All About Sound

Sounds in Nature
Hearing
Sound in the Brain
Making words from sounds
Prosody
Pitch and Tonality
Oscillators
Acoustic Design
Audio Processing
Noise
Harmful Effects of Noise
Noise Control
Case Study Noise in Sechelt

Acoustic Design

High quality sound performance and recording requires different kinds of expertise, combined in a variety of ways. Performance spaces are designed by architects and sound engineers to provide audiences with the best possible sound experience. The best concert halls enhance the performance of orchestras and soloists. Sound waves reflect of surfaces and combine together in the air. Natural reverberation is produce by reflections with different frequencies and time delays.

Sound engineering deals with blocking unwanted noise and directing desirable sounds to the right locations in an acoustic environment. The shape of a performance hall, the materials used as wall and ceiling covers and a host of other variables are considered. Sound baffles are used to absorb unwanted sounds. Sound reflective surfaces are used to enhance reverberation and to alter sound direction. 

Loudness is perceived intensity of sound. Objectively, loudness is the pressure of sound waves applied to the ear drum. The decibel scale (dB) is used to measure loudness. The lower limit of audibility is 0 dB. An upper limit is defined as loudness with the potential to cause hearing disability. The ear can be exposed to short bursts of loud sounds up to 120 dB without permanent harm but longer exposures to sound levels over 80 dB can cause permanent hearing loss. The ear is most sensitive to sounds in the 1 kHz and 5 kHz frequency range.

Recording Studios have different requirements. The most important feature is sound isolation so that unwanted noise is not included in the environment. Some bigger studios are acoustic environments that have natural reverberation desirable for acoustic instruments. More often, sound isolation booths are used to capture one track at a time on the recording console. Near field speakers are used by recording engineers to audition the sounds they are recording. All the features of a normal acoustic environment can be added to sound recorded in acoustically neutral spaces. The job of mixing different performances and turning those into a high quality mix is easier if all the tracks have no acoustic space information.

The 25,000 square foot audio production facility for Electronic Arts In Vancouver BC.
Designed by the Walters-Storyk Design Group

Topics presented at Persona Digital Studio are from the book, The Sound of Music by Stephen Gislason.
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 Print book orders are submitted to Alpha Online, a companion website. Mail delivery in Canada, and the USA. 

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Persona Digital Studio is located on the Sunshine Coast, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada. www.personadigitalstudio.com  email  music@personadigitalstudio.com. Our Music catalogue includes recorded performances by the P2500 Band, Em4U, and the Persona Classical Consort. Music downloads are available from iTunes, Napster, AmazonMP3 and from our companion website: Persona Digital Online.  We enjoy association with Reverb Nation who provides an online service for musicians to present and market their music.