces, microphones and speakers. It provides guidance on setting up equipment and making an

Uploaded by

fotous
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Professional Diploma in

Sound Engineering
Lesson 2: The wonderful world of sound
Identify the types of waves
Understand frequency, amplitude, phase
and harmonics
Recording hardware and software
Set up a DAW for recording
Make a recording

Objectives
Lesson 2
The wonderful
world of sound
Lesson 1 recap
• Our microphones have their
origins about a century ago
• If you understand them,
you will understand mixing
much better
Today:
• Basic properties of sound
• Recording hardware
• Recording software
• Make a recording!
Properties
of sound
• Your goal defines the gear you need
• To understand the gear, you need
to understand the basics of sound
Properties
of sound
• Types of waves
• Frequency, amplitude,
wavelength
• Phase
• Harmonics (overtones)
Types
of waves
DID YOU
KNOW?

Sound waves
Did you know that sound
waves are just quick
differences in air pressure?
They are called
longitudinal waves.
2 Types of waves
• Transverse waves
• Longitudinal waves
Transverse waves

• Most common wave type


• Waves in a pond or a vibrating
guitar string
(Guitar Strings Oscillating in HD 60 fps, 2020)
Sound waves
• Longitudinal waves
• This our domain
Air pressure
• Sound is very quick changes
in air pressure moving away from
a sound source
• Air molecules are being pushed
away from the sound source
Transverse and Longitudinal
Harmonic Waves

(Animations for physics and astronomy; 2020)


2 Wave types
Transverse and longitudinal

• When a string vibrates, it is a transverse wave


• The air molecules that are pushed away due
to the vibrations are longitudinal waves
• We perceive air pressure differences produced
by longitudinal waves as sound
Frequency,
amplitude and
wavelength
Frequency
• Fast vibration
= high frequency = short wavelength
• Slow vibration
= low frequency = long wavelength

(Wavelength, Frequency, Amplitude and phase - defining Waves ! -


Techplayon, 2017)
DID YOU
KNOW?

Hertz
Speed of a frequency
We use Hertz to measure
frequencies of sound waves.
1 Hertz = 1 oscillation per second
Frequency is pitch

• High frequency = high pitch


• Low frequency = low pitch
Amplitude
• Amplitude measures
sound power
• Sound power is how strong
a sound wave pushes
through a medium
• We measure it in decibel (dB)

(Waves and Wavelengths | Introduction to Psychology, 2020)


Phase
• Phase refers to the relationship
between two sound waves
• How much frequency, amplitude
and wavelength corresponds
• Measured in degrees because 1
Hertz = 1 oscillation (a full circle)

(Wavelength, Frequency, Amplitude and phase - defining Waves ! - Techplayon, 2017)


Phase
• Frequency
• Amplitude
• Wavelength
In this image the two waves are 90
degrees out of phase. Look at the
peaks and start points of the waves.
Phase

When two waves are 0 degrees out of


phase, we say that the two waves are
in phase.
The image on the right is an example
of two waves 90 degrees out of (Wavelength, Frequency, Amplitude and phase - defining
phase. Waves ! - Techplayon, 2017)
DID YOU
KNOW?
Phase
180-degree phase shift
When two sound waves have
the same frequency and
amplitude but are 180 degrees
out of phase, the waves will
cancel each other out and
you will hear no sound even
at full volume!

(AC Phase | Basic AC Theory | Electronics Textbook, 2020)


Harmonics
Also called overtones
Timbre

• Used to describe tonal qualities


of instruments
• Bright, warm, thin, boomy etc.
• Instruments sound different due
to different harmonics
What are
overtones?

• Every sound is actually


a combination of frequencies
• Based on a ratio
• Every sound in the world is a wave
• It is the combination of different
waves that make sounds sound
the way they do
(The most mind-blowing concept in music (Harmonic Series), 2020)
Recording
software and
hardware
DID YOU
KNOW?

2017
Steve Lacy & Kendrick Lamar
Steve Lacy produced an
entire Kendrick Lamar track
using only his phone!

(Wired Magazine, 2020)


DAW
Digital Audio Workstation
DAW’s

• Starter pack has links


to free DAW’s
• Go, Download, install, record!
Audio Interface
It is the link between your
microphone, computer,
keyboard and speakers.
Analogue to
digital conversion
• The audio interface
or “soundcard”
• Translates mic signal to computer
• Process is called
Analogue-to-digital-conversion
(ADC)
Digital–to-
analogue-
conversion
• Audio interface translates
computer code to electrical
current
• Sends that current to the
speakers for us to listen
Phantom
power
• Your audio interface provides
this – just press the button
• For condenser microphones
to work at their best
• Line & instrument input
for guitar/keyboard directly
or with a mic
Microphones

• Dynamic (moving-coil)
• Condenser (48v)
• Ribbon mic (very fragile)
DID YOU
KNOW?

Fragile
Ribbon microphones
The diaphragm of a ribbon
microphone is 5 microns thick.
That is 5 hundredths
of a millimeter!
Speakers and
headphones
01. Studio monitors 02. Hi-fi
Flat response Shaped response

Studio vs home
speakers
Frequency
response
Center orange line is the ideal
flat response.
The green line has most flat
response.
(Feinstein, 2020)
Frequency
response
• We prefer flat response
• Easy to identify audio
problems
Let’s record!
• Microphones
• Audio interfaces
• Speakers and headphones
Recap: • Types of waves
• How to measure frequency, amplitude
and phase
• DAW’s
Sample rate
DID YOU
KNOW?
44.1 kHz
Sample rate
• Humans hear 20 - 20 000
Hertz
• Need 2 points to map a
sound wave
• Therefore, 44 100 samples
= 22 500 hertz
Choose a
sample rate
• 44 100 for music and podcast
• 48 000 for video to sync with
frame rate
Buffer size

• Time difference between


microphone and speakers
• Adjust your buffer sample rate
Buffer size
• Decrease buffer size for lower latency
• Increase buffer size for better
computer performance
• Increasing buffer size will
increase latency
Challenge
Share a picture or video
of you making your first
recordings with your
new knowledge.

#Shaw.audio
Completed lessons

1 2 3 4 See you
soon for
5 6 7 8
Lesson 3

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